Just about 3 months ago, my daughter was born. With 2 boys already, Alissa and I were officially outnumbered and feeling a little overwhelmed. We were grateful for the amount of support we received from our families. Alissa’s mom in particular helped take care of our boys, cooked us meals…
Why We Should Stop Taking ‘Normal’ for Granted
For over a year now, I’ve been writing for this blog regularly (two times per month), and I’ve had a pretty good system down. Every 2 weeks, I would: Step 1: Pick a day. Step 2: Wake up at 5 a.m. Step 3: Tip-toe down the stairs, so the kids…
Have You Ever Lost Confidence in Yourself?
When I started my dream job 4 years ago, I was brimming with confidence. As the Chief Operating Officer and Editor-in-chief of a startup men’s magazine, I knew it was going to be a lot of work. But I had hustled to get there. I was ready for the challenge…
Is It Ok to Set Spiritual Goals?
For the first 16 years of my life, I lived my faith pretty haphazardly. Actually, let me rephrase that. For the first 16 years of my life, my faith basically existed because my mom, God bless her, took me to church every Sunday. That’s probably more accurate. Other than that…
6 Valuable Life Lessons for Every Adult (Courtesy of My Kids)
I always thought adulthood would be great: no homework, staying up late, and cookies whenever I want. Ahhh…that special moment when perception meets reality. You know the one. There’s that first summer with no vacation. There’s that first moment when you humbly head to bed before 9 p.m. Or there’s…
My Struggle with Cynicism
A few years ago, I was struggling with my place in life, despite the fact that everything seemed to be going great. Having entered my thirties and gotten married, my wife and I were filled with joy when our first son was born a year later. Combine this with…
8 Tips That Helped Me Lose 31 Pounds (And Keep Them Off)
Just over one year ago, I weighed 249 pounds. It was the most I’d ever weighed in my life. But in case the shame of the scale wasn’t enough, there was also plenty of evidence that it was time for a change: Chronic pain in my knees and back…
It’s Time to Stop Complaining about Our Kids on Social Media
A couple weeks ago, my wife and I joined her family for a trip to Hawaii. I say “trip” because anyone who has ever traveled with a 4-year-old and 20-month-old knows it’s definitely not a “vacation.” But our boys did great on the 7-hour flight, and between the pools, beach…
When Parenthood Has You Feeling Like a Fool
I never thought this parenthood thing was going to be easy. Heck, when my first child was born, I drove home from the hospital under the speed limit (for the first time in my life). I chalk it up to “needing time to process.” But I might have been pondering…
The Best Comparison I Ever Made
For years I carried a gym membership (until I realized I could workout for cheaper in my own home). And while it was nice having a seemingly unlimited supply of dumbbells and access to hundreds of machines, I always found myself feeling self-conscious during my workouts. Sometimes it was because…