Mother Lover, Money Tips & Bon Iver

3 Things I'm Loving, Reading, Watching or Doing

Listening to this week:

Bon Iver’s new ablum, SABLE, fABLE

Another surprise hit for me—I didn’t expect to love it this much. It’s fun and less moody and kinda pop soulish.

Podcast recommendation:
Morgan Housel on The Diary of a CEO

A great listen on how to think about money, saving, and investing—especially in uncertain times. I also appreciated his thoughts on preparing our kids for the future.

“The most valuable financial skill that anyone can have is not needing to impress other people.”

Kid project:
Building a porch swing bed

In a world increasingly shaped by AI, I want my kids to develop hands-on skills too. I’m helping two of my boys build a porch swing bed, and we’re planning to take photos and see if they can sell a few this summer.

2 Quotes Worth Pondering

Having children is like living in a frat house—nobody sleeps, everything’s broken, and there’s a lot of throwing up. — Ray Romano

Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. — Epictetus

1 Big Dad Idea

Heads up, dads—Mother’s Day is THIS Sunday.

Which brings me to this week’s big dad idea: being a mother lover.

Even if they don’t fully appreciate it yet, my kids need to see a dad who deeply loves their mom.

They see us dance together, kiss, joke, hug, and laugh—a lot. They also see us work through problems, juggle schedules, disagree respectfully, and own our mistakes (okay, mostly me... zing!).

I also make it abundantly clear that Erin was my wife before she was their mom, and I will protect, love and cherish my wife. Thus, when one of the kids offers up some sassy-pants lip to Erin, I’ll occasionally hit them with a reminder.

"I love you, son. But do not talk to my wife like that again."

That moment always lands a bit heavy. It’s like they suddenly remember:
Oh right... Dad’s not just Dad. He’s her husband—and he’s defending his wife.

Modeling a relationship built on mutual love and respect teaches our kids far more about marriage and partnership than any fairy tale ever could. It lays the groundwork for how I hope they treat their future loves AND how they should expect to be treated by someone who loves them.

And in a world that desperately needs emotionally intelligent men, I want my boys to see strength and tenderness in action.