While Jenni is off adventuring in Nashville, Tim kicks off the episode solo—lit candle, cozy mic, and a hopeful heart. He opens up about drive-thru surprises (including a memorable Eye of the Tiger moment), the weirdly vulnerable pursuit of virtual golf greatness, and how tummy time isn’t just for babies anymore.
But just as things start to settle in… the door opens. Literally.
This week’s episode of The Kids Are In Bed features our very first mystery guest—and we’re not spoiling it here. Let’s just say, they bring a whole new vibe to the show: wholesome, hilarious, and surprisingly insightful.
In this episode:
The surprising power of “Eye of the Tiger” at the Starbucks drive-thru
A VR golf obsession gone wrong (and what it says about success)
This one starts with Jurassic Park, but it doesn’t stay there long. Tim and Jenni rewatch the Spielberg classic with their kids and quickly spiral into a chaotic, hilarious exploration of birds, dinosaurs, and some of the most ridiculous animal encounters in podcast history.
From childhood memories of seeing raptors on the big screen to realizing just how many bird stories they’ve lived through, the episode turns into a full-on bird-brained breakdown of everything from eagle attacks to quesadillas mistaken for animals.
Yup. Jenni once thought a quesadilla was a bird attacking her face. And Tim? He drunkenly held a bird for a selfie once, called to geese in his sleep, and got dive-bombed by a bald eagle while trying to take nature photos like a grown man with a telephoto lens and a dream.
Also: shout-out to the shoebill stork for being the stuff of nightmares.
🎮 Bird or Birdshit? The Game
At the halfway point, Tim challenges Jenni to a game of bird trivia. The rules are simple: if it’s true, say “bird.” If it sounds fake, call it what it is: birdshit.
Play along:
Geese have teeth on their tongues.
Crows remember faces and hold grudges.
Penguins propose with pebbles.
Shoebill storks can stare without blinking for hours.
Pigeons can recognize themselves in mirrors.
Ducks sleep with one eye open.
These facts are weird, wild, and absolutely real (though some feel fake). Will Jenni pass? Will she befriend or battle a turkey? You’ll have to listen to find out.
🎉 More Chaos Includes:
A totally unexpected Jurassic Park scene that Tim forgot existed
A perfect impression of a goose honk mid-sleep
Whether Jenni could survive a bird attack with nothing but her wits and a jacket
Boss Baby, stork confusion, and bird songs gone terribly wrong
Caution: Bumps Ahead — The Wildest Car Crash Stories You’ve Never Heard (Until Now) Episode 59: The Kids Are In Bed
If you’ve ever hit a deer, been rear-ended in rush hour, or found yourself behind the wheel of a car that didn’t technically have anti-lock brakes (Tim, we’re looking at you), you’re going to feel right at home in this week’s episode.
In “Caution: Bumps Ahead,” we pull into the slow lane and talk all things car accidents—big and small, funny and frustrating, and surprisingly emotional. Jenni reflects on the seven deer she’s hit over the years (yes, seven), the time she flipped her Jeep shortly after getting her license, and how she once got rear-ended by a man named Andre Love… on Valentine’s Day. Tim shares the story of his car’s sudden need for a brand-new engine (covered under warranty, thankfully) and the fateful realization that his first solo car purchase didn’t include anti-lock brakes.
💡 But it’s not just our stories. We also:
Play a real driving test quiz to see if Jenni’s license should be revoked.
Highlight iconic wrecks from TV (including a hilarious detour into the world of Grey’s Anatomy, where car crashes are practically a recurring character).
Reflect on how car trouble, strangely enough, sometimes leads to something good.
This episode blends storytelling, comedy, nostalgia, and relationship dynamics into a ride that’s just as chaotic and charming as the open road. Whether you’re here for the laughs, the absurdity, or the pop culture deep dives, we promise you’ll leave entertained—and maybe a little surprised by the odds of your own past fender bender.
💬 Got a car crash story? Share it with us! 📖 Bonus: Read Tim’s personal essay about the ultimate April Fools prank (written 13 years ago) that also makes an appearance in this episode.
The Kids Are In Bed Podcast – Hosted by Tim & Jenni Severson
April Fools’ Day may not be a national holiday, but it is a global tradition—and in this episode, we explore the wonderfully weird ways people have chosen to fool each other throughout history. Along the way, we ask the most important question of all: Is Jenni actually fool proof? Or has Tim just gotten sneakier over the years?
