- 18 hours ago
America's Favorite Grandma, New York Times bestselling author, and beloved internet personality Barbara 'Babs' Costello has released her first-ever children's picture book, Did Your Mother Ever Tell You?: Words of Wisdom, Wit, and Love . Known online as @BrunchwithBabs , she brings her signature warmth, wit, and motherly wisdom to every page. The book reimagines the classic sayings many of us grew up with--like 'Don't cry over spilled milk' and 'You catch more flies with honey than vinegar'--through a modern, empathetic lens that encourages kindness, emotional expression, and self-acceptance. With playful rhymes and gentle humor, it's crafted as a shared read-aloud experience, resonating just as deeply with parents and grandparents as it does with young readers. The former teacher, preschool founder, mom of four, and grandmother of nine recently sat down with us at the LifeMinute studios to talk about her new book, as well as her love of food, family, entertaining, and creating meaningful traditions. This is a LifeMinute with Babs Costello.
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00:00Hi everybody, it's Babs and you're watching Life Minute TV.
00:04She's known as America's favorite grandma and she's just written her first children's book.
00:09New York Times best-selling author and social media star Barbara Babs Costello
00:14brings her signature warmth and timeless tips to every page.
00:18She recently joined us at the Life Minute studios to tell me all about it and more.
00:23This is a Life Minute with Babs Costello.
00:26Woo! Babs Costello in the house! Yay!
00:29Oh, so happy to be here, Joanne. This is great.
00:32So glad to have you and congratulations on your new book.
00:35Yes, so did your mother ever tell you? I use that tagline on my social media.
00:41When I started that, people reached out to me and said, Babs, I'm so happy.
00:46I feel so warm when you say that. I feel a connection with my mom.
00:50Or I feel I'm learning something that maybe my mom didn't teach me, but something new.
00:55And so there was a lot of, like, family outreach, you know?
00:59Like, we were part of, and I always say we're part of one big family.
01:02And so that really struck a chord.
01:04However, before I was Babs on social media, I was a preschool teacher.
01:10I actually founded my own school in Ridgefield, Connecticut, called The Growing Tree.
01:14And this book is dedicated to all my Growing Tree students who passed through those doors over many, many years.
01:21And so I had a front row seat to witness the wonder and magic of childhood.
01:26And I thought, isn't it fitting that after reading, I don't know, hundreds of books to children,
01:32that I should maybe take what I've learned from working with children and write a children's book.
01:38And what I've learned was that children sometimes have a hard time expressing their emotions.
01:45And so this book validates and acknowledges children's feelings.
01:50And even though the world is telling them something, like we have those timeless sayings,
01:55like hold your horses, or don't cry over spilled milk, or don't sweat the small stuff.
02:00I have seven of those timeless sayings in this book.
02:04And each one is looked at through the eyes of a mother, did your mother ever tell you,
02:10and giving her child permission to be that child.
02:13So even though the world says, don't cry over spilled milk, your mother tells you,
02:18of course you can cry over spilled milk.
02:21Everybody feels badly when they make a mistake or things don't go the way they should.
02:26And so you cry.
02:27But then after you're done crying, you dry your tears and know that problems come
02:33because eventually you're going to grow from that too.
02:36And I'm here for you.
02:37And so that's kind of was the mindset of celebrating children and their feelings.
02:44And this book is really for the person reading too.
02:47Yes.
02:47The parent, the caregiver, you can learn something as well.
02:50You can.
02:50You know what, Joanne?
02:51There are seven, as I said, seven life lessons.
02:53And we start with acknowledging the feelings of a child to, there's a teaching lesson then.
03:01To go to the next step, you're going to face issues, but we're going to get through them together.
03:05Or we have, hold your horses.
03:08Well, did your mother ever tell you, sometimes you can let those horses run when you're excited
03:13about your birthday or something that's coming that you're so excited.
03:16But then after you express all that excitement, take a breath or two.
03:21And practicing patience is important too.
03:23So there's a lesson to be learned in every one of these seven little life lessons.
03:29And there is wisdom to be gained too.
03:31Do you have a favorite?
03:33You know, I have a lot of favorites, but one in particular is a birds of a feather flock together,
03:39right?
03:40But did your mother ever say, it's okay.
03:42You don't always have to hang out with people who are just like you.
