Dan Pashman is the host ofThe Sporkful, a podcast about food and the people who eat it.
Did life happen mostly as planned or were there surprises?
Personally, it was my dream to meet and marry the perfect woman and have two perfect kids.
Take us through your morning routine.
What are your best tricks for getting out the door?
First trick: Run!
Just run away from the house as fast as possible and never look back.
But really I think you have to communicate with your partnerwho is doing what on which morning, etc.
I throw my laptop in the bag and leave.
I bring that bag with me everywhere and Im always prepared!
How much outside help do you get as a parent?
Who or what cant you live without?
Also my in-laws Alice and Gene live nearby and they help us out all the time.
What are the gadgets, apps, charts or tools you rely on?
Have you come across an unusual parenting product thats been life-changing?
The biggest things I rely on are Gmail and Google Calendar.
My to-do list is the unread messages in my Gmail.
My stress level and heart rate correlate directly to the number of unread emails on my phone.
If it hits 100, I pretty much need to be hospitalized.
Has becoming a parent changed the way you work?
Im much more efficient now.
You just have much less time to waste when you’ve got kids.
So you find a way to get the same amount of work done in less time.
Whats your kids most-requested meal at home?
Do you name your dishes?
Their #1 is mac and cheese from a box.
I take a lot of pride in my egg and cheese sandwiches.
My stress level and heart rate correlate directly to the number of unread emails on my phone.
If it hits 100, I pretty much need to be hospitalized.
Do you have any hacks for going to restaurants with young kids?
Then you order your food and eat your dinner while the kids are having dessert.
Then get your dessert to go and eat it at home after the kids are asleep.
What about for dealing with picky eaters?
Dont stress so much about it!
We just did an episode of The Sporkful podcast called In Defense Of Picky Eaters.
Provided your child is growing and the pediatrician says theyre okay, its pretty normal.
It makes sense that kids would be cautious of eating new foods and prefer to stick with whats familiar.
Theres too much parental judgment around picky eating.
How do you decompress?
With a drink and/or exercise, not necessarily in that order.
Whats been your proudest moment as a parent?
Watching my kids get good at the same things Im good at.
What moment are you least proud of?
Watching my kids struggle with the same things Im bad at.
What do you want your kid to learn from your example?
What are your favorite funny/weird/special family rituals?
So our house is pretty messy.
Whats the hardest part about being a parent?
Whats your favorite part of the day?
Coming home from work and having the kids run to the door to greet me.
I always appreciated that they came.
