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.
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?
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:
The Best Rom-Coms for Valentine’s Day (Or Any Day You Need a Laugh & Some Love)
Valentine’s Day is here, which means two types of people are emerging:
Those who are planning a romantic, carefully curated evening with their loved one.
Those who are watching rom-coms in sweatpants with a glass (bottle) of wine.
Whichever camp you fall into, we’ve got you covered. This week on Thhttps://timtalks.net/tkaib/e Kids Are In Bed, we break down the best romantic comedies of all time—argue about them, overanalyze them, and ultimately give you the only rom-com list you’ll ever need.
Oh, and we also talk about the Super Bowl.
But before we get to our ultimate rom-com categories, let’s set the stage:
Super Bowl Recap: Where Was Taylor Swift?
Before we dive into rom-coms, we had unfinished business—the Taylor Swift Super Bowl prop bet from our last episode. Vegas set the over/under at 6.5 times on camera, and let’s just say…
Other notable moments:
🏈 The Chiefs won. Again. And most of America was rooting against them.
🎤 Kendrick Lamar crushed the halftime show. Filled with Easter eggs, hidden messages, and a not-so-subtle Drake rivalry reference.
🎭 Super Bowl commercials have officially lost the plot. (If your big idea is just “put a celebrity in it,” that’s not marketing, it’s a group project with no leader.)
Alright, now that that’s out of the way—ROM-COMS.
The Best Rom-Coms of All Time—Categorized for Your Convenience
Look, picking the single best romantic comedy is impossible. So instead of one definitive ranking, we broke them into very serious, highly scientific categories.
Find the mood you’re in, pick a movie, and let the rom-com magic do the rest.
1. Adam Sandler Classics
Because sometimes you just want to laugh and listen to an absolute banger of a soundtrack. 🎬 The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates, Click, Just Go With It, Mr. Deeds
2. The Bullock Effect™
Sandra Bullock has been carrying this genre on her back for decades. Respect. 🎬 While You Were Sleeping, The Proposal, Two Weeks Notice, Miss Congeniality, The Lost City
3. If You Lost the Ponytail and Glasses…
Where we pretend that simply removing glasses turns someone into a different human being. 🎬 Crazy Stupid Love, Hitch, Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, She’s All That
4. Your Mom’s Favorite Rom-Coms
These are the rom-coms that built the genre and are still endlessly rewatchable. 🎬 When Harry Met Sally, Pretty Woman, Notting Hill, You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle
5. If I Could Turn Back Time
Sometimes love takes a second (or thousandth) chance. 🎬 About Time, The Big Sick, 500 Days of Summer, Palm Springs, The Lake House, Midnight in Paris
6. That Would Never Happen… But I Love It Anyway
Romances that make absolutely no sense… yet somehow, we buy in every time. 🎬 Runaway Bride, The Holiday, What Happens in Vegas, Moonstruck, Serendipity
7. The “Technically Not a Rom-Com… But It Totally Is” Movies
Romantic comedies in disguise. You know it, we know it. 🎬 Jerry Maguire, The Princess Bride, Groundhog Day, The Devil Wears Prada, Silver Linings Playbook
8. We Shouldn’t Work… But We Do
When everything says this relationship should be a disaster, but somehow, it’s perfect. 🎬 Fools Rush In, Knocked Up, Trainwreck, Crazy Stupid Love, My Best Friend’s Wedding
So, What’s the Best Rom-Com?
That’s up to you. But if you’re looking for a great Valentine’s movie, this list is full of absolute gems.
💬 Drop your favorite rom-com in the comments—we want to hear your picks!
🎧 Listen to the full episode of The Kids Are In Bed for all the debates, hot takes, and unnecessary deep dives into rom-com history.
Jenni’s back from Cincinnati (which is, apparently, a city that doesn’t even house its own airport), and The Kids Are In Bed is back in full force. Tim is relieved to no longer be podcasting alone, and they waste no time diving into all the pressing matters of the week:
A group of kids accidentally going viral for building the ultimate backyard fort. What started as a fun project now has them raking in thousands of dollars—so what’s next?
