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Emily Joswiak

About Emily Joswiak

Emily is a writer, marketer, and purveyor of all things family. She loves to help people find their way, especially through the written word.

Lesser-Known Cuts of Beef To Try

January 15, 2021 By Emily Joswiak Leave a Comment

The big apron, the long forks, and the tongs are staples of the manly art of barbeque. They have also long been the go-to gifts for dads. They’re great, but let’s face it: they get old. Fathers know there’s much more to cooking meat than slabs and sauce. If you want to explore unique meats, take a look at these lesser-known cuts of beef and how to cook them. Then, surprise your spouse and kids with a masterful meal.

Hanger Steak

The hanger steak is also called butcher’s steak, based on the notion that butchers used to keep it for themselves. Hanger steak comes from beneath a cow’s diaphragm; it “hangs” down low under the cow. Hanger steak is surrounded by organ meats and thus has a robust, beefy flavor. Before you cook it, you must trim a layer of silvery connective tissue. Hanger steak can handle a hearty marinade. Pan sear it and cut it across the grain to avoid chewiness.

Flap Steak

Another candidate for a strong marinade, the flap steak comes from the rear of the loin. If you don’t marinate it, you can slow cook flap steak with braising or in a stew. Flap steak is lean but flavorful. Cut it across the grain in long strips, and then use a sharp knife to cut the strips in half.

Flat Iron Steak

From the shoulder with the gristle removed, this steak is tender and well-marbled. Grill or pan sauté it, or use it for creative kebabs.

Short Ribs

Break away from the grill and get out the slow cooker. Short ribs need a long, slow braise or stew. The cut comprises meat from the chuck, brisket, plate, or rib sections of the cow, and slices them across the bone. This leaves just one or two inches of the bone. The English cut runs parallel to the bone and results in a rib cut of about 6 inches.

Short ribs have a lot of connective tissue and fat. When braised in wine, stock, or water, the fat, collagen, and marrow melt, creating a rich gravy. Once finished cooking, the meat falls off the bone. Recipes abound, usually incorporating onions, carrots, garlic, and herbs like thyme and rosemary, along with plenty of red wine.

While beginner chefs know steak basics, these lesser-known cuts of beef can provide a flavorful, gourmet experience straight from dad’s kitchen.

Differences Between Being a Pack Rat and a Hoarder

January 13, 2021 By Emily Joswiak Leave a Comment

The word “hoarder” gets thrown around a lot these days, but we should really be careful with how we use it. There are quite a few key differences between being a pack rat and a hoarder, and the distinctions are important to recognize before anyone jumps the gun. We’ll go over a few of the signs that indicate whether someone is a true hoarder or not, as the actual condition is not as widespread as some people believe.

Pack Rats Tend To Keep Things With Purpose

One of the biggest differences between being a pack rat and being a hoarder is the idea that pack rats keep things for specific purposes. They may have a lot of items, but if you ask a pack rat what the purpose of keeping something is, they will usually have a good reason for hanging onto it. Sometimes the item only has a niche purpose, but it still has one. On the other side, hoarders tend to accumulate more items that serve no purpose other than to take up space.

Pack Rats Are Usually More Organized

If you enter a pack rat’s home, you can normally see that there is a system taking place inside the space. They’ll be able to tell you why things go in certain places and how they’ve organized in each room. Compare this behavior to a clinical hoarder who rarely has set ground rules for where things should go in their homes. A pack rat’s tendency to organize is what separates them from a true hoarder.

Hoarding Interferes With Daily Life

One of the signs that a hoarding tendency has become a clinical problem is when all the stuff they’ve accumulated becomes an interference in their daily lives. Where pack rats usually have a place for everything they keep, hoarders will keep things wherever they happen to fit. This can interfere with things such as cooking, bathing, and even just walking around. A pack rat, on the other hand, wouldn’t let their items become such an interference.

Hoarders Will Keep Anything and Everything

There are certain things we keep for longer than we should, but a hoarder takes this to the next level. Anything at all can become part of the hoard, whether it’s valuable or it’s simply trash. The compulsive need to hoard drives them, rather than the actual desire for the items themselves. Pack rats, in contrast, tend to keep a lot of things for a long time, but those items usually either serve a purpose or have some sort of meaning attached to them as well.

Road Trip Safety Tips for Dog Owners

January 8, 2021 By Emily Joswiak Leave a Comment

When you adopt a dog, you’re not just a dad to your kids, you’re a dad to your dog, too. If you’re planning to take the entire family out on a road trip this winter, including the dog, it’s important that you keep everyone save and cozy in the vehicle. We have some essential road trip safety tips for dog owners that you’ll need while taking on the highway to your destination.