We kick things off with a real-life insurance snafu that somehow spiraled into one of the most wholesome and pun-filled email exchanges you’ll hear this year. From there, Tim takes us back to college for the greatest prank he’s ever pulled—one so good his mom cried and then reused it on his dad. It’s a story with suspense, drama, betrayal… and Bush Light.
We also dive into:
The mysterious and messy history of April Fools’ Day
Wild international traditions, including paper fish, flour bombs, and prank-free zones after noon
The most legendary pop culture hoaxes, from spaghetti trees to left-handed Whoppers
A prank-themed trivia game, where Jenni tries to separate fact from fiction (with surprising results)
How our own kids are starting to get in on the April Fools action—some better than others
This episode blends humor, nostalgia, relationship dynamics, and just a bit of chaos—aka, it’s exactly what you expect from The Kids Are In Bed.
Whether you’re a fan of clever April Fools pranks, global traditions, or just hearing stories about people getting emotionally wrecked by their own children, this one’s worth a listen.
First, The Way by Fastball—a late-’90s hit that resurfaced in the bathroom one morning and hasn’t let go since. A road trip anthem with a haunting backstory that reframes the lyrics entirely. Then Dreams by Fleetwood Mac—rediscovered in an open-air taxi cruising the Mazatlán coast, right as the sun dropped into the Pacific.
Both songs set the tone for a spring break trip that was anything but typical.
In this episode, we share our experience traveling to Mazatlán, Mexico—a city full of history, character, color, and sunsets you can’t fake. We talk about what made it different from every other resort destination we’ve been to: the easy flights, the surprisingly smooth customs experience, and the way the city itself quietly wins you over.
We’re not influencers. We didn’t film a glossy travel vlog. But we did soak in the details:
A daughter’s first swim in the Pacific Ocean (and a jellyfish sting she shook off like a champ)
An aquarium we expected nothing from that turned out to be amazing
A lost wedding ring, found again by a treasure-hunting 9-year-old
Pulmonía rides with Fleetwood Mac as the soundtrack to golden hour
And a very public dad fail by the hot tub that had the kids praying for invisibility
This isn’t a guidebook for Mazatlán—it’s a snapshot. The kind of episode that might help you figure out if Mazatlán is your kind of city too.
Episode’s live now—watch, listen, or just scroll the gallery.
And if you’ve got a song that brings you back to somewhere unexpected? We’d love to hear it.
This episode of The Kids Are In Bed started with a horse, daylight savings time, and a casual conversation about spring break movies. It ended with a last-minute trip to Mexico and a passport disaster that nearly sent Tim into full meltdown mode.
Here’s what went down:
🏇 Tim’s Horse Detour: He stopped everything to take the perfect horse picture. He will defend this decision forever. ⏰ Daylight Savings Wrecked the Whole Family: Normally, we think it’s not that bad. This time? We weren’t prepared. Monday morning was a disaster. 🎬 Spring Break Movies Don’t Exist? We tried to think of one. We failed. 🏖️ We Finally Booked a Tropical Vacation: After years of debating, we finally pulled the trigger on a Mexico trip. 📜 Passports Should’ve Been Easy… But Nope: One aggressively unhelpful government employee made the entire process a waking nightmare.
Listen now for the full passport fiasco story, our thoughts on daylight savings, and how this trip almost didn’t happen at all.
The 2025 Oscars are over, and what better way to process the night than by time-traveling between pre-show confidence and post-show regret?
In our latest episode of The Kids Are In Bed, we attempted to predict the winners, only to be mocked by reality in real-time. Along the way, Tim recorded alone with a life-sized Marilyn Monroe cutout, which—honestly—was no less engaged than Jenni during the Best Sound Editing category.
This wasn’t just about the Oscars ceremony itself, though. It was about the eternal battle between what we love and what the Academy actually rewards, and whether the difference between those things will ever stop hurting our feelings.
Oscars Chaos: Did We Nail It or Faceplant?
🎬 Kieran Culkin’s win?A slam dunk. Never in doubt. We threw a mini party. 🎬 Zoe Saldaña taking Best Supporting Actress?A deserved win, though we still think Ariana Grande deserved a little more love. 🎬 Mikey Madison wins Best Actress!YES. ABSOLUTELY. NO NOTES. 🎬 Best Picture goes to Anora…and we suddenly felt like we knew what we were doing all along. 🎬 Sing Sing… stop bringing it up, I said.
