Beards

Personal grooming is, firstly, personal. We all have different ideas about what makes us look awesome, and those ideas change through time. Anyone who disagrees just has to look back at their school pictures from when they were about 14. You dressed and groomed to look as good as you could that day, you thought you looked awesome.That's funny.
One thing most of us didn't have to do that day was shave. That came in the next few years. I find it odd that when women get their main secondary sexual characteristic they (can) wear clothing to display them to the world. Men, at the first sight of our main secondary sexual characteristic, immediately shave it off. And we keep shaving it off for years, many for the whole rest of our lives. Women get boob jobs to look like super versions of women. Men shave to keep looking like they haven't hit puberty yet. Weird. It's probably because boobs are actually useful for attracting a mate and feeding babies, and facial hair is just decoration. Beards may have some evolutionary purpose, but we're quite beyond that now. Not shaving probably has some level of disadvantage as far as reproducing goes in modern society. This comic from Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal pretty much sums it up: Beards
That said, growing a beard every now and again is awesome, even if it's not a very good one. I think that many of us would be second or third or fourth day shavers if given the choice. When we work though, we have to choose between every day and never. If you don't shave for a week, your boss will have a talk with you about your appearance. If you don't shave for a year, it's a fashion choice. That's why I grew my first real beard. There was no way I was going to shave every day, so I just stopped. Even though I grow a pretty mediocre beard (to be kind) once I was clearly headed down that track, it ceased to be an issue. Awesome.
When I became a stay at home dad I actually started shaving again, because I could do it on my own schedule. I still grow a beard every now and again, just because I can. Right now I'm growing one as part of a Halloween costume. This is another case where being a guy is pretty cool. I can stop shaving for two months with the excuse that I need it for a costume and everyone just seems to accept it. I can't imagine that a woman would get the same level of acceptance if she stopped shaving her legs for two months with the excuse that she was going to dress as a werewolf. That would be a cool costume though. I don't actually even need a beard for my costume. I just need a mustache. I'm growing a whole beard so I can 'change into' a mustache on Halloween night.
As a stay at home dad, I can't really encourage anyone to get sloppy with their appearance. You still have a wife, and having her attracted to you can only be a benefit. But I do encourage you to have a good time with your freedom of appearance. Maybe grow a beard, just for fun.