Secure Your Precious Cargo

You may hate putting your dog in a cage when in the car, but it’s a mandatory step during a long road trip. Road trips aren’t like the usual car rides for your dog—they’re long and full of unexpected events. Even if your children beg you to keep the pooch in the backseat, protect your dog by letting him lay down in his portable kennel. If anything happens during the ride and an accident occurs, the dog will be more secure in the kennel than loose in the car—car accidents of any size are scary for dogs and may cause them to run away.

Take Breaks Often

Dogs may need more fresh air while in a vehicle than they do at home, so take breaks at rest stops more often than you would without the dog. Walk him around on a leash and let him do his business so he doesn’t make a mess in your car. Needing to break more often will tack more hours onto the drive, but it’s worth it to keep your dog happy.

Research Dog-Friendly Hotels Before You Leave

It’s always a good idea to have concrete stopping points along your road trip route during a multi-day trip, but you need to go the extra mile for Fido. Make sure you look for hotels that specify they’re dog or pet-friendly and don’t leave it to chance. Hotels may be booked to capacity along the way for any reason—if there aren’t many dog-friendly hotels along your route, consider booking ahead.

Never Leave the Dog Alone in the Car

Just like in a parking lot at home, one of the most important road trip safety tips for dog owners is to remember to never leave the dog alone in a parked car. Whether it’s bitter cold or extremely hot, leaving your pup in a parked car without heat or air conditioning for any amount of time is irresponsible. If the car isn’t running, don’t leave your dog or your child in the vehicle.

Know Your Dog’s Limits

Before you take the dog with you on a road trip, make sure they can handle shorter car rides first. If you know that your dog can’t handle the car, you may need to consider leaving them behind with a pet sitter or a trusted dog boarding service. It’s better to keep your dog safe at home rather than risk bringing them with you.

Outside the Box: Unconventional Storage Life Hacks

January 7, 2021 By Emily Joswiak Leave a Comment

Human beings tend to prefer order over chaos. That’s why we feel more at ease in a clean room than we do in a cluttered one. But organization doesn’t come naturally to all of us, especially when you live in a house with young children. One of the best ways to improve the organization of your space is to increase your storage capacity. These unconventional storage life hacks will help you do just that.

Upcycled Furniture

The most obvious way to add storage is to add furniture like dressers. But buying a dresser can be expensive, and it isn’t always easy to find one that fits your room. That’s when you might consider finding an older dresser and upcycling it. You can either use the dresser itself or parts of it. Old drawers mounted to the wall make whimsical floating shelves or containers.

Utilize the Space Beneath the Bed

This might sound familiar—parents often tell children to clean their rooms only to come back to find they have shoved everything under their bed. Since we all seem to have the same instinct, why not use it to our advantage?

Buying a bed with drawers underneath is a great way to add extra storage without taking up floor space. If that’s too complex, buy low, wide bins that can slide under the bed. Purchase clear ones, so you don’t have to waste time digging through every bin to know what’s inside.

Corkboards

If you wear jewelry, you’ve probably spent time trying to untangle necklaces or find lost earrings. And jewelry boxes often seem to make the problem worse. Try hanging everything on a corkboard. This is one unconventional storage hack that will keep jewelry safe in one place. Placing tacks on the board gives you spots to hang necklaces, bracelets, earrings, or rings, and the board makes for a fun decorative piece.

Double Bars for the Closet

If you look at the average closet, it often features far more space than we actually use. Below the clothes hanging on the bar, there is often space where you could hang an extra row of clothes. However, we usually don’t have somewhere to hang them. Fortunately, you can now buy an additional bar and install it below the first one. That’s twice the closet space without adding a square inch.

New Year’s Resolutions for Car Owners

January 6, 2021 By Emily Joswiak Leave a Comment

We have new year’s resolutions about everything—from losing weight to saving money. But sometimes, it pays to focus our resolutions on simple things, like being more responsible car owners. After all, as fathers, we are setting an example for our kids in everything we do. If we commit to these new year’s resolutions for car owners, when the day comes for our kids to get behind the wheel, maybe they’ll be a little more responsible too.

Practice Better Driving Habits

As a car owner, the way you drive directly impacts your car’s longevity. This isn’t just because a safe driver is less likely to total their car. Bad habits like speeding, braking too hard, or shifting gears too quickly can damage every part of your car. Resolving to be a better car owner has to include being a better driver too.

Learn Basic Maintenance Tasks

One of the more popular new year’s resolutions for car owners is trying to stay more on top of regular maintenance tasks such as getting your oil changed, tires rotated, or alignment checked. One of the best ways to help yourself stay on top of these tasks is to learn to do a few of them yourself. One of the common things stopping us from going into the shop is time and money—learning to do it yourself will save on both.

