Tidy Tidbits

This week I’m joined by bestselling author Jo Piazza to celebrate the release of her newest novel, The Parisian Heist . Our conversation starts with a simple question: Is it ever okay to steal? From there, we dive into the real-life story of Jo Van Gogh, the woman responsible for transforming Vincent van Gogh from an overlooked artist into one of the most celebrated painters in history. We also ex...

It’s time to order the paperback version of the “original, whimsical, and altogether practical,” Tidy Up Your LIFE book! In print August 4th. Grab your copy of Tidy Up Your Life today ! Tidy Up Your Life is about more than organizing your home. It’s about building routines and systems that help you navigate the inevitable messes of everyday life. Today’s episode is about one of those messes: teach...

Our family started our summer break this week! Whenever life changes and transitions happen, I think it’s worth asking: How do we stay connected? This spring I took twelve graduate credits to move up to the final salary step as a teacher. One of my courses focused on building classroom culture, and it made me realize something. Teachers spend a lot of time thinking about how to help students talk...

If you’ve been craving a little more quiet, a little more stillness, or a reminder that you don’t have to keep pace with everyone around you, this episode is for you. While walking the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain I occasionally pulled out my phone and recorded voice memos. This week on Tidy Tidbits , I’m sharing some of those audio recordings with my personal reflections, complete with th...

This week, I’m turning 40! We’re also celebrating major family milestones, including one daughter graduating from kindergarten and another graduating from elementary school. As Father’s Day and summer break approach, I’m reflecting on this season of life, and revisiting the idea of Surthrival , the space between surviving and thriving. If you’re navigating a surthrival season of your own, this epi...

In this episode, I’m joined by Darby Saxbe, PhD , the author of the new book Dad Brain , which explores the science and psychology of modern fatherhood. It’s a fascinating book about the ways fatherhood changes men, challenges them, and reshapes identities in ways we don’t always expect. If you’re a dad listening, you need to read this book. And if you’re a mom listening, you need to read this boo...

After finally taking down a giant birthday balloon arch that had slowly turned a corner of our living room into an unexpected clutter magnet, I found myself considering, “What does it actually mean to be organized... enough?” Inspired by a recent contribution to Real Simple magazine, I’m sharing practical, realistic strategies for organizing common problem areas, shaped by how our family organizes...

In this episode of Tidy Tidbits, I’m sharing a simple three-part framework for organizing school papers and artwork in a realistic, functional way. We’ll talk about how to decide what to let go of, what to keep, and how to create systems that honor your children’s creativity without letting artwork and worksheets take over your home. Mentioned in this episode: * 5-tier paper file system * File sto...

This week on Tidy Tidbits, I’m joined by Julia Clarke for a fascinating conversation about what happened when her family downsized from a three-bedroom apartment to a one-bedroom apartment in Glasgow, Scotland. I first read her story HERE. We talk about the assumptions many of us carry about space, privacy, and what kids “need,” and how their family unexpectedly found more connection, simplicity,...

This week on Tidy Tidbits, I’m sharing the 15-minute weekday cleaning routine that quietly changed my life. What started as a survival strategy during a chaotic season of parenting and work became the foundation for a calmer home, less mental clutter, and more manageable routines. I break down my “one space per weekday” system, explain why spreading cleaning across the week works for certain seaso...

What if one small shift could completely change the energy of your home at night? In this episode of Tidy Tidbits , I sit down with Jon Gustin , fatherhood creator, advocate for sobriety, and author of The Tired Dad: 100 Reflections on Showing Up for What Matters Most . With a community of over 1 million followers, Jon shares honest, grounded insights on parenting, presence, and what it really mea...

People always ask if my life is always tidy. Short answer: it’s not. It’s often easier to focus on what isn’t working than to name what actually is. We’re so used to thinking about what we should be doing better or more efficiently… but what if we paused to name the routines that are already serving us? In this episode of Tidy Tidbits, I share 5 simple routines I rely on daily to keep things tidy...

When was the last time you actually used a cookbook? Not your phone. Not a blog post. A real physical cookbook, with a spine, pages, and a table of contents. In this episode of Tidy Tidbits, I share how a simple weekend organizing project unintentionally brought cookbooks back into our daily routine and completely changed how we plan meals, reduce decision fatigue, and connect as a family. Importa...

