Brunch with Babs: Her 15-minute Cleaning Rule and The Secret To Her 56-year Marriage

All on the Table with Katie Lee Biegel

In this heartwarming episode of All on the Table with Katie Lee Biegel, internet sensation Barbara Costello—known as Brunch with Babs—shares

Key takeaways

• A daily 15-minute cleaning routine keeps homes tidy without overwhelming effort.
• Strong marriages are built on communication, shared values, and mutual respect over time.

Main topics

• The 15-minute daily cleaning rule
• Long-term marriage advice from a couple with 56 years of experience

Notable quotes

"I don't think it could be reproduced today because it was very limited hours of class time for children." – On her unique preschool experience.

Conclusion

Barbara Costello's life and work exemplify the power of small, consistent

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:00) The following podcast is Speaker 2 (0:02) a Dear Media production. Speaker 3 (0:20) Babs, brunch with Babs, Barbara Costello. I mean, we had to like stop ourselves to start recording. Because we've been talking for a while. But I knew that's Speaker 1 (0:30) how Speaker 2 (0:30) it Speaker 3 (0:30) was Speaker 2 (0:30) going Speaker 3 (0:30) to be. I just knew it, even though we've not met before. I guess just from looking at you on social media, I knew I wanted to be your friend. And Speaker 2 (0:38) looking at you, I'm seeing you everywhere. And Speaker 3 (0:40) I'm so happy because you know how they say sometimes don't meet your heroes. And I got to meet you now and I love you. So you are what you see. Oh, aren't Speaker 2 (0:49) you Speaker 3 (0:49) a doll? And likewise for you, for sure. Thank you. So you are. everybody's Speaker 2 (0:54) favorite grandma to follow. You Speaker 3 (0:56) know, Speaker 2 (0:57) that's a heavy title. You know, Speaker 3 (0:58) you are. I mean, we watch you, we follow you and just want to soak up and absorb everything you have to say. It's like, not only do you have this great personality, but you have so much great information Speaker 2 (1:12) all the time. Well, you know, Katie, I've been married for over 56 years and you do accumulate a little bit here and there. And at the behest of my daughter, she's the one who encouraged me to share this information, whether it's cooking or homemaking or family traditions or lots of other things. And it's been a wild adventure that I could have never planned. That's for sure. Were Speaker 3 (1:36) you Speaker 2 (1:36) the Speaker 3 (1:36) one that your friends would always call for advice and information? Oh, I had my little circle. Speaker 2 (1:42) And, you know, we went back and forth. But yeah, I think that, you know, bouncing off things on. I wasn't Babson, I was Barb. And, you know, it was a different time too, because I always say that the cooking background, well, I came from an Italian Lebanese family and food was sacrosanct. Food was everything. And I always say it's how they said, I love you, by feeding you. And if you didn't eat, they were very concerned. You know, it was like. So what were Speaker 3 (2:14) those family meals like when you were a kid growing up? with Italian Lebanese? Well, they were Speaker 2 (2:19) busy, they were loud, and there was a lot of food. But that's only when I went to my grandmother's. My mom was one of nine, and she was the oldest girl. My Uncle John was the oldest. And it was a very, the women worked, and the men worked outside of the house, but the women, like, they were the ones in the kitchen, and then doing the laundry and all of this. And because my mom was the oldest daughter, And she had an older brother and then three younger brothers after her. And then a bunch of sisters. My mom became my grandmother's right hand. My grandmother, they're Italian immigrants. And then on the Lebanese side, my dad was one of seven oldest and six sisters. So I have to say when my mom got married, it was only... She only had two children, my sister and me. So it was quiet in our house. But on the weekends, on Sunday, when we go to my grandmother's, it was very big, very loud, very, I had 22 first cousins. Oh my goodness. So it was, but that's nothing because my husband is the baby of eight, not to go on and on about this, but came from a big Irish family. And my in-laws had 42 grandkids. Speaker 3 (3:33) 42, oh my gosh. Wow. See, I'm an only child. Okay. Speaker 2 (3:38) So Speaker 3 (3:38) it's like hard for, I mean, I had cousins, but it's hard for me to imagine like being one of eight or one of ten. Yeah. It's Speaker 2 (3:46) wild. Speaker 3 (3:46) I just love Speaker 2 (3:47) the Speaker 3 (3:47) whole kids, cousins dynamic though. Yeah. Like when we go to my in-laws and my daughters with all of her cousins, it's like her happiest time. Now, how many cousins on Speaker 2 (3:57) that side? She's one of eight. Beautiful. That's great. And you're right. There is that special cousin connection because I only had one older sister. My cousins were like my extension of my immediate family. They're like my other sisters or my other brothers, you know, that are brothers I didn't have. And, you know, the highlight of any holiday would be getting to go home with that cousin's family and sleep over. Oh, Speaker 3 (4:23) yeah. Or going Speaker 2 (4:24) for the summer and spending like... four-night sit over at my cousin Virginia's house, you know, with my Uncle Paul or something. That was the highlight. So your cousins were really and truly so special. I'm sure you're seeing that with your daughter. I really am. This