03:45Sometimes those colorful birds are waiting for you to extend that friendship.
03:50And they might look different, but maybe it's that bird that's sitting alone.
03:54When you read it, it's like I feel that it can be applied to school.
03:58What about that bird that's sitting alone at the lunch table all by themselves?
04:03And you're with all the birds who are flocking together who are the same.
04:06Why don't you fly over there and extend friendship?
04:09That's one thing I always said at the growing tree.
04:11We're all together.
04:12We're all friends.
04:13So I think with the bullying issue today and all of that, I think that's very, very poignant,
04:20is to be friends with all the different birds too.
04:23For sure.
04:24Any more children's books coming?
04:26I think maybe.
04:28First of all, this is a wonderful, I'm so happy, I shouldn't be bragging about my own book,
04:34but it really is a special book.
04:35It's for so many ages.
04:37I know that picture books are usually four to eight.
04:41That's kind of what the editor deems appropriate.
04:44But I have a three-year-old granddaughter who loves these pictures.
04:48And Willa just earned three.
04:49And the last page of the book, after coming in from the rain, the mother is now embracing the child
04:56and saying,
04:57no matter what, I'm here for you.
05:00You're my treasure.
05:00I love you.
05:01You're my life.
05:02And I will always be with you.
05:04And Willa, now we've read that book to her, but she'll go to that page and kiss the mom and
05:10the child.
05:11Just up and down with that.
05:14And there's one, don't sweat the small stuff.
05:16But the thing is, with a child, nothing's small.
05:19Everything is big in a child's world, right?
05:22And so there's a picture of her being afraid to miss the bus.
05:26And Willa will look at that and go, Charlie and Ford missed the bus.
05:30They rented the bus.
05:31So there's a connection.
05:32So this book really is about connection and conversation.
05:37How did you become so wise?
05:39What are you attributed to?
05:41You know, I think a lot of it truly, I mean, a little bit of age, but the age comes
05:44some wisdom, right?
05:45Hopefully.
05:47But I think working with kids, they teach you.
05:50My own children have taught me, you know, yes, you're guiding them and forming them and loving them,
05:55but you're learning a lot through them.
05:57You know, I remember when my kids were growing up, they would say, or link letter.
06:01You probably don't remember, or link letter.
06:03Kids say the darndest things, right?
06:05I used to write down some of the things my kids said to me because I thought, that is incredible.
06:10That has such foresight.
06:11I can't believe they said that, you know?
06:13So I think you learn along the way, but you have to be open to it, too.
06:18I think you have to be open to never stop learning.
06:21What was your childhood like growing up?
06:24Did your mom tell you a lot of these things, too?
06:26You know, my mom came from a big Italian family.
06:30My grandmother came over to marry my grandfather.
06:33It was an arranged marriage.
06:34And my mother was the oldest girl of nine children.
06:37Wow.
06:38And, you know, they were a bit like the boys worked a lot, but the women stayed home.
06:43And my mother helped my grandmother.
06:44So she never went to high school because my grandmother needed help with the other seven children.
06:51And my mother would say that she didn't really want to go because her clothes were not very nice.
06:57I know.
06:57It's so amazing what they went through.
06:59Well, we complain about, you know, not having our coffee at the right temperature.
07:04And here they struggled just to feed kids and make ends meet.
07:08But my mom was really a go-getter.
07:11Even though she didn't go to high school, she went to beauty school.
07:13They asked her to be a teacher at the beauty academy, but she couldn't because she didn't have her high
07:18school diploma.
07:19But she was a seamstress.
07:21She made my sister.
07:22I only have one older sister, just the two of us.
07:24And she made us our winter coats.
07:27She made us dresses.
07:28When we had a birthday, my sister reminded me of this.
07:31I was too young to remember.
07:32But she made all the guests aprons out of, like, organza fabric.
07:37Everybody had aprons as, like, a favor.
07:39So she could, she was an amazing baker.
07:43She was an incredible cook.
07:45She had a catering business.
07:46So what did I learn from my mom?
07:48I learned that you could do anything if you put your mind to it.
07:52And that you all have, we all have gifts.
07:54And not all of those gifts are found in school.
07:57They're found inside of you, too.
07:59What would your current self tell your younger self?
08:02I wish she hadn't worried so much.
08:04It's going to be okay.
