Episodi
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What if the traditional path to homeownership isn’t the only path?
This week I’m joined by my friend, fellow Astoria Queens neighbor, and host of the Second Home First podcast, Katie Cline. Katie and I both rent our apartments in New York City as our primary homes, while owning vacation properties outside the city.
We talk about the realities of owning and managing short-term rental properties, and our conversation also explores what “home” really means. Is it the home you “own”? Where your family gathers? Where your stuff is? Or simply where your life unfolds?
If you’ve ever wondered whether you have to follow the traditional financial roadmap, or if you’ve ever dreamed of creating a different kind of life for your family, this episode is a refreshing reminder that there’s more than one way to build a home.
Connect with Katie Cline
* Instagram: @bykatiecline
* Podcast: Second Home First
* Substack: Second Home First
* NY Times Article: In This Housing Market, The Second Home Comes First
More from Tidy Dad:
📚 Tidy Up Your Life - If you preorder the paperback edition of Tidy Up Your Life, you can also receive one FREE year of paid access to The Tidy Times Substack, including every resource, essay, and “Behind the Stories” post. Register your order here!
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 explore how storytelling, branding, and preserving someone’s legacy can become a kind of heist of their own.
If you enjoy strong female characters, fascinating historical details, and page-turning suspense, The Parisian Heist is for you! Add this one to your summer reading list.
Connect with Jo Piazza:
* Instagram: @jopiazzaauthor
* Podcast: Under the Influence
* Substack: Over the Influence
* Learn more about The Parisian Heist and tour dates at theparisianheist.com.
* Also read Jo’s books The Sicilian Inheritance and Everyone is Lying to You
More from Tidy Dad:📚 Preorder the paperback version of Tidy Up Your Life🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
Episodi mancanti?
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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: teaching kids how to actually get clean.
This is a Tidy Tidbits Replay that I originally shared last summer, and it’s just as relevant today. Our New York City bathtub may be tiny, but the parenting lesson it inspired is anything but.
In this episode, I’m taking you into bath-time chaos and sharing why our family created Shower School, a simple system for teaching kids how to wash themselves well, build independence, and make one small part of parenting a whole lot easier.
We’ll cover:
* 🚿 The difference between relaxing and really cleaning your body
* 🧼 Why just saying “Take a shower!” might not mean much
* Our official “Shower School Steps”!
🛁 Download the Shower School Steps checklist, a visual guide you can laminate and hang in the shower! Perfect for kids learning how to actually get clean (not just wet).
More from Tidy Dad:
📚 Preorder the paperback version of Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 to one another, reflect together, solve problems, and build community.
Why wouldn’t we think about our families and friend groups the same way?
I’m talking about simple conversation structures, little rituals that help everyone talk, laugh, reflect, and know one another a little better.
Today I want to share four simple family meeting ideas that have become part of our family’s rhythm. We need opportunities to listen, reflect, laugh, disagree, practice taking turns, and keep getting to know the people we’re living life alongside.
Because families aren’t built through one big conversation.
They’re built through hundreds of little ones.
Mentioned in this episode: We love this pack of Conversation Cards for Kids
For your next listen: Episode #60: What to Do With All the School Papers
More from Tidy Dad:
📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 the sound of footsteps, birds, wind, and the quiet that made the walk so meaningful.
If you want to learn more about the Camino:
📚 The book that inspired my Camino journey: A Week to Remember: Three strangers, the Camino, One Week to Change Everything by Ruth O’Leary
🎙️ My interview with author Ruth O’Leary, who wrote the book A Week to Remember: Tidy Tidbits Episode #53 - Start Small, Start Messy, Just Start
More from Tidy Dad:
📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 episode is for you!
In this episode, I’m exploring the different seasons of adulthood: building in my twenties, proving in my thirties, and maintaining in my forties. From marathon recovery to family life, I’m sharing why maintaining what matters may be one of life’s most meaningful pursuits. At least for me, in this current season of life.
More from Tidy Dad:
📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 book too. It’s a book that I can’t stop thinking about.
📚 Dad Brain: The New Science of Fatherhood and How It Shapes Men’s Lives
More from Tidy Dad:📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 a 750-square-foot New York City apartment.
In this episode:
* Why “organized enough” may be a better goal than perfectly organized
* How “flexible organization systems” can adapt as your life changes
* Why the goal isn’t “always tidy”, but “easily tidied”
Mentioned in this episode:
* IKEA Boaxel modular storage system (Plus what it looked like for Real Simple)
* Over-the-door hooks for “pending clothes”
* Tiered file bin for sorting mail as it comes in
* Lazy Susans for refrigerators and freezers
More from Tidy Dad:📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 storage boxes with hanging folders
* Art display frames with extra storage
If you’re overwhelmed by piles of school papers, artwork, worksheets, and projects, this episode will help you create a simple system for incoming papers, sorting, storing, and letting go of paper clutter while still preserving the memories that matter most.
More from Tidy Dad:
📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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, and ease by living smaller.
In this episode, we discuss:
* Why they chose to downsize
* The tradeoffs between more space and better location
* Privacy, screens, and modern family life
* Why smaller spaces can lead to simpler routines
* The surprising ways their family became happier and more connected
If you’ve ever wondered whether bigger is always better, this conversation might make you rethink what “just enough” really looks like.
