Pops Pint

In search of a new family car? My family arrived at two options last year, the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride. I sit with my car guru to discuss decision factors and my car buying experience. Spoiler alert, I purchased the Palisade. Regardless, we have excellent performance factors for you to consider. Don't worry if you're a car novice. You will quickly discover that I am as well. Our car guru sheds some light on factors I never considered and frankly should have. 

The first case of the Covid in Manhattan was confirmed in March 2020, though later research showed the virus had been circulating since January, with cases of community transmission confirmed as early as February. By March 27, over 23,000 cases were confirmed, which rose to 30,765 by March 29. NYC had become the worst-affected area in the US. Hoboken sits across the Hudson River running parallel to Manhattan. CJ lives in Hoboken with his son and wife in a two floor apartment with limited space. We discuss how Covid has affected their family dynamic. Discussions loomed as to whether they should move away from the city due to the transmission rates. Starting a new job is never easy, but throwing a global pandemic in can add a boatload of stress. Separating church and state is hard when you are working from home. Here is how the Greene's managed.

It’s a tale as old as time and a sure shot Hallmark classic once the rom com novel is written. Canuck girl sweeps Long Island boy off his feet. NY boy ventures to the wilderness to capture girls heart with a ring. Real life settles in as the movie credits begin. “Canadian Dad” is part of our Covid Series. JP and his wife have welcomed their first child, Oliver into the world 7 weeks ago. Social distancing leaves the new family with limited options for help. JP’s US support system is not an option as travel is suspended between countries. JP was lucky as it is to get into the country before lockdowns on the Canadian side. Nevertheless, life goes on. We discuss some differences between the two health systems, birthing plans, baby scalp massages (yes please), hospital stays during a pandemic, and circumcision. I was planning a complete episode dedicated to circumcision after having my first boy. A lot of information I did not know. Thankfully we had a wonderful doctor to walk us through our decision. JP was pretty firm in his POV until game day arrived. Welcome to Season 2.

Playgrounds are closed with quarantine leaving young families with limited options to enjoy the spring weather. We were lucky to install a swing set/playground last year on our property. It was a big discussion and a lot of research. Bart joined me for Episode 5 to discuss their families purchase and the chooses he made. My crew went a different route than Bart. AKA, the much cheaper route lol. There are advantages and major disadvantages that we discuss.  Neighbors have pulled over to ask me where I purchased ours, friends are pinging me nonstop if they should pull the trigger now that public playgrounds are closed, and it felt like a perfect time to share my feedback for other families in the same boat during this quarantine. Sit back and hit play on Episode 21, "Playground Grace". 

The term "weekend warrior" is on the shelf until quarantine ends. We are in full blown "Fixer Upper" mode 7 days a week. Covid-19 is keeping us house bound and that "to do list" looks a lot more achievable. Lowes and Home Depot are running full tilt with everyone trying to improve their sanctuary. We will be running a series on some beginner projects to tackle throughout the house.  Carpentry is a great place to start. A couple 2x4's can be daunting if you never used a hammer before. But it doesn't have to be. You can cover a lot of ground with a circular saw, screw gun, and tape measure. We discuss Chris's first wood project that opened a slew of other projects throughout his house. Share some insights into what Home Depot covers at the store and cheap pocket jig that is pretty fun to use.  Stay safe all and enjoy the episode. 

Jay Jay is one of my oldest friends of over 20 years. It is easy to see how incredible of a father he will be. The journey to fatherhood is a different story. Jay and his husband will have to go through surrogacy or adoption. Both journey's are loaded with legal work and countless variables that can change the situation drastically. We plan to stay connected with Jay Jay and Mark throughout this journey. Lucas joins as the first cohost to Pops Pint due to Jay's extreme dietary restrictions. Of course Jay would enter clean eating for a month right when Covid-19 quarantine kicked in. Wah wahhhh!

March is upon us and Covid-19 is changing our way of life for the next few weeks. Companies are enforcing some WFH policies that can be challenging in a house full of little ones running around. I have been wanting to do this episode for quite some time with my brother in law, Ken Barkley. He took the plunge over a year ago to work from home. He has taken the leap into the gig economy practicing sharp time management skills while being home throughout the day. Ken is a creator of all things editorial, video, and radio with sports gambling. We hear how he manages his routines at home while juggling multiple business ventures and awesome insights into the March Madness bracket. He is even writing a book to help you navigate the odds in the big tourney. You can find it at https://www.patreon.com/lockylockerson immediately after Selection Sunday. 

Hot debate among the fathers of Pops Pint. Does the first birthday warrant a full fledge party? We are joined by Mr. Lucas, father of 2 (Adalyn - 3 yrs & Eli - 1 yr). Surprisingly the cheap bugger went all out while my wife and I opted for low key, no party. It's not that we didn't celebrate. We just didn't want the work of organizing, preparing, and hosting a 20+ event for something our girls wouldn't remember. Our view was that a 1 yr old bday party would have been more for us. What say you? 

Andy is cooler than me. Andy’s wife Nicole is cooler than me. Andy’s daughter GiGi is cooler than me. Frankly, the family is cooler than a lot of people. Who on earth takes their 6 week old daughter on a 29 day camping trip in their airstream ?!*?!*! Andy and Nicole, that’s who. Andy migrated west a few years back and graciously joins the show over a breakfast beer while his beard glistens in the newborn sun peaking over the mountains. Yes, his instagram is badass, but he shares the reality of hitching a trailer with his family in the passenger seat. Great inspiration to pursue your own family adventure.

Fall has arrived in the north east and so has a major milestone for Brian’s daughter. Piper started kindergarten! Safe to say, poppa was a little choked up. Personally, I’m already accepting that I will cry like a baby when Harper’s moment arrives. Piper was fearless in her first day, due in large part to Mom. Get your act together Brian. We discuss all the emotions going through the Esernio household and how they prepped for the big day. I am particularly keen to learn how their youngest dealt. We will eventually go through the same scenario with Dempsey & Harper. Welcome to fall and enjoy episode 15.