The Simple Show

This is the third of a short, five-episode special series of the podcast to celebrate Tsh's new book, At Home in the World. Closer to the Turkish mainland than the Greek one, this island in Greece is a welcome counterpart to the party life of Mykonos and has far fewer tourists than Santorini or Greece. And it's lovely. For show notes, head to http://thesimpleshow.com and look for episode 70. 

This is the second of a short, five-episode special series of the podcast to celebrate Tsh's new book, At Home in the World. Tucked into tree-thick hills near the Serbian border in Kosovo lies a tiny Albanian village hugging a lake, so small it barely makes it on local maps. And there's a gazebo out on that lake. Let's talk about that gazebo. For show notes, head to http://thesimpleshow.com and look for episode 69. 

This is the first of a short, five-episode special series of the podcast to celebrate Tsh's new book, At Home in the World. Pienza is one of Italy's best villages, a quintessential Tuscan example of a beautifully-constructed Renaissance-era town. And there's one little shop in particular that's especially lovely. For show notes, head to http://thesimpleshow.com and look for episode 68. 

Tsh loves talking travel... but what about when we just can't hop on a plane? How do we incorporate a love for the world in fun, do-able ways right in our own homes? That's what this chat with Tsh and co-host Erin Loechner is about. Books, TV shows, music, food.... There's so many fun ways to infuse a global spirit inside our four walls. For show notes for this episode, go to http://thesimpleshow.com and look for episode 67.  

You're in luck: you've got an extra dose the show! In this bonus episode, Tsh talks with Sarah Holland and Beth Silvers from the podcast Pantsuit Politics. They talk about what it means to foster a global worldview, blinders off and perspectives broadened, and also how to help our kids do that at home. Don't skip this episode just because you're not into politics—they don't get into that in this episode. But, do check out their show if you'd like to learn more about politics from two sides of the spectrum with nuance and insult-free friendship. For show notes of this episode, go to http://thesimpleshow.com.

The name of this episode makes you want to dig right in, eh? In this one, Tsh and Stephanie get into the harder parts about travel. Stephanie is in Central America, where she's currently traveling for a few months with her family of 7. She shares real-talk about the challenging parts of cross-cultural travel with kids. Tsh uses some of her debriefing questions from her travel journal, which covers the "other stuff"—the emotional, spiritual, and relational things that we often forget to work through. For show notes for this episode, head to http://thesimpleshow.com and look for episode 66.

In this special edition episode, Tsh shares a sneak-peek of the audiobook recording of her new book, At Home in the World. Not too long ago, she and her family spent a school year traveling around the world in one direction. They left the U.S. and went to China, then emerged months and months later on the other side, leaving London and returning back to where they started. She gets into reasons why they did this in the intro to the book, as well as chapter one, which you get to hear in this episode. Enjoy this freebie audiobook sneak peek of At Home in the World! To learn more about the book, head to http://athomeintheworldbook.com, and for the show notes of this episode, go to http://thesimpleshow.com and look for episode 65.

Not too long ago, Esther Emery decided to take an entire YEAR off the internet. And lived to tell about it! In fact, in this episode, Esther tells Tsh how it affected her life for the better, and why she’s more than willing to do it again. Esther and her family now live in the woods—literally. They currently live in a yurt and are building a cabin with wood from their land. They live off solar power, they grow quite a bit of their own food, and they do it all in the Idaho woods. Esther and Tsh get into what it means to build your own home, to disconnect from the online world but still engage in it, and to sit in silence. For links in this episode, head to http://thesimpleshow.com and look for episode 64.

Sometimes, you just need a book that makes you think but is still a breeze to read... Tsh's co-host Haley talks about The Eyre Affair, which is basically a beach read for literary nerds, and Tsh talks about Wonder, a middle-grade novel recommended to her by my kids that she can't stop thinking about. Naturally, the conversation moves into the great Jane Eyre, movie versions, ableism, and how to talk to kids about hard stuff. For show notes, head to http://thesimpleshow.com and look for episode 63.

Sometimes Tsh and co-host Stephanie unintentionally make it sound like they never deal with travel concerns, health issues, or challenges. Nope—they still deal with them. They're normal moms, after all. In this episode, they answer some of YOUR questions about how they handle fear of the unknown, food or other allergies, medical issues and illnesses, and other unforeseen challenges from the road. They share stories of stitches in Rwanda, chipped teeth in Turkey, swimmer's ear in Thailand, and more. For show notes, head to http://thesimpleshow.com and look for episode 62.

It's a bit early, but the smell is in the air... spring is on the horizon. And that means opening up the windows and clearing out the cobwebs. In this episode, Tsh talks with Erin about their favorite hows and whys of decluttering. They share the questions they ask when we're deciding whether something stays or goes, along with the thing both a blog reader's mom and Jim Gaffigan have taught them about buying needless stuff. For links in this episode, go to http://thesimpleshow.com and look for episode 61.  

What does it mean to be naturally, inherently messy? What's it like to want to be someone who's good at cleaning, but just... isn't? Consider this a sort of confessional episode with Tsh. Dana White calls herself a slob—this is what she writes about, and where she's ultimately found her people. Last fall, she released her book, How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind, and has a gracious, laid-back, enlightening attitude about who she is and how she's learned to make life work. If you feel like you're always wondering how people keep their houses clean—or you live with a messy person—then this episode is for you. For links mentioned in this episode, head to http://thesimpleshow.com and look for episode 60.

Time for a books episode, where we each talk about a book we recently read and recommend. In this conversation, Haley talks with Tsh about Shusaku Endo's Silence, a based-on-true-facts story which has been made into a movie by Martin Scorsese, and she relays a bit of history none of us knew much about until this story released. Tsh talks about The Road Back to You by Ian Cron and Suzanne Stabile, a new book taking an approachable position to the Enneagram, an ancient personality profiling process, and a dive a little into what the Enneagram has personality meant for her the past few years. For show notes to this episode, head to http://thesimpleshow.com and look for episode 59.

The world is chock-full of amazing cities, and in this episode, Tsh and Stephanie dish over their most memorable: the cleanest, dirtiest, most expensive, cheapest, surprising, best food and coffee, their all-time favorites, and which ones are still on their bucket lists. For show notes, head to http://thesimpleshow.com and look for episode 58.

This hard-to-pronounce, hard-to-spell Danish word is everywhere these days, and just like most internet trends, there's a bit of eye-rolling tossed its way. But, we can't help it—we like this trend called hygge. Tsh and Erin talk about what this word really means, and how they hygge-fy their homes. It's not about the right blankets or right candles—it's about the right attitude. And not at all coincidentally, they also talk about simple ways they brush off the winter blues. Because February can bring 'em, right? Hygge definitely helps. For links in this episode, go to http://theartofsimple.net/podcast and look for episode 57.