More from Tidy Dad:
📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 seasons of life, and share how small, repeatable routines can help tidy up your life beyond just your home.
Grab a free download of my Weekday Cleaning Checklist!
More from Tidy Dad:
📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 means to show up for your family.
Together, we talk about a simple but powerful routine his family calls “Quiet Hour.” No screens. No distractions. Just intentional time together through reading, crafting, and creativity.
Our family has been listening to audio books while doing diamond art. It sounds simple… but in today’s fast-paced, screen-filled world, it’s actually a radical act of connection. And sometimes, the simplest routines are the ones that bring us closer to what matters most.
More from The Tired Dad:
📚 Order Jon’s book: The Tired Dad: 100 Reflections on Showing Up for What Matters Most
🗞️ Subscribe to Reflections In Modern Parenthood: thetireddad.substack.com
📸 Follow Jon on IG: The Tired Dad
More from Tidy Dad:
📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 (putting away shoes, putting away clothes, washing dishes in the evening, 10-minute resets and meal planning) to keep our home tidy without aiming for perfect.
More from Tidy Dad:
📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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.
Important Links:
We’ve been cooking through our family’s cookbook collection!
-What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking by Caroline Chambers
-Oh $#!% What’s For Dinner? by Maria Sansone
-The Blood Sugar Balance Cookbook by Meredith Mann
-Kids Cook by Betty Crocker
-Cookbookery Collective - The cookbook exclusive Substack I’ve been loving!
More from Tidy Dad:📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 environment shapes parenting norms
* City life vs. suburb life differences
* Scooters, screens, and survival-mode decisions
* Why “doing what works” looks different for every family
This is a light, rant-style episode with plenty of laughs. If you’ve ever had a strong opinion about how kids get from point A to point B… this one’s for you.
And here’s the NY Post article about our family in “stroller wars” that I referenced!
🎧 Listen, follow, and leave a review to help more people find Tidy Tidbits.
Important Links:
👀 Follow Tara Clark on IG: @modernmomprobs
📚 Order Tara’s book: Modern Mom Probs: A Survival Guide for 21st Century Mothers
🎧 Listen to Tara’s podcast: Modern Mom Probs (I was a recent guest!) —
📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 what it really looks like to start something new, especially when it feels overwhelming or out of reach.
Ruth shares how she didn’t publish her first novel until her late 50s, and how life experience helped her push past imposter syndrome and finally go for it. We also unpack the power of small, consistent steps, including the Pomodoro Method, and why you don’t need hours of time or a perfect plan to make meaningful progress.
This conversation is a reminder that:
* You don’t need to have it all figured out
* You don’t need the perfect timing
* You just need to take the next step
Whether your goal is writing a book, training for a race, building routines, or simply showing up better for your life, this episode will leave you feeling inspired to begin.
Important Links:
👀 Follow Ruth O’Leary on IG: Ruth O'Leary
📚 The Weekend Break: Four Friends, Four Secrets, One Explosive Weekend
📚 A Week to Remember: Three strangers, the Camino, One Week to Change Everything
📚 The Last Week of Him: Thirty Years of Friendship, Three Women, One Devastating Truth
—
📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 navigate the overwhelm.
We get into the big questions every parent faces:
* What do you actually need?
* What should you always buy new?
* And what’s perfectly safe to buy secondhand?
Ben breaks down the categories that matter most, including why car seats should always be purchased new, and where families can save significantly by choosing open-box or gently used gear.
Important Links:
👀 Check out Stork Exchange (use code TIDY10 for 10% an order of $100 or more)
—
📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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. Her home has sparked a lot of conversation online, mostly because of one question: Where do you sleep?
Her answer: a Murphy bed in the living room.
What sounds unconventional has completely transformed how their home functions, feels, and flows.
Important Links:
👀 Follow Khrystyne on IG: @khrystynejaspers💻 Follow Khrystyne on Substack: Space Jams—📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 night. Conversations that once lasted hours now happen in quick bursts across the kitchen while someone is asking for a snack and someone else is looking for their shoes.
Eli shares four helpful questions couples can ask before starting an important conversation. These questions help set the tone, clarify expectations, and reduce misunderstandings before they even start.
In this episode, we talk about:
* The four simple questions couples can ask before starting important conversations to reduce conflict and misunderstanding
* How to create space for communication with a couple’s journal
* The importance of having a daily 10-minute check-in
Tidy Takeaway
Just like maintaining a home requires systems, maintaining a relationship does too.
Important Links:
👀 Follow Eli Weinstein on IG: @thedudetherapist
📚 Order Eli’s Book: From I Do to We Do: Navigating Marriage in the Parenting Years
—
📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe -
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 New York City to Texas, and then a few years later, with three kids in tow, decided to move back to NYC. I first discovered Alexis through a reel she posted while driving down an expansive Texas highway, explaining the decision her family had made to return to the city.
She says “the more our kids grew, the more we realized how much we were craving what we left behind… the walkability, the rhythm, the movement, the energy, the ‘step outside and the world is right there’ feeling we loved for almost a decade.”
I chatted with Alexis about that decision and what they have learned along the way.
Important Links:
👀 Follow Alexis on IG: @alexiskristiana
💻 Follow Alexis on Substack: The Unsubsurban Mom
—
📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com
📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe - Mostra di più
