Guys I need some real talk. I work long hours and come home irritable, snapping at the kids over small stuff. My wife pointed out last night that I'm not showing them what patience and grace look like. She's right and it stings. I pray in the morning but by 3pm I've basically checked out spiritually...
My son asked me yesterday why God lets bad things happen to good people and I totally froze. I gave him some Sunday school answer but he wasn't satisfied and honestly neither was I. He's too smart for generic responses. Has anyone else dealt with this age where they want real answers? I want to buil...
Just completed my garage workbench yesterday and had to share. Got the pegboard wall organized, mounted my tool chest, and even ran some LED strips overhead. Now when the kids are at school I can actually work on my woodworking projects without having to clear off a pile of Christmas decorations fir...
Been putting this off for like 2 years. Started Saturday morning and finished up today. It's not perfect but it looks way better than that broken cracked tile situation we had going on. Pro tip if anyone's doing this: watch a bunch of YouTube videos first. I made some mistakes early on but learned a...
Started this thing in June and just nailed the last board yesterday. Went from a tiny 12x10 deck to about 20x14. Built new stairs too which was way harder than I expected. Used composite decking which cost a fortune but won't need staining every year. Family had a cookout on it last night and everyo...
I backpacked through 14 countries in my twenties. That WAS my identity. Booked flights on a whim, stayed in hostels, had stories. Now I'm planning 2-hour beach trips with enough supplies to stock a small shop. The freedom is completely gone. But here's the thing nobody tells you - showing your kid t...
Been going through a rough patch with my walk with God and I'm realizing my kids are watching everything I do. My oldest asked me why I don't pray before meals anymore like I used to. I didn't have a good answer. Started praying again and it's helping me more than I expected. Anyone else been throug...
This might sound weird but I feel like such a hypocrite when I pray with my kids before dinner or bedtime. Like I don't pray much on my own so why should they listen to me? I want them to have faith but I'm not exactly walking the walk perfectly. Anyone else deal with this? How do you lead spiritual...
So my wife has been the primary feeder since we came home from the hospital 2 weeks ago and I can see she's absolutely exhausted. Dark circles under her eyes, snapping at me over nothing. I work from home so I've been trying to help where I can but honestly I feel kind of helpless. We're bottle feed...
Woke up at 4am to get it on the smoker, tended it all day, and when I finally pulled it at 6pm and let it rest it was absolutely perfect. Tender, juicy, actual bark on the outside. My family went nuts. Feeling pretty proud and wondering if I should try something else or just keep smoking briskets un...
Daughter came home asking why her teacher said evolution is fact when we taught her about creation. She's 10 and I don't want her feeling like she has to choose between school and what we believe. I'm trying to model thoughtful faith instead of just shutting down everything worldly, but it's tricky....
My kids have been so well behaved today that I legitimately don't know what we did different. Wife and I haven't yelled once, no tantrums, homework got done without a fight, they played together nicely. Either we finally figured something out or they're planning something big. I'm suspicious but als...
Turned down a promotion to move to part time work so I could actually be present for my kids. This was 2 years ago and I still second guess it sometimes. The salary hit stung and I definitely had an identity crisis about not being the "ambitious guy" anymore. But man, being able to pick up my kid fr...
My son is 3 weeks old and I honestly can't remember the last time I slept more than 90 minutes straight. My wife and I are tag-teaming nights but it's brutal. She's breastfeeding so I can't really help there, but I'm doing diaper changes and trying to soothe him when he gets fussy at 3am. Today I ac...
Two years ago I was making six figures in finance, traveling for work, stressed out of my mind, barely knew my kids. Had a panic attack in the office one day and just decided I was done. Took a risk and my wife agreed to be the primary earner. Honestly the financial identity shift has been harder th...