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Dad Stories: Raising Kids Off The Grid with Phillip Fry



Build your own home and take care of the kids all in one go. 



Today we are happy to welcome the pigeon man Phillip Fry to Dad Stories, a special segment of the Dadhouse Podcast. This is where we seek out interesting dads with interesting stories. Phillip is the father of four that sold his business in Tucson, bought some land in Northern Arizona, and began to build his own home with his wife. The man is doing it all. 



Interview with Phillip Fry



The question we all want to know is (1:57) what is it like to build your own home as a stay-at-home dad. There have to be challenges, and Phillip lets us know what they are. Then, of course, because we are Dadhouse, we need to know what kind of water heater (3:31) Phillip has. The answer is different from any we’ve had before. But where does Phillip get his water (4:48)



Being off grid as Phillip is, one of the biggest questions we have is how do you potty train a toddler in an outhouse? (9:33). And does Phillip consider himself a homesteader? (11:53). The whole experience presents challenges that most of us will never know. Phillip takes the time (13:53) to let us know what those are and which ones he struggles with. 



What about support? For a dad that is beyond rural, how does Phillip make connections (17:07) Phillip tells of his journey and it ends up in the Dad Lounge (18:50) hosted by Athomedad.org. For other rural dads needing support, this is a great place to go. 



Now it’s time to get to the pigeons! (23:00). Mick has experience with chickens and comes up with chicken math and pigeon math (25:00) which apparently is its own thing. The real question though (28:01) is can we send a carrier pigeon to the next HomeDadCon? 



A huge thank you to Phillip for joining us on today’s show. 

Dadhouse Teams Up with Sam Mellinger



An interview with Kansas City Royals VP of Communications Sam Mellinger



In this episode, Dadhouse Teams Up with Sam Mellinger the Kansas City Royals VP of Communications. Not only that, but we also get a chance to talk about our last Man Weekend, a time of the year were we leave it all behind and reconnect with our friends. This year we stopped by a brewery on the way. Grab your favorite craft beer and enjoy this week's episode. 



Catching Up



Right off the bat (0.54) Mick has technical problems. This has become a tradition at this point. But Mick is a trooper and comes back on. This brings us to our first question of the day (2.35): Do you parent genders differently, especially if you only have one gender? It’s an interesting discussion as the dads do a deep dive. Next up (5.47) is the Mike’s Intro Challenge. Which household chore do you hate to do the most? The dads are all over the place, but laundry will always make the list. 



And today we are proud to make a special announcement! (11:39) Dadhouse Podcast is proud to have our YouTube channel up. We’ll do a live record of many of our episodes and put them up if you want to follow along. Unedited and raw, which makes this sound way sexier than it’s meant. 



Now onto Man Weekend (14:35) and why we go. Jake gives a totally great reason that doesn’t sound rehearsed at all. We also stopped by the Levi Garrison and Sons Brewery which was a blast. Next up is Housekeeping (33:01)



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DadCon Dad Advice



One of the great things we’ve done over the last year is to introduce advice from other fathers. We continue that here (36:15) with DadCon Dad Advice.



Interview with Sam Mellinger (40:53)



Sam Mellinger is the current VP of communications with the Kansas City Royals. His 21-year career has ranged from high school sports to the World Series, and the Super Bowl. He began as a newspaper reporter and columnist for the Kansas City Star before making the change to the Royals. The father of two boys, we are proud to have him on our show. 



Sam begins (47:00) by talking about making the change in his career while realizing how it would affect his wife and kids. But he also looks forward (51:14) to creating those lifelong memories that every father needs. Mick asks a great question (53:55) about how we balance the heroes and role models of our children when the person might not be kind in person. It’s the question of whether can we separate the art from the artist. Finally (1:11:20) we get into the Dadhouse Five—Let’s check your dadness!



Thanks for stopping by Sam and sharing your experience with us! 

Dad Stories: Rural Living with At-Home Dad Daniel Wilkinson



The At-Home Life in the Sticks



Welcome to a new segment on Dadhouse: Dad Stories. These are the dads that show up every day and do the job. Their voices, their stories, their lives. On the first episode of Dad Stories, Mick and Shannon welcome Daniel Wilkinson, a rural at-home dad showing us how it’s done. 



