Welcome to Underdomesticated! If you’re reading this, you’re probably a dad (moms are welcome, too!). And if you’re like me, you’re probably sick of social media. Especially the lone-wolf-alpha-try-hard social media dad content that seems to be everywhere.

I don’t want my kids to grow up to be screen-addicted losers. I want them to be mentally tough, persevere through hard things, love the outdoors, love God, eat good food, and enjoy life so much that the screen has little appeal.

Thats why I’m making anti-social-media content in the form of a newsletter where I’m documenting our adventures, our meals, and snippets of real life with my son. It’ll be slightly irreverent, hopefully funny without being too cringy, and applicable.

I’ve been hiking and fishing and cooking by myself and my dogs (and occasionally my wife) for a long time, and my son Finnegan is finally old enough to join in on the fun. There will be a lot of “figuring it out” in the coming years, so I want to document it and hopefully provide some useful insights to you.

So here we go!

I’ve made some good food over the last year. I’ve also made some terrible food. Here are a few examples of the good:

Each week I’ll pick one meal to review. I’ll tell you what the family thought of it, how hard it was to make, how expensive it was to make, and an overall rating. I’ll pick each meal the week before, so you’ll get to see the good and the bad, not just a highlight reel of success.

I’m not a professional chef and don’t have a professional camera crew to make things look good. The food is what it is. It’s what I’m eating and feeding my family, for better or worse!

Hopefully you find something here that you like and can try with your family.

It would be impossible to show even a small sample of the past years of adventure. So, here’s a favorite!

The longest hike I’ve taken Finn on to date is 3 miles. It took a little over 3 hours and was painful at times. The reality is hiking with a little kid is different than hiking by yourself. I think its just as enjoyable, but for different reasons. You don’t enjoy the views as much, because you’re focused on something else.

Don’t fall into the trap of “I’ll take the kids when they’re older.” Take them now. Teach them to be tough and walk when they’re tired. My son loves talking about our hikes. He tells the gym daycare teachers, his church teachers, and the neighbors every chance he gets. He never mentions how hard it was or how tired he was.

Now that he can do 3 miles, I feel like it opens up a lot of things like backpacking trips, campouts, and snow stuff this winter (assuming we get any snow this year). We have a lot of exciting trips and adventures in the works for the coming months!

In this section, I’ll share details about our trips. The packing list, gear reviews, destinations, and how it went. Again, you’ll see the good and bad. We try to plan one adventure each week, sometimes its a simple hike, sometimes it’ll be more involved like an overnighter. Hopefully something here can help you get out there with your kids!

P.S. I’m not going to share my kids’ faces on here, but I’ll share plenty of shots like these straight from my phone. Again, no fancy camera equipment.

P.S.S. Unless I’ve done it, I won’t recommend it. I’ll never recommend gear I haven’t used and loved, destinations I haven’t visited, and tips I don’t implement. No sellout here.

Everything relates back to raising kids in some way or another. None of us know what we’re doing and we’re just doing our best. Seems like kids are resilient and they are hard to ruin.

Turns out business, life, relationships, and everything else are the same. All the people that seem like they’re running the world are just making it up as they go. Some things work, some things flop, the world goes on.

So just do things, especially with your kids!

I’m taking Finn on his first backpacking trip, so next week will be a recap of that adventure. Keep an eye out next Thursday for that one!

Also, I read every reply to this newsletter, so please sent me your thoughts and comments. Any trips you’ve taken that you think I should take, food you’ve made, or crazy parenting insights in your life are welcome!