Between questionable fashion choices, Tim’s late-stage Oscars fatigue, and the brutal realization that our favorite films were never actually in the running, this episode captures the joy, the heartbreak, and the existential confusion that is awards season.
A Time-Traveling Oscars Experience
This episode is structured like a psychological experiment on prediction regret:
🔄 First, pre-Oscars Tim & Jenni make their confident, well-reasoned picks. 🔄 Then, post-Oscars Tim (with Marilyn Monroe by his side) processes the reality of what happened. 🔄 Finally, we reflect on how every Oscars season is a cycle of hope, betrayal, and just enough satisfaction to make us do it all again next year.
It’s a bizarre hybrid of a pre-show, post-show, and deep dive into the universe’s sense of humor.
The Films That Defined Oscars 2025: Hits, Misses & Fever Dreams
🏆 Best Picture Winner: Anora Sean Baker delivered an unflinching, electric, and painfully real portrait of survival that hit us like a truck. Anora is a film that lives in the gut—beautiful, brutal, and impossible to shake. Mikey Madison’s Best Actress win was the cherry on top of a film that refused to look away.
👷♂️ The Brutalist:What if a film about architecture made you rethink your entire life? This film is long, complex, and artistically stunning, held together by Adrien Brody’s career-defining performance. If you’re in the mood for a slow-burn meditation on art, power, and sacrifice, The Brutalist delivers. If you’re looking for something breezy… maybe move along.
🎸 A Complete Unknown: Timothée Chalamet’s Best Bob Dylan Impression This one has all the makings of a great music biopic, but if you’ve seen Walk the Line, you’ve basically seen this before. That’s not to say it’s bad—Chalamet is fantastic, and Edward Norton is having an absolute blast—but the film sometimes assumes you already know Bob Dylan’s backstory instead of telling you.
😔 A Real Pain: The Film That Should Have Won Kieran Culkin took home Best Supporting Actor (because of course he did), but A Real Pain was more than just his performance. This movie balanced heartbreak and humor in a way that made it feel effortlessly human, and yet the Academy refused to give it the top prize. We’re still bitter.
🐍 The Substance: A Hallucinogenic Nightmare That Somehow Won an Award Tim watched The Substance at 7 AM, and it forever changed him. The movie features a monstrous, skin-shedding Demi Moore, boobs that double as eyeballs, and a final act that feels like the fever dream of someone who just took NyQuil and fell asleep watching The Fly. It’s not good, but it is… something.
Final Takeaways: Watch These First
🥂 Anora deserved Best Picture, but Nickel Boys will stick with us longer. 🧑⚖️ Kieran Culkin was so much of a lock they should’ve mailed him the trophy in advance. 👗 Zoe Saldaña’s dress was the true controversy of the night. 🎭 Demi Moore’s win… we’re still working through our feelings about it. 📢 The Substance was exactly as unhinged as we feared.
Listen Now & Let’s Argue About the Oscars
🎧 Stream the episode now and tell us—did the Academy get it right?
Some people enjoy nature by hiking, camping, or planning well-thought-out excursions. Tim enjoys nature by driving around aimlessly in subzero temperatures, chasing bald eagles, and taking photos until his fingers stop working properly.
Feel like readin’?Here are my five most recent essays.
Meanwhile, we finally had a warm day, so naturally, we celebrated it by going indoors. More specifically, we spent the day at Mall of America, letting the kids run wild with all-day ride passes, discovering our son’s new sneaker obsession, and witnessing an actual, real-life round of the “penis game.” (If you know, you know.)
But before we get into the chaos, let’s start with Tim’s new side hustle: amateur nature photographer.
Tim’s Nature Walks, But With a Car and a Starbucks
Ever have a random hobby sneak up on you? Tim didn’t intend to become a man who takes photos of eagles in negative 13-degree weather, but here we are.
It started with a fog-covered Mississippi River on a frigid morning.
Then, it escalated to tracking down an actual bald eagle’s nest.
And finally, full commitment—marching into someone’s yard, with no hat or gloves, just to get the shot.
Sadly, nature photography is a cruel business. Just as he lined up the perfect shot, one eagle flew away, ruining everything. Such is life.
Mall of America: The Most Overhated Place in Minnesota?
It was 50 degrees outside, but instead of joining the crowds outside, we strategically avoided them by heading to Mall of America.
