Go Ask Dad: Q&As with Northwest Arkansas fathers

We’d like to introduce you to our newest feature: Go Ask Dad!

In this space, we’ll interview dads who make Northwest Arkansas their home. We already interview the mamas (5 Minutes with a Mom) so we decided it was time to chat it up with the papas.

We’ll start this show off with one of our favorite NWA dads, James Moore, a.k.a. Busvlogger. James, a stay-at-home dad and video blogger, wrote a guest post for us several years ago and we wanted to catch up with him again. {Click here to read his hilarious guest post which published on Motherlode in 2013.}

Read on to see what Busvlogger is up to right now:

What’s the best part of being a SAH dad/professional video blogger (vlogger)?

It’s like I get to look around, find things that I geek out about and people let my alter ego, Busvlogger, in with open arms! I feel really great about taking my kids along. I’m proud that we can share so many unique experiences together and that they can bear witness as I do what I love.

How do you describe what you do on YouTube?

I have a deep conviction that we can all move our lives in the direction we want it to go, no matter where we’re starting from. In my quirky way, I try to inspire my viewers to intentionally craft their best lives through the examples of food, farming, home and travel. I like to say that it’s a lifestyle show gone terribly wrong.

How crazy is it trying to also vlog while juggling 4 kids?

A lot of my video gigs are jobs where I’m trying to share my excitement about something or someone cool in Arkansas. The kids are usually a big help, contributing to the wonder that I’m already trying to convey.

You involve your kids a lot in your vlogs. What’s something you’ve done together recently?

My 6 year old son just hosted a video for me at Fork and Crust Pie Company in Rogers. He made a little mini pie and, while he was wrist-deep in caramel and apples, delivered my tag line: “Life is what you make it. Let’s get our hands dirty.”

{Click here to watch the Fork and Crust video}

Sometimes the family “house pig” is your co-host. What’s the story behind that?

I was reading through Charlotte’s Web with the kids as a bedtime story. My oldest daughter got her heart set on having a baby ‘spring pig’ to mother, like Pearl did.

To make a long story short, a friend of a friend was looking to re-home their mini pig and Emilia became a part of our family.

That was almost three years ago. I do a segment sometimes called “Q&A with a Pig” where viewers send in questions and I lift Emilia up (pigs hate to be lifted up) and I answer questions while her squealing drowns me out. I caption a lot.

She makes more regular appearances on Instagram as the couch princess that she is.

What’s next for Busvlogger/dad?

We are about to take an epic cross-country road trip before school starts; which means an epic cross-country road trip video series!

I’m just growing this thing, meeting interesting people, visiting fun places and trying to inspire others. As long as the audience keeps growing, I’m pleased with things as they are; though I’d consider a TV show if I got the right offer.

Where do you like to hang out with your kids in NWA?

Besides on our couch, watching a movie together, we are enthusiasts of Shave the Planet. Some of us like pink snow cones, others the super hero themed treats; but I happen to know that the Harry Potter ones are the best. When the kids sample your ‘Invisibility Cloak’ it doesn’t stain your clothes.

How did you meet your wife?

We met in college. I kind of figured out when she went to the cafeteria and coincidentally ended up across the table from her a lot.

Was it love at first sight?

Yes. And just when I stopped looking.

What was the most surprising thing about fatherhood?

The moment that our oldest was born, it was like the world looked different. Life now seems so precious and beautiful that I cry at paper towel commercials.

What’s your favorite date night destination in the area?

We love AQ Chicken and Grubs for supper. Afterward, anywhere that we don’t have to argue with kids.

What’s something you’ve always wanted to learn?

I’ve always wanted to try my hand at glass blowing. Maybe someone will teach Busvlogger how.

What’s something you always have with you?

I always have my Busvlogger business cards. It’s all about the views!

In your opinion, what are three things dads should teach their kids?

Dad’s should teach kids security in who they are, that love is an action word and that their gifts are not a mistake; they are their purpose and their charge.

One word to sum me up:

Wonder

Places to find Busvlogger (click to visit):

• YouTube
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter

If you’d like to nominate a Northwest Arkansas dad you know (and love) to be interviewed in this new feature, give us a shout. Email Gwen and Shannon the info to mamas{at}nwamotherlode{dot}com. We’re excited to Go Ask Dad lots more questions!