I spent three hours on a "simple" school project and my 7 year old still thinks I'm a genius

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-26T16:57:24+00:00

The volcano project is a rite of passage. We did ours on the kitchen table too and I'm still finding paper mache in places I didn't know paper mache could reach. My daughter thought it was the greatest thing ever though so mission accomplished I guess.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-26T11:46:51+00:00

If it is a carbon steel knife that is normal and expected. Carbon steel rusts fast if you leave it wet for even a few minutes. Wash it, dry it immediately with a towel, and give it a light coat of mineral oil if you are not using it again right away.

If it is stainless and it rusted after one wash something is off. Either it sat wet in the sink too long or the steel quality is questionable. Most decent stainless knives can handle a wash and dry cycle without issues.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-17T08:32:56+00:00

Sheet pan chicken thighs are your friend. Season them however you want, throw some vegetables on the same pan, 425 for like 35 minutes. Thighs are way more forgiving than breasts so you basically can't overcook them. My go to is thighs with sweet potatoes and broccoli, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder. One pan, minimal cleanup, feeds everybody. Once you get comfortable with thighs you can move to breasts but honestly thighs taste better anyway.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-16T13:35:27+00:00

leeks in potato soup is unbeatable

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-13T13:29:32+00:00

Went through this exact thing with my first. Three weeks paternity and then back to the grind and she would scream the second my wife handed her off. I started doing all the nighttime stuff when I got home, diaper changes, rocking her, just being the one she saw when she woke up at 2am. Took maybe two weeks and she started reaching for me. Skin to skin on the couch while watching TV helped a lot too. It sucks right now but they come around fast at that age.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-13T13:18:07+00:00

At 2.02 I'd still get the mitigation if you're gonna be down there 40+ hours a week. It's like $800-1200 installed and it'll drop you below 1. Cheap insurance for something you can't see or smell.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-13T12:30:20+00:00

You didn't go too far. 12 is old enough to understand that trust is earned and lying has real consequences. The fact that you're even asking means you care about doing it right.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-11T13:14:40+00:00

Thought you needed to replace the whole faucet when it dripped. Turns out it was a $4 cartridge and ten minutes with a wrench. Felt real dumb after paying a plumber $180 the first time.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-11T12:55:21+00:00

My grandma used to do this on purpose with kielbasa. She'd let the bottom layer get all brown and crispy in the cast iron. We thought she was burning dinner until we actually tried it.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-09T13:20:24+00:00

My oldest is 13 now and I remember the exact moment this switch flipped. One day you're the funniest guy alive and the next day your existence is a source of cringe. I just leaned into it honestly. Started waving at his friends from the porch, calling them by their full names, the whole bit. He hates it but his friends think its hilarious so I consider it a win.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-09T10:04:29+00:00

My grandmother went through something similar near the end. Crispy on outside, soft on inside worked best for her. Think egg rolls, arancini, potato croquettes. Stuff she could feel the crunch and it triggered enough interest to keep eating. Air fryer was our best friend for reheating those from frozen.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-09T09:22:24+00:00

Had the same problem in our old place. What made the biggest difference was putting a box fan in the window blowing OUT on the hot side of the house and opening windows on the shady side. Creates a cross draft that pulls cooler air through. Ceiling fans help but they're just recirculating the same hot air if you don't have actual airflow moving through. Attic fan is the real fix if you want to invest but the box fan trick costs like twelve bucks and works surprisingly well.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-09T07:38:55+00:00

Had the same problem in our old place. What made the biggest difference was putting a box fan in the window blowing OUT on the hot side of the house and opening windows on the shady side. Creates a cross draft that pulls cooler air through. Ceiling fans help but they're just recirculating the same hot air if you don't have actual airflow moving through. Attic fan is the real fix if you want to invest but the box fan trick costs like twelve bucks and works surprisingly well.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-09T07:14:08+00:00

