Boys & Girls

Raising kids from toddler to twelve. Character, chores, school, screens and the childhood they will thank you for.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

The Screen-Time ResetThe honest why, a 30-day reset challenge, 100 things to do instead and a family tech agreement you can print.Start the reset

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The bow drill set that makes smoke instead of excuses

Friction fire is a real skill with real steps. Here's how it actually goes, including the part where your first forty minutes produce a warm stick.

GuideOutdoorsWes DunbarOct 12, 20265 min

The needle points north. You're headed somewhere else.

A rookie follows the needle into a tree. A veteran sets declination, picks a boulder and gets to the lake before the rookie finds his compass.

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

Ask it

GuidePreparednessNina CastellanOct 11, 20265 min

Open the emergency kit before the storm does

A real checkup for the family emergency kit: what expires, what leaks, what no longer fits, and the one thing you'll drive back to the store for.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

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GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseSam OrtizOct 10, 20266 min

Hand your teenager the map and then keep your mouth shut

A weekend hike, a $20 compass and one rule for you: let them be wrong while it's still safe. How to teach a teenager to read a topo map on the trail.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideOutdoorsWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

Flames are for show. Coals are for cooking.

A rookie and a thirty-year veteran cook the same campfire dinner. One eats at 6:40. The other eats at 7:30 and enjoys every bite.

GuidePreparednessWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

Find your water main before the basement does

A burst pipe gives you about a minute to remember where the valve is. Find it on a dry Saturday instead, and learn which way it turns.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

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GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseDean ShawOct 10, 20265 min

The Lighter Was Empty. It's Always the Lighter.

Gear rarely fails because it's cheap. It fails because nobody tested it since last season. A ten-minute check at the kitchen table fixes most of it.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideOutdoorsWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

Blaze orange won't save you, but it keeps you from being mistaken

Hunting season shares your trails for months. Dress right, pick the right ground, and make yourself obvious to anyone with a rifle or a bow.

GuidePreparednessWes DunbarOct 11, 20266 min

Pick the warm room by where the trees are

Ice brings down limbs and power lines, and the cold comes after. Choose your room, your heat and your no-go zones before it freezes.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

Ask it

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseCal BrennanOct 10, 20265 min

Can you carry a forty-pound kid two miles?

Survival fitness isn't sprinting or pull-ups. It's walking far with weight on you, and almost nobody trains for it.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

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GuideOutdoorsWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

Moose, cougars and snakes each need a different response

The bear playbook gets you hurt with everything else. Here's what to do when the animal in front of you isn't a bear.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuidePreparednessNina CastellanOct 11, 20266 min

The go-bag your baby outgrows every couple of months

A newborn turns every outage rule into a clock. Here's how to feed a baby without power and keep a bag that still fits next month.

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseCal BrennanOct 10, 20266 min

The eye burn you won't feel until midnight

Snow blindness is a sunburn on your corneas, and it shows up hours late. Here's how to keep your eyes and skin intact above the tree line.

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GuideOutdoorsCal BrennanOct 11, 20266 min

Beat ticks, mosquitoes and poison ivy before the trailhead

A deer tick nymph is the size of a poppy seed. Poison ivy oil outlasts your boots. Here's the routine that keeps a good hike from turning into a bad week.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

GuidePreparednessWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

The storm's over. The hazards in your yard aren't.

Live wires, a gas smell, a basement full of water. What the utilities and FEMA say to do, in the order you'll meet them.

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseCal BrennanOct 10, 20266 min

A Carry-Out Turns One Injured Hiker Into Three

Most carry-outs shouldn't happen. Here's how to tell, and how to build a stretcher that holds when yours is the rare one that should.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

Ask it

GuideOutdoorsWes DunbarOct 11, 20266 min

Four inches of ice isn't a promise

The number everybody quotes only holds for one kind of ice, in one spot. Here's how to read the rest before you put your weight on it.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

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GuidePreparednessRay OkonkwoOct 11, 20266 min

Take the pictures before you touch the mess

The first hour back in a storm-damaged house shapes the whole insurance claim. Safety first, then the camera, then the phone call.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

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