So I got ambitious and let my 8yo do a "volcan" (volcano, but he says volcan) with baking soda and food coloring. Looked online real quick, thought it would be fine. He decided to quadruple the vinegar amount "to make it more epic." We have red dyed vinegar in places I didn't even know existed. On t...
So every Sunday I do my meal prep for the week (mostly chicken, rice, veggies - nothing fancy) and my son asked if he could help. At first I thought it'd be chaos but honestly? He's been amazing at it. He portions things, labels containers with the date, even cleans as we go. Is this normal or did I...
I set a 1-hour limit on Fortnite and you would think I told my 13yo he can never touch a screen again. The meltdowns are REAL. I get that he wants to play with his friends but I literally can't have him gaming all evening - he's got homework, sleep is important, and I need sanity. Does it get easie...
I work out, I'm in decent shape, but being a dad is destroying my body in new ways. My back hurts from picking up toddlers, my knees are shot from crawling around, and I can't remember the last time I felt rested. And it's not even like one hard thing, it's 8 hours of constant low level physical act...
We were driving home from soccer practice and out of nowhere my 10 year old asks why God let his best friend's dad die last month. I honestly froze. Had no idea what to say. We ended up talking about heaven and faith for like 20 minutes. It was one of the most meaningful conversations we've had. Som...
My 5yo spilled juice on the kitchen floor this morning and I absolutely lost it. Started yelling, which I never do. My wife looked at me like I'd grown a second head. Thing is, I KNOW it's not about the juice. I've been running on like 5 hours of sleep for a week because my 2yo has been sick. I feel...
Been wanting a real space for woodworking for years. Finally cleared out enough junk and set up a proper workbench, tools, organized it nicely. First project was a simple cutting board. Looked decent! Now I'm eyeing bigger projects and I'm worried I've awakened something that's gonna bankrupt me. Pl...
My ex recently got really into positive parenting books and wants to change our whole discipline approach. Like, no yelling, time-ins instead of timeouts, 'natural consequences,' whole nine yards. She's emailed me articles and wants us to 'align' on this. Here's the thing - I don't hate the idea, bu...
We're thinking about doing a nanny share with another family instead of the daycare we're at. Same cost basically, but our 2yo would be home with a caregiver + one other kid. Pros: kid stays in familiar environment, flexible hours, sick day policy is way better Cons: depends on reliability of one p...
Just survived driving to my parents' house in Tennessee with our kids (5, 8, 12). Never again tbh. The 12yo had his Switch die 3 hours in. 8yo got carsick. 5yo asked "are we there yet" literally every 5 minutes. We stopped like 6 times. What am I doing wrong?? I see other families just cruising and ...
Been dating someone for 8 months and we're getting serious. My kids are 7 and 12. I'm trying to figure out when/how to introduce her without it being weird or my ex losing her mind. She's been fine with me dating (I think?) but haven't had anyone around the kids yet. What was your approach?
**The Good:** - My 10yo loves helping me make pizzas - Weekend dinners are way more fun now - Somehow makes pizza taste better **The Bad:** - Way more expensive than I budgeted ($800 total) - Took 6 weeks of weekends to build - My brick work looks... not professional **The Ugly:** - First pizza I ...
Monday and Friday mornings are absolute chaos at my house. The kids get SO moody the day before they leave or the day after they arrive. My 8yo actually throws up sometimes because he gets anxious. My ex says it doesn't happen at her place. I've tried everything - extra cuddle time the night before,...
Ok so I know this probably sounds dumb to experienced parents but I genuinely panicked about diaper changing and bathing in the beginning. My 3-month-old doesn't cry when I do it anymore, I can change him one-handed now, and yesterday he grabbed my finger and gave me the biggest smile. Felt like I a...
Taking some time off next month to play some rounds. Haven't played in way too long. Looking for recommendations that aren't going to destroy my wallet but also aren't completely trashed. Willing to drive a couple hours for a good course. Already thinking about doing maybe 3 or 4 different ones whil...