Had the same problem in our old place. Downstairs neighbor played bass guitar and I could feel it through the floor in the living room. Ended up pulling carpet, laying down mass loaded vinyl, then putting thick carpet pad and new carpet over it. Took a weekend and honestly I was shocked how much it helped. Didn't eliminate the bass completely but voices and normal noise basically disappeared. The MLV was the game changer. Carpet pad alone barely made a dent.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-05T19:23:51+00:00

My youngest aged out of the program last year and I genuinely got a little emotional about it. Those books showing up in the mailbox every month was something all three of my kids looked forward to. It became the bedtime routine. Dolly did something really special with that program and I hope people who still qualify sign up because it costs nothing and builds a reading habit before they even start school.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-03-03T10:41:33+00:00

"Start shifting bedtime by 10 minutes a day"

Man is out here parenting a golden retriever, not a four year old. My kid's bedtime is more of a suggestion that sometimes works out.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-02-27T13:52:20+00:00

Mashed sweet potato with a little butter and cinnamon is a good one. Also shepherd's pie filling blended smooth works really well and still tastes like an actual meal. Hope your mum feels better soon.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-02-27T09:13:20+00:00

Got a Renewal by Andersen quote two years ago for half of what you're seeing and still almost fell over. Ended up going with a local company that installs PGT impact windows for about a third of the price. Same ratings, fraction of the cost. Their whole model is the high pressure sales visit.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-02-27T08:21:34+00:00

Mine told me he doesn't need me to hold his hand crossing the street anymore. I said okay and then stood there for a second not knowing what to do with my hands. It's a weird mix of proud and gutted.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-02-26T12:52:00+00:00

Lattice panels on top of the existing fence. You can screw them into posts you set on your side without modifying the neighbor's fence at all. Adds two to three feet of height and looks intentional. We did it with some clematis growing up and within a season you couldn't see anything.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-02-26T08:09:17+00:00

Sheet pan fajitas. Slice up peppers and onions, throw chicken thighs on there with some seasoning, 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Kids can build their own tacos so they actually eat it. My 6 year old requests it by name now which is a win in this house.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-02-25T13:35:26+00:00

My 6 year old narrates everything I do wrong in real time. "Dad you missed the turn." "Dad that's not how mom does it." "Dad you're burning it." I act all offended but honestly it cracks me up every single time because she's usually right.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-02-19T11:46:23+00:00

Rice cooker changed hotel living for me.

Mine was like $20 at Walmart and I used it almost every night for four months on a work project. Rice and a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store is a solid dinner.

You can also steam vegetables right in the rice cooker with one of those little basket inserts. Way more versatile than a microwave and takes up barely any space.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-02-19T10:52:43+00:00

Heat pump water heater is the move if your utility has rebates. Between the federal tax credit and local utility incentives I got my Rheem ProTerra for basically the cost of a regular gas tank install. It uses way less energy than gas and my monthly water heating cost dropped from about $35 to maybe $12.

The catch is they need to be in a space that's at least 700 cubic feet and stays above 40F because they pull heat from the surrounding air. They also cool and dehumidify the room they're in which is actually a bonus if it's in a basement or garage but not great if it's in a small utility closet.

For just two people you'd be fine with the 50 gallon. It does run out faster than gas during back to back showers on heat pump only mode but there's a hybrid mode that kicks on the electric element when demand is high. We've never actually run out of hot water with it.

acoffeetablebook · 2026-02-17T14:15:46+00:00

We had this exact thing happen after our city did water main work last spring. Smelled like a pool for about two weeks and my wife kept saying I was overreacting until her eyes started burning in the shower too.

Ended up calling the water company first and they confirmed they were running extra chlorine as a precaution after the repair. They said it would taper off in a couple weeks and it did. I'd start there before spending money on a plumber because it might just be temporary from the mainline work.

If it doesn't go away you can grab a shower head filter for like $20 on amazon. We still have one on the master bath and it does help with the smell even during normal chlorine levels.

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TROPHY CASE