Here’s what went down: 🎡 Nickelodeon Universe all-day ride passes? Huge win. 👟 Jude’s sneaker obsession has begun. He walked into Nike and walked out with a wildly colorful pair of Giannis Antetokounmpo sneakers that he is now deeply invested in. 📢 The “penis game” is alive and well. We overheard a group of tweens playing it in line for a ride, and honestly, it was comforting to know that some things never change. 🤔 Mall parking mystery? We noticed weird red and green lights in the parking ramp, which should indicate open spaces. But… they don’t. We’ll report back once we crack the code.
Hot take: Mall of America is actually great. People love to hate on it, but if you go in with no agenda, it’s fun.
Oscars 2024: Best Picture Race Heats Up
We are three movies away from finishing all the Best Picture nominees, and we have thoughts.
Here’s where we stand on the ones we’ve seen so far:
🎥 Nickel Boys – A visually stunning, first-person perspective film that takes a while to adjust to but is incredibly immersive. One of our top contenders.
🎥 Conclave – Beautifully shot, feels like an oil painting come to life. But is it Best Picture-worthy? We’re torn.
🎥 Anora – Brutal, unflinching, and definitely not a family movie. But the performances? Incredible.
🎥 Wicked – Fun, big-budget spectacle. Not a real contender, but Ariana Grande crushed it.
🎥 Amelia Perez – An ambitious swing that didn’t quite land. We wanted to like it more.
With only four movies to go, we’re almost ready to make our predictions. But this year? It’s tough.
Final Thoughts: Parenting, Movies, and Tim’s Deep Dives into Everything
Tim has strong opinions on MOA’s parking system and will get to the bottom of it.
Jude is officially a sneakerhead. Clementine, however, just wanted tater tots with a side of French fries.
Oscar predictions are coming next episode! We’ll lock in our final picks and see how close we get.
🎧 Listen to the full episode and let us know: What’s your Best Picture pick?
I can’t bear to send my kids outside to the bus on bitter Minnesota mornings. Maybe it’s guilt, perhaps pity—probably both. Either way, if I decide it’s too cold, I announce I will take them to school, scoffing at the idea of forcing them to walk.
Some people spend Valentine’s Day on elaborate dates with candlelit dinners and sweeping romantic gestures. Others spend it watching PaddingtonIn Peru, realizing halfway through that the mom has been completely recast, and sneaking movie theater snacks bought by your children for your children.
Guess which category Tim fell into?
This week on The Kids Are In Bed, we recap Valentine’s Day, our near-perfect parenting crime that collapsed on Day 4, and Tim is still emotionally invested in a group of kids rebuilding their backyard fort. Plus, Oscars season is here, and we break down the BAFTAs and the Best Picture nominees we’ve seen so far.
It’s movies, parenting wins (and failures), and some unnecessary but enjoyable deep dives. Let’s get into it.
Valentine’s Day: The Good, The Bad, and The Chocolates That Disappeared Too Fast
💌 The Almost-Perfect Parenting Loophole: The plan was simple. Buy Jenni gifts. Let the kids pick out treats. Do not buy them Valentine’s presents. Result? We got away with it… for four days. Then they noticed. Then they were outraged.
🐻 Paddington in Peru: A Valentine’s Masterpiece? We didn’t expect to spend Valentine’s Day watching a talking bear navigate life in London, but here we are. More importantly, Tim just realized they swapped out the mom, and he’s still recovering.
🍫 Valentine’s Gift Success (or Failure, Depending on Who You Ask): Jenni cleaned up—new clothes, candy, flowers, even fancy waters. Meanwhile, the kids ended up with movie snacks… technically bought by them. Loopholes are a delicate art.
Tim’s Emotional Investment in a Group of Kids Building a Fort (That Immediately Got Washed Away)
🏗️ Quick Recap: A group of kids somewhere in America started a DIY backyard fort project. The internet fell in love. They got $18,000 in donations to expand their masterpiece.
🌊 The Tragedy: Then the creek flooded. The fort was completely wiped out. Nature does not respect childhood dreams.
🎬 The Documentary We Need: Tim has been following this saga with the intensity of a true crime investigation, and frankly, it deserves an ESPN 30 for 30.
Oscars Season Begins! BAFTA Recap & Best Picture Debates
🎥 We’ve Seen 4 of the 10 Best Picture Nominees: Not bad, but we’ve got work to do. Here’s our take on what we’ve watched so far:
