Tidy Tidbits

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 adults. Cooking builds independence and problem-solving, and shared meals build confidence, connection, and a sense of belonging.
Wondering how to actually get your teens in the kitchen? Teens Cook Real Food is a comprehensive cooking course designed specifically for teens and young adults.
It’s a self-paced online cooking course, teaching over 70 skills like how to read recipes, knife skills, how to boil water, how to make salads, cook veggies on the stovetop and in the oven, how to incorporate herbs, spices, acid, and sauces, how to cook meat and eggs, how to bake bread, and tips for meal planning, grocery shopping, and sticking to a food budget. And MORE! It includes real-food demos, chef talks and kitchen science via professionally filmed video lessons. It’s massively epic.
They’re also offering a FREE 3-video series for parents, including a 15-minute workshop on the mindset shift needed for parenting teens. You can start there!
If you’ve ever wished your teen could confidently make a meal, this is worth your time.
👀 Follow Katie Kimball on IG: @raisinghealthyfamilies
🌟 Check out Teens Cook Real Food + sign up for the FREE 3-video series for parents
📚 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, Tidy Dad reflects on his own journey of adjusting his sleep schedule to wake up early. He outlines his current morning routine that allows for self-care and productivity before the chaos of the day begins. He encourages listeners to find what works for them, rather than trying to replicate his exact routine.
Three key principles that guide his morning routine:
* I give myself the first fruits of the day, before I’m “on.”
* I look for progress I can repeat, not perfection I can’t sustain.
* I rely on a simple sequence of tasks, not an overwhelming set of rules.
He shares specific details about his morning activities, from gentle yoga and cleaning to preparing breakfast and engaging with his children. But this conversation isn’t about waking up earlier. It’s about deciding when YOU get to be a person. You don't need a perfect routine. You need one that fits YOUR season of life. What fuels you?
Follow Tidy Dad on Instagram!


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 engaging conversation, inspired by National Quitters Day, that moment when most people quietly give up on their resolutions, Tidy Dad and Jo Piazza explore the theme of quitting as a form of self-empowerment and personal growth. They discuss the importance of letting go of toxic relationships, the societal pressure to optimize every aspect of life, and the joy of embracing simplicity in wardrobe choices.
Jo shares her insights on the significance of having a nemesis and the courage it takes to quit things that no longer serve us. The conversation encourages listeners to reflect on what they can let go of in the new year to make space for joy and authenticity.
👀 Follow Jo Piazza on IG and Substack: @jopiazzaauthor and Over the Influence
🌟 Check out Jo’s books: The Sicilian Inheritance, Everyone is Lying to You (my favorite fiction read of 2025), and The Parisian Heist (coming in July 2026!)
📚 Want more tips like these? Check out 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

Resolution season often comes with pressure: big goals, rigid rules, and quiet guilt when things don’t go as expected. In this episode of Tidy Tidbits, Tidy Dad sits down with Patty Morrissey, Director of KonMari Club and collaborator with Marie Kondo (yes, that Marie Kondo), to explore a lighter, curiosity-driven approach to starting something new.
I’ve known Patty for years, interviewed her for my book Tidy Up Your Life, and even included this idea in the Routines chapter, because her concept of 30-day experiments completely changed how I approach resolution season and how I start each month. Instead of rigid promises, this framework offers permission to try, notice, and decide, without burnout.
30-day self-care experiments are a way to try out new habits without turning them into lifelong promises. Together, we talk about curiosity over perfection, giving to your life instead of taking away, and how small experiments can quietly reshape routines, self-care, and connection.
If traditional resolutions leave you burned out by mid-January, this episode offers a calmer way forward.
What You’ll Learn
* What a 30-day self-care experiment is
* Why experiments work better than resolutions for habit building
* How curiosity replaces guilt when motivation dips
* How to reflect at the end of 30 days and decide what stays
* Why “giving to your life” creates more lasting change than restriction
Resources:
* Free Monthly Experiment Calendar by Tidy Dad - A simple thought-catcher with a guiding word for each month to make starting feel lighter and more doable
* 30-Day Self-Care Experiments Article from Patty Morrissey
Links:
🌟 Check out Patty on IG: Patty Morrissey
👀 Check out KonMari Club: KonMari Club
📚 Check out my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Follow Tidy Dad on Substack: The Tidy Times
📸 Follow Tidy Dad 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

Every January, the urge to declutter kicks in, but most challenges fall apart fast. Not because we lack motivation, but because we’re asked to declutter things we don’t fully control: shared spaces, other people’s stuff, and emotional or sentimental categories.
In this episode, Tidy Dad introduces a different approach: a 31-day decluttering experiment focused only on decluttering your own categories of items.
No negotiating. No family meetings. Just your stuff.
Each day features one small, specific category you can tackle in 10 minutes or less, using the same four-step process: Clear, Sort, Assess, Plan.
The goal isn’t perfection, it’s momentum. Small wins that build decision-making muscles and help you make space for the life you’re living now.
👇 Grab the FREE January Decluttering Calendar and start with one small win.
We’re also nearing the one-year anniversary of Tidy Up Your Life. If jumping into decluttering feels overwhelming, the book is a great place to start. It focuses on function over aesthetics and offers strategies that apply to your home, habits, routines, and life. It’s available in hardcover, or ebook, or audio book (read by me)!
📚 Check out my book: Tidy Up Your Life
🗞️ Follow Tidy Dad on Substack: The Tidy Times
📸 Follow Tidy Dad 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