What feels “normal” in parenting often depends on where you live… until you step outside your bubble. In this episode of Tidy Tidbits , Tyler is joined by Tara Clark (Modern Mom Probs) for a fun, honest, and slightly unhinged conversation about the everyday choices parents make and judge… even when we say we don’t. This is a conversation about: * Tiny tot transportaion in strollers and wagon * How...

What if the thing you’ve been thinking about doing for years… actually started with one small step? In this episode of Tidy Tidbits , I sit down with author Ruth O’Leary, whose novel introduced me to the idea of walking the Camino in northern Spain. At the time of recording, I was preparing to walk that very path with my dad and sister, proof that inspiration can turn into action. We talk about wh...

Shopping these days is overwhelming, especially as an expectant parent staring down a long list of things you’re told you need . Do you buy new? What’s actually safe to buy secondhand? And how do you stop overspending on things you’ll barely use? Today’s episode is sponsored by Stork Exchange , and I’m talking with founder Ben Norment, a fellow dad of three who knows firsthand what it’s like to na...

When you get invited to someone’s house, do you ever plug their address into Zillow first? Just to see the layout, the photos, maybe even the price history? You know you do, and you’re not alone. We’re all a little curious about how other people live. In this episode of Tidy Tidbits, I talk with Khrystyne Jaspers, who lives with her husband and two kids in a one-bedroom New York City apartment. He...

In this episode of Tidy Tidbits , Tidy Dad talks with Eli Weinstein , therapist and author of the new book, “ From I Do to We Do: Navigating Marriage in the Parenting Years ,” about simple systems that can transform how couples communicate during the busiest seasons of life. Between work, kids, school schedules, and the everyday chaos of family life, many couples feel like ships passing in the nig...

In American culture, we’re often told that bigger is better: start in an apartment, move to a starter home, and eventually land in your forever home. Somewhere in that story is the idea that the suburban dream of more space, quieter streets, and a bigger house will make you happier. But not every move away from the city sticks. In this episode, I talk with Alexis Adegoke, who moved her family from...

Every winter, we hunker down. January and February become survival season. The light fades early. The air is cold. We spend more time inside our homes than any other stretch of the year. And then March arrives. The light shifts. The air softens. The mornings feel brighter. And suddenly… you see everything. The dust. The grime. The fingerprints on the light switches and doorknobs. The hidden surfac...

In this episode of Tidy Tidbits , I’m joined by Martin , my personal trainer who’s been quietly working behind the scenes during my past year of physical transformation. If you’ve ever wondered how I rebuilt my fitness routine without joining a gym, or how I stayed consistent through a full year, this conversation pulls back the curtain. We discuss how sustainable fitness looks a lot like tidying...

I’m starting this episode with a hot take. I recently shared a post on Instagram with 3 hot takes , including one about Disney, and people had thoughts . It got me thinking about why travel feels joyful for some and exhausting for others. Here’s the core idea: Not all vacations are meant to give us the same thing. Some trips are about amusement , fast-paced, full, distracting. Some trips are about...

In this episode of Tidy Tidbits , Tidy Dad talks with Kate Strickler , the creator of the Instagram account Naptime Kitchen , and the author of the book “I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen: And Other Lies I Think Will Make Me Happy (Small Habits and Mindset Shifts to Find Contentment and Joy in Life)”. Together, we explore the mindset shifts needed as we move into February, when the “new year, new...

In this episode of Tidy Tidbits , Tidy Dad sits down with Kyshawn Lane , the home maintenance expert behind Weekly Home Check , who’s built a community of almost 2 million followers on Instagram by helping people care for their homes. Together, they unpack why ignoring maintenance can lead to expensive surprises, and why doing one task a week is often more effective than tackling everything at onc...

Cooking isn’t just about food. It’s about confidence, creativity, and learning how to make decisions in real time. In this episode, Katie Kimball and I get into the real skills beginners need in the kitchen, from knife skills and reading recipes to planning meals, managing grocery budgets, and thinking on your feet. We also talk about why cooking is such a powerful life skill for teens and young a...