Reno Dads - Being a dad in the Biggest Little City

Dad Jokes and the Importance of Laughter in my Family

Perhaps one of the greatest contributions I bring to my household and my children is the time-honored tradition of dad jokes. If you aren’t already familiar, a dad joke is a joke that elicits groans and eye rolls because it’s just the right mix of corny and punny. My family has always seemed to have…

Celebrating National Dairy Month

June is National Dairy Month and there are lots of reasons to celebrate! Dairy products are some of the most affordable, nutrient-dense foods you can consume. And besides being nutritious, they’re also delicious! As a parent, it’s important to provide your kids with well-balanced, nutrient-rich foods. We know sometimes it’s hard to navigate the sea…

The Benefits of Reading Aloud to Your Children

As I remember it, when I was growing up in Kansas and Missouri, my dad, step-mother, and grandmother would read bedtime stories to me: Aesop’s fables, Little Golden Books, the Bible, and I’m sure there was even some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as well. I also remember that someone, probably my dad or stepmom, enrolled…

Baseball and Mental Toughness

Youth Baseball Makes Kids Mentally Tough Youth baseball makes kids mentally tough. I can’t imagine there is much debate there other than challenging the virtue of mental toughness. Think about it. A kid pitching and allowing hit after hit and losing a game. Or striking out for the third time in the game or making…

Grilled… pizza?

My biggest pet peeve when searching for a recipe online is I have to read an overly lengthy prose piece about how this dish reminds them of their Great Aunt who made this for them in the Winter during their parents’ divorce… or feel free to use your imagination. In any case, I have no…

Reno Dads Podcast Episode 17: Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam

In this episode, the Reno Dads podcast welcomed Washoe County Sheriff and dad Darin Balaam. Sheriff Balaam is a dad — four kids ranging in age from 10 to 24, including teenaged twins, so he knows a thing or two about fatherhood. He’s also been in law enforcement for over 20 years, and his experience…

The Illusionists Experience

So, you’d like to know what The Illusionists Experience at the Eldorado is like? Well, writers across time have attempted to put words to events – sometimes imaginary (fiction, entertainment), sometimes real (non-fiction, news) – in an endeavor to communicate amazing experiences to their readers. Being that I cannot write a worthy novel about this…

Game of Throne

Are you ready for the final chapter? Of course you are… you’ve watched Arya become a revenge-hungry killing machine, almost forgotten when Ned lost his head nearly ten years ago, and you’re still reeling from Dany going nuclear on King’s Landing last week. I’m here to tell you a slightly different story, though. As the…

New Reno Topgolf Swing Suite is Way More Than Golf

The Silver Legacy Resort Casino in downtown Reno debuted its new Topgolf Swing Suite recently and many people, like myself, had a similar reaction. “Oh, it’s just like hitting a golf ball into a screen.” Wrong. For starters, and to be fair, THE ROW’s Topgolf is certainly not like the Las Vegas Topgolf, which is…

Distress Tolerance (part V)

Losing control and being okay; vulnerability and intimacy If you are reading these in order, you will know that last column I wrote about watching others suffer and being okay with it. This column is about losing control and being okay with it. Similar? Yes. Same? No. Watching someone else go through a tough time…

Dad Spotlight: Zach Conine

You may not know Zach Conine yet, but you should! After all, he was elected to be our Nevada State Treasurer this past fall. We had an opportunity to sit down and chat with Zach, and we think you’re going to love him. He’s down to earth, funny, and a really engaged dad. We hope…

7 Things You May Not Know About Nevada 529 Plans

When and how should I start saving for my child’s college tuition? As a dad, you will inevitably be faced with the question of saving for college (perhaps not even if, but how). There are several ways in which you can stash some shekels away to pay for college; and 529 Plans may be the most…