Airport Theory. Are the “get there two hours early” guidelines just a trick to keep us shopping in terminals?
Super Bowl chaos. Will Taylor Swift make an appearance at halftime? How many times will she be shown on camera? More importantly—why do we all care so much?
Groundhog Day: A Movie and a Tradition. One is a Bill Murray classic, the other involves thousands of people standing in the freezing cold to hear a rodent make a weather prediction. Both are fascinating.
It’s the kind of episode that covers everything and nothing all at once—come hang out!
For the first time in the history of The Kids Are In Bed, Tim Severson is on his own. Mr. Lonely. He’s going solo, all out on his own. Jenny is out of town, leaving him to ramble into a microphone like a man lost at sea. The result? A mix of cold medicine-fueled reflections, back spasm survival strategies, and an ongoing war with his hot tub’s chemical balance.
Along the way, he introduces his newest essay, Spilled Milk, shares his early thoughts on the Oscar-nominated A Real Pain, and discovers that women’s bathrobes have a hidden superpower. He also takes a brief detour into home lighting (because apparently, motion-sensor kitchen lights are the height of modern luxury).
It’s weird. It’s honest. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a solo Tim episode.
Click play, because hey—he did it, and that should count for something.
What happens when you combine Tim and Jenni Severson, a date night, and a dinner party themed around The Office? Pure magic—and a little chaos. In Episode 48 of The Kids Are In Bed, we’re breaking down our unforgettable experience at Travail’s Basement Bar, where the cocktails flowed freely, the food was top-notch, and the awkward comedy of Michael Scott and crew came to life in a unique tasting menu.
Here’s what you can expect:
An Office-Inspired Culinary Adventure The dinner party was a multi-course tasting menu with paired cocktails, featuring everything from a chicken pot pie to a Frosty-inspired dessert complete with crispy potato bits. Each dish was a nod to iconic Office moments, like Michael’s Foreman Grill mishap and the chaos of the Fun Run. The standout? A perfectly executed beet salad (and that’s saying something because we’re usually anti-beet).
Cocktails & Chaos We sat at the bar—prime real estate for watching the magic (and booze) unfold. Highlights included “the best cocktail” Jenni has ever had out of a thrifted tea cup and beet cocktail with a sweet pear foam. Watching the drinks come together was a show in itself.
Performance Art & Parkour The night wasn’t just about food. From parkour to an impromptu Fun Run that took us sprinting through the restaurant (yes, really), the evening felt like being dropped into an episode of The Office. And the trivia at the end? Let’s just say not everyone there was a diehard fan.
Laughs, Nostalgia & New Friends Between meeting strangers who accidentally showed up on the wrong night (but stayed anyway) and reliving some of the best Office moments, the night was full of quirky surprises. Plus, Tim’s Dunder Mifflin T-shirt even got him compliments from fellow fans, proving its magic once again.
If you’ve never been to Travail, consider this your sign. Whether it’s an Office night or any of their other themed experiences, you won’t regret it.
Welcome back to The Kids Are In Bed—and wow, do we have some stories to share! After an eventful holiday break, we’re diving headfirst into a driveway milk jug fiasco that made us question all our grocery-bagging decisions. Picture an icy Minnesota morning, a precarious jug of dairy, and two bewildered parents, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for our post-holiday meltdown (pun intended).
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We also managed to stumble upon a Russian-Jamaican accent so mind-blowing it nearly scrambled our brains, led an ill-advised all-white New Year’s party (complete with chili cheese burritos—because why not tempt fate?), and kicked off a basement cleanup that snowballed into a full-home purge. One piece of stray popcorn was all it took!
In the midst of all the madness, we’re still navigating life as elementary-school parents who’ve been sweethearts since high school. Somehow, our bickering over spilled milk and half-lit Christmas trees always circles back to laughter and affection (with the occasional eye-roll, of course). So if you’re in need of a good chuckle and a warm reminder that “normal” is just a setting on the dryer, hit play on our latest episode below. Trust us, you’ll never look at a milk jug the same way again.