Start Washing the Car Regularly

Washing your car isn’t just about making your car look good. It protects it from corrosive brake dust, road salt, and other material that can damage the body. And a filthy interior can make your car a source of bacteria, which is the last thing we want for our kids. Take time to wash your car’s exterior at least once or twice a month, and your interior more frequently. It’ll make the car more fun to drive anyway.

Pass on Automotive Wisdom

Becoming more responsible car owners is just as much about our kids as it is about our cars. So be intentional about passing along automotive wisdom to your kids, no matter their age. Show your kids how to do maintenance tasks after you’ve learned or have them help you wash the car. After all, who else is going to teach them about cars better than you?

How To Help Your Child in Their First Year of College

January 6, 2021 By Emily Joswiak Leave a Comment

So, your child is about to head off to college. If they’re like the majority of people that go, they’ll be on their own for the first time. This can be a scary prospect for a parent, and your first urge is going to be to help them however possible. From decorating their dorm to keeping them sane, you can still be there for them—even if they’re far away. To give you some support, here’s how to help your child in their first year of college.

Be Proactive About Addressing Issues

Ideally, you’ll provide support so that they can meet their problems head-on. This means talking to your child about the problems and challenges they might face in their first year. Don’t wait until they’re already dealing with a problem; try and get ahead of these issues, be they social, academic, or physical, before they find themselves lost on what to do.

Be Supportive Without Solving Problems For Them

One of the key things your child will learn in college is how to deal with the pressures of life as they grow up. This can be difficult for many people, and they might turn to you for help. Remember that it is no longer your job to fix their problems for them; however, that doesn’t mean you can’t still support them. Let them come to you with their problems and offer advice when they ask, but don’t step in unless it’s a dire situation.

Stay in Touch

One of the best ways you can help your child in their first year of college is to simply stay in touch with them. Let them know that you want them to thrive, but you’ll always be there when they need to talk about something. College life can get overwhelming and sometimes feel isolating, so make sure they know they always have someone in their corner rooting for them.

Remind Them of Their Accomplishments

The amount of pressure a regular college student feels can be staggering and overwhelming at times. One of your jobs as a parent is to not let them fall into despair when things don’t go their way. Remind them that their accomplishments are just as important and defining as their failures. Just getting into college at all is an accomplishment worthy of being proud of; don’t let them forget that.

Simple Ways To Secure Your Home When You’re Away

December 21, 2020 By Emily Joswiak Leave a Comment

Fathers are often regarded as a human home security system. They’re called on to explore “things that go bump in the night.” They’re the human shields when something scary happens.

But what happens if you’re not there? Maybe you have taken your family on a road trip, or you’re away overnight. Get a little help and peace of mind for yourself and your family with these simple ways to secure your home when you’re away.

Don’t Broadcast You Absence

It’s temping to share your travel plans on social media, but save it until you get back. Whatever your privacy settings, it’s still possible for your information to get shared around or accessed by someone with nefarious intent.

Mow Before You Go

If you’ll be away during lawn season, mow a little lower than usual so the grass won’t get shaggy while you’re gone. If you’ll be away more than a week, arrange for a service to mow the lawn.

Stop Mail Delivery

Don’t let mail pile up until it bursts out of your mailbox. Put mail delivery on hold, or ask a trustworthy neighbor to bring your mail in. If you still receive newspapers in hard copy, stop—or ask the neighbor to bring those in, too. You can pick it all up when you return.

Put Inside Lights on Timers

Get timers from your local hardware or order them online. Set them so lights will go on and off in different parts of the house at times that would naturally correspond with your use of the rooms.

Add Motion Detecting Lights Outside

Install motion detecting lights above the garage, facing the back yard, and at the front entrance. Alternatively, smart lights that are programmable remotely might be a solution.

Disconnect the Garage Door Opener

If you have automatic garage doors, disconnect them on your way out. Burglars have figured out ways to use universal remotes to get automatic garage doors to open.

Do a Lock Check

Go around the house and ensure all windows are locked. Burglars who can’t breach a door will try a window next. Repair or replace any weak or loose door locks. Don’t leave a spare key hidden anywhere. If you’ve asked neighbor to watch the house, give them a key and ask them to keep it secure.

Get a Fireproof Safe

Lock up valuables and important papers in a fireproof safe. Choose a model that bolts to the floor, so a burglar in a hurry doesn’t grab the whole thing and make off with it.

Real estate investors strive to avoid leaving rental properties vacantfor good reasons. An empty home attracts the wrong kind of attention. The same risks apply to occupied homes when the owners are away, even for a short time. These simple ways to secure your home can supplement your home security system and take some of the heat off Dad to be the only line of defense.

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