But before we get to it, please take a minute to follow, like, and subscribe. It helps get stories like Daniel’s out into the world, and it gives fathers the much-needed advice and community that they deserve. 



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Who is Daniel? 



Daniel Wilkinson is the father of two boys under the age of five, and he’s been an at-home dad since the beginning. Living in the geographical center of Texas, his life is more about being outdoors than in downtowns. Previously, he was a geologist that held different positions with both state government and in the oil fields. His wife is the only female OB/GYN within 90 miles. Daniel and his family chose to have him stay home simply because it made sense. 



Daniel’s Story



Dad stories start (5:07) with the tradition of black-eyed peas on New Year’s Eve. If you’re from the South, you probably know the story behind that tradition. (6:00) Daniel gives a little bit of his family history so that we can all walk a mile in his shoes. This is one of the reasons we started doing Dad Stories; to get those other experiences that we can all learn from. 



One of the biggest obstacles Daniel faces is a lack of support (8:32) For many of our rural dads, it can often feel that you are an island. Daniel says that it can be pretty cutthroat in the rural areas and how others view masculinity. From men and women, some always have an opinion. 



Next, Daniel gets into how he builds the memories that are his paychecks (11:01). He doesn’t have to worry about traffic, strangers, and many of the other things that parents living in cities do. Instead, his concerns focus on wildlife and farm equipment. He spends time teaching his boys how to respect both (16:53) and how to always have an exit strategy when dealing with animals. 



During Covid, his life didn’t change much (18:51). The biggest difference is that they just didn’t go to town. One of his best pieces of advice is how you frame things for your kids. They are not hikes or walks, they are adventures. It’s not so much a hike as it is dinosaur bone hunting. There’s a lot to do out in the rural areas. And if you’re interested (22:26), we determine if you can eat an ostrich egg. 



There is a lot of driving for Daniel and his family, and he’s got the experience to help other dads (24:38). He limits drive time to six hours and doesn’t use screens very much. Instead, he takes the time to talk to his boys. In his words “Hopefully we are establishing those lines of communication” that will benefit him and his family in the future. This all goes into practice when he took his kids to Colorado for a week and a half by himself. 



One huge challenge that he faces is connections (27:04). Being rural, there aren’t that many at-home dads around him. He finds his people at churches, feed stores, and in his hobbies such as rodeos and aviation. 



Whenever we have a guest like this, we always ask them for their best piece of advice (31:22). Daniel delivers and helps those that live in an area where the closest neighbor may be 40 miles away. 



Finally, we end this episode with a discussion on cutting horses and how that works (...

Valentine's Day with Jen Mann







What your wife really wants for Valentine’s Day



It’s time to stop worrying, Valentine's Day with Jen Mann and what your wife really wants is here, and Dadhouse has your back. What should you really get your wife for Valentine’s Day? Mick and Shannon interview best-selling author Jen Mann to get the answers you need. 



“Jen Mann is the hilarious New York Times best-selling author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges as well as several anthologies and short collections. Her books are inspired by her immensely popular blog People I Want to Punch in the Throat. Many of her books are inspired by her viral blog posts, including Midlife Bites: Anyone Else Falling Apart, Or Is It Just Me? which was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award.” 



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Before we get into it, follow Dadhouse on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Call-In to connect with us. We would love to hear from you! 



Interview with Jen Mann



1:50—Welcome to the Dadhouse Pod. Stay a while and listen to Jen Mann tell us what women really want for Valentine’s Day. 



4:59—Does Mick give seed for Valentine’s Day?



5:41—Mick goes down the rabbit hole of what he really does for Valentine’s Day. 



7:22—The first perfect gift idea for your special someone. 



8:45—Tip 1—know your wife before you choose! 



11:02—Another great strategy to employee to make sure your gift giving is up to par. 



12:28—What is the biggest stress point for the middle-aged mom, and how can us dads use that to our advantage? “There is a willingness for men to age, but women have all the pressure.” 



13:45—Laying down even more advice that will help. 



16:30—Setting up childcare gives everyone the night off.  Dads, take care of it. 



