Happy Monday, gents. Charleston’s been soggy since Friday. Solo dad duty in the rain: part survival course, part endurance test. Minor drywall casualties reported. Spirits remain high. Let’s get into it…

📕 DAD WISDOM

Be More Like the Blue Jays

Credit to the Live A Little newsletter for the inspo behind this one. I’m not a big baseball guy, but I did watch the Blue Jays take down the Yankees last week.

The Yankees led the league in home runs; big swings, big moments. The Jays? They led in batting average and on-base percentage. They played smart, patient ball. The kind that doesn’t always make the highlight reel, but wins when it counts.

That’s dad life in a nutshell.

Any guy can have a “home run moment.” The big gift, the family trip, the epic weekend. But the real wins? They come from showing up. From the small, consistent plays like bedtime stories, Saturday pancakes, a quick check-in after school.

You don’t need to hit bombs all the time. You just need to get on base, again and again.

Be more like the Blue Jays today.

RAD DAD

Kirk Herbstreit

Photo via Indy Star

Kirk Herbstreit, the voice of college football, has spent years breaking down the biggest games, but his real playbook? Raising four boys.

And he's the first to admit the travel schedule is brutal. But here's the thing: Herbstreit doesn't let the road keep him from being present. FaceTime calls from stadium parking lots. Making the small moments count. Showing up however he can.

His approach to fatherhood? Support over pressure. Character over stats.

Kirk's made it clear to his boys: "It's never been about football for us. I'm just there to support them, whatever their path is."

He's also real about the sacrifice: "I spend more time on the road than a lot of dads, but I make the time I do have with them count."

But here's what really matters to him:

"Fatherhood is everything to me. It grounds me... My best role is being their dad."

Quotes from YouTube

DAD TOYS

Shoe Scrubber

The unsung hero of clean floors. Mount it by the back door, give each kid a quick “scrub or stay out” rule, and suddenly your house isn’t a swamp.

No batteries. No app. Just tough bristles, a steel frame, and a dad’s favorite four words: “Take it off outside.”

Get it here.

🛒 WHAT ELSE WE’RE EYING UP

» The Man Behind The Maps (Great Coffee Table Book)

» Lego Game Boy

» 100 Stickers for $25 Bucks

DAD BOD

Swap the Afternoon Coffee For This

That afternoon coffee hit? It might be keeping you up at night.

Try this instead: Green Tea

Green tea's got just enough caffeine to power through without wrecking your sleep. Plus, it's loaded with polyphenols like EGCG; compounds that fight inflammation, speed recovery, improve insulin sensitivity, and support fat oxidation.

The trick: drink it in the afternoon instead of your usual coffee. Better sleep, less inflammation, and a metabolic boost that actually shows up.

THE MOVE

“One day, your child will sit across from someone and describe what it felt like to be raised by you. Make sure it's a story worth telling.” - Author Unknown

This week's focus: Ask yourself one question. When your kid thinks back on this season of life, what do you want them to remember?