Speaker 3 (4:37) last July, my husband, Ryan, took Iris for the first time to his parents without me. Oh, beautiful. Thank you. He took her to his parents without me for the first time. And I got to stay home, which was like the ultimate vacation. I said, don't go take a girl's trip. Just stay home by yourself for a few days. It was wonderful. I mean, I missed them, but I also like, I watched TV one day for four hours. Speaker 2 (5:04) You missed them, but you knew they were coming back. Yeah, I knew they were coming back. Speaker 3 (5:07) But she had so much fun with her cousins there. It was just so special. So I have to imagine you having a childhood like that had an impact then. for you and your family making and what you ended up doing. You were a preschool teacher, right? I Speaker 2 (5:27) went to Marquette and majored in English and education. I was a middle school teacher for a while. And we started having our family. I have four children. And eventually, I got into early education. We lived in Virginia for a bit. And I got into a church-based early education program there. And yes, then I moved to Richfield, Connecticut and opened up a preschool called The Growing Tree, which was a very special school at a special time. I don't think it could be reproduced today because it was very limited hours of class time for children. And it was their small classes, two teachers to 12 children. So our ratio was six to one. And we all, it became like an extension of family. Truly. I've been to weddings. I've been to graduation parties of my graduates. I still see their parents in towns if I'm in Ridgefield, you know. So, yes, I had over 20 years of preschool. That also had to Speaker 3 (6:24) give you a lot of knowledge for what you do now. You Speaker 2 (6:27) know, I always say that, you know, God has a plan. And I think what you do. Like in your past, you had no idea that it was leading to something that you're going to do in your future. So I think the food, my, you know, collecting recipes, you go to young newlyweds homes like we were, and you love something and you came home with a recipe card to put in your wooden recipe file, you know? And all that prepared me. And then working with children, you always have to be on, you always have to be like. happy and joyful and we're always singing and art and this very enriched environment. And I think that prepared me also to share things on Brunch with Babs. Now, Speaker 3 (7:12) for anybody who hasn't fallen down a Brunch with Babs rabbit hole, can you explain to people what it is that you Speaker 2 (7:19) do? So my daughter, who my younger daughter now, not Erin, who went to Miami, but Elizabeth encouraged me to make a TikTok six years ago. And I didn't want to because I had granddaughters dancing there. I love to dance, but I didn't want to dance on TikTok. And so she said, no, mom, you're going to cook. And so Brunch with Babs started. First was Cooking with Babs. That's the original one. And I started sharing like little recipes that I barely spoke when I was doing them because I'm like. What am I going to say? It's like one minute. How am I going to cook in a minute? Like nothing made sense to me, but everything worked. And then eventually we decided to go to brunch with Babs because we did, we were sharing things more than cooking. Yes, it was food centered, but we also shared, started sharing family things. And, you know, at brunch, you talk about a lot of different things. You get out of the kitchen and you go in different venues too. And so we were doing, you know, Oh, maybe household things or organizational things and not just cooking and also vacation things. And again, making like all the family, my grandkids, my own children, Mr. Babs, you know, everybody had like. made an appearance. And so it was bigger than that. So it became Brunch with Babs. I Speaker 3 (8:39) love Mr. Babs. It's like we all look forward to Mr. Babs making an appearance on there. He's so supportive. I Speaker 2 (8:46) mean, really and truly, I have to laugh. Speaker 3 (8:52) This episode of All of the Table with Katie Lee is brought to you by Alloy Health. Here's something nobody tells you. The skin changes that start in your 40s aren't just aging. They're hormonal, specifically the result of estrogen loss. Estrogen naturally helps maintain collagen, support elasticity, and keep skin hydrated. As estrogen declines, skin can become thinner, drier, and more crepey. I've definitely noticed that... crepey skin thing happening on my neck. Your expensive cleanser, retinol, and moisturizer weren't designed to solve a hormonal problem. That's where M4 skincare from Alloy comes in. It's the first head-to-toe line of estriol-powered skincare. Estriol is a safe, gentle, bio-identical form of estrogen clinically proven to rebuild collagen, restore elasticity, and visibly reduce wrinkles. 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Speaker 3 (12:09) So you have 4 million Instagram followers, 4.4 million TikTok followers. Did you ever in your Speaker 2 (12:17) wildest dreams imagine that that would happen? You know, Katie, I see these numbers, but we're in a kitchen with an iPhone, right? Most of the time. And I was like, I wonder, do you know? But then I go out and about and I meet, I call them my online family. And I meet a lot of my family members and they just couldn't be. sweeter. And it's a privilege for me to meet them because it encourages me to go on. What's Speaker 3 (12:43) it Speaker 2 (12:43) like Speaker 3 (12:43) when you're at the grocery