17:50—Need something saucy? Listen to Jen’s podcast, No Pants Required. Especially the episode with Jasinda Wilder. 



18:30—“When he knows you so well…” 



1923—Is getting the car detailed a great gift? 



20:00—Mick gets all sweet. 



23:05—What was Mick’s worst gift to his wife? 



24:35—What was Shannon’s worst gift to his wife? 



26:32—What Jen Man’s most amazing gift that she has received. 



29:47—Jen rates the most common gifts. 



34:07—The perfect Valentine’s Day gift? A water heater. 



The Dadhouse 5



35:00—Let’s check Jen Mann’s Dadness! 



Thanks to everyone for a great show and interview. Follow Jen Mann on Substack, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and get your daily life. Find her books on Amazon and make sure you get your wife the perfect gift with a book full of laughs. 

Your Child's First Phone with Doctor Catherine Pearlman



What you need to know  before taking the plunge



In this episode, Dadhouse tries to answer every question you have about your child’s first phone and them going digital. The guest today is Dr. Catherine Pearlman, author of First Phone: A Child’s Guide to Digital Responsibility, Safety, and Etiquette. Dr. Pearlman is a licensed clinical social worker. The dads are grateful that she stopped by to share her wisdom on a subject that so many of us have an issue with.



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Before we get into it, follow Dadhouse on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Call-In to connect with us. We would love to hear from you! 



Interview with Dr. Pearlman



2:47—When should a kid get their first one? It’s the question that we all want an answer to. 



5:29—Solving your problem. A philosophy that will take your parenting to the next level. 



7:37—“The job of a parent is to put ourselves out of a job.” Dr. Pearlman dropping some wisdom on us. 



9:26—Do we have this fear of failure as Gen X parents? What can we do about it. 



11:15—Shannon wrote an article that tries to answer the question: Are we helicopter parents now? 



16:08—Mick’s take on which part of Dr. Pearlman’s book hit home for him the most. 



21:51—Shannon gets a dick pic and uses it to teach his teenage daughter the dangers of social media. What rules does Dr. Pearlman have for the transitional period our kids go through when it comes to being online. 



26:09—Is there a clearing house where parents can keep track of scams? 



The Dadhouse 5



28:24—It is time to check Dr. Pearlman’s Dadness! Tell us what you think of her answers. 



Thanks for another great episode of Dadhouse. You can find Dr. Pearlman at The Family Coach as well as on Twitter and Instagram. She would love to hear from you and let her know you heard her on the Dadhouse podcast.

Time Management and Parenting



How to organize yourself and your kids. 



Welcome Back to Dad house! This week, we tackle the great fight in a Parents Life-Time Management. We are all busy and sometimes it feels like you can’t get ahead. We've all been there. Let the dads tell you what worked for them, and more importantly, what didn’t. Let’s get into it! 



The Talk-About:



:51—Today’s intro challenge: What is your favorite Christmas tradition? 



10:40—Mick does something that he hasn’t done in seventeen years. 



14:02—It’s colonoscopy time! Need advice for medical butt play? Here it is!



19:43—Paint gun parenting vengeance. When you take out fifteen years of frustration on the kids. Head over to our Instagram to see what Shannon did to Mick. 



23:39: Follow Dadhouse on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Call-In to connect with us. We would love to hear from you! 



 25: 01-Chicken Update-Things went BAD.



30: 19—Some good dad advice from the HomeDadCon from The Bro Dad. And if you want more on how to find your identity as a dad, go back to Dadhouse Episode #9. 



Time Management for Parents



37:44-How do you manage cleaning when the kids are very young. It’s a time suck, and one of the hardest parts of parenting. 



41: 47- Time management with school age kids. When the kids are from five to 12, what are the challenges we face now? How do we adapt? 



47: 51- Now we move onto Teenagers. It’s never easy when they start to grow up. There are new challenges and new things to be excited about. But it can still feel like we are pulled in every direction. 



53: 45- Our Last Piece Advice on Time management as a Parent. 



Thanks for stopping by! And if you’ve got a question you would like the dads to answer, go to Ask A Dad, and they will take care of you!