08:05That all the things that maybe you thought weren't going to, you know,
08:09and, Joanne, I have to tell you, I didn't plan this.
08:12I was a retired teacher, and I was watching my grandkids.
08:16And then my youngest, I have four children, encouraged me to make a TikTok.
08:20And that was five years ago, maybe six now.
08:23And here I am, I'm still at it.
08:24And now I've done, like, all these things I never thought in a million years I would do.
08:28But I would tell my younger self, life is an adventure.
08:31Take a breath.
08:32It's going to be fine.
08:34It's going to be great.
08:34Yeah, there's going to be ups and downs.
08:37But, you know, your faith is going to get you through those down periods.
08:40And it's going to give you resilience as you're going up, too.
08:44Life is a gift.
08:45Unwrap it.
08:46I love it.
08:46What about secrets to a good marriage?
08:49Even though birds of a feather flock together, you should hang out with birds that are different, too.
08:53Bill and I have very similar backgrounds.
08:55So we both went to Catholic high schools in Chicago.
08:59I went to the girls' school, Trinity High School.
09:01He went to Fenwick, the all-boys school.
09:03We met in high school, but we didn't start dating until college.
09:06But I have to say that I think that it's got to be give and take.
09:10It's got to be respect, right?
09:12We never argued in front of the kids, ever.
09:15We would never have, you know, we argued.
09:18Everybody has disagreements.
09:19I don't care what kind of marriage you have.
09:21But we always save that for when we were together and not in front of any of the children.
09:27We prioritized.
09:29We worked hard in all that business, but we went on dates still.
09:32And I think we both have a great sense of humor.
09:35And I think our faith really has bonded us together.
09:39So we have hope.
09:40Like, you know, there are times where, you know, the job situation was a little unsettling and all that.
09:47But you got through it.
09:48You got through it together.
09:49You have to have each other's back.
09:51My husband will tell you, it's 100% and 100%.
09:54It's not 50-50.
09:56And what about America's favorite grandma?
09:58Are your grandkids jealous of that, sharing you with America?
10:02I have to tell you, it is hysterical.
10:04They really lean into it.
10:07Now my grandkids are a bit older.
10:08But when that first hit, you know, the airways, I have a grandson who actually goes to UConn.
10:14He's a golfer for UConn.
10:16He's golfing right now.
10:16When he was in high school, he would be in one of his classes.
10:19Maybe it was a study hall or something.
10:21And he had a lot of girls in the study hall.
10:23And all of a sudden, I get a phone call.
10:25Or I get a text, Grammy, are you available for FaceTime?
10:28And I'd be like, sure.
10:30I thought you were in school.
10:31He FaceTimed me.
10:32He goes, I want to introduce you to some of your fans.
10:35And so he would be, like, recruiting people.
10:38Like, he'd be like, BAMS is on.
10:40And so I talked to the kids.
10:43He made him famous.
10:43The teacher waved, you know.
10:45So, oh, yeah.
10:45He said, Grammy, I think we could sell your book at the bookstore.
10:49He went to, like, a, you know, a co-ed Catholic school.
10:52And I didn't even know they had a bookstore, to tell you the truth.
10:54But Matt was ready to get the book in, you know, available for the students.
11:00They're very supportive.
11:01And all of them have been on something.
11:04Well, they're all in the cookbooks, for sure.
11:06But all of them, actually, are on my reels, you know.
11:10Who am I cooking with?
11:12We went to France, you know.
11:13We did a house swap.
11:14And my little one, Ford, was eating mussels.
11:18And, you know, and we were making mussels together and all this business.
11:21I think at the time, he may have been four years old.
11:24So everyone has had their input.
11:27I love it.
11:28And they love it.
11:29How many grandchildren do you have?
11:30I have nine.
11:31Nine.
11:31I have four children and now nine grandkids.
11:33Amazing.
11:34Ages 23 to 3.
11:36Well, it just turned three about a week ago.
11:39And what's going on with your home?
11:41You have a beautiful home.
11:42Yes.
11:43So, you know, the basket house.
11:44Bill, Liz, and I bought that like three years ago.
11:47And we really just are slowly moving in now.
11:51It's 1,500 square feet.
11:53There's only one closet in the house.
11:55There's no garage, no basement, and no attic.
11:58So we have to really downsize, you know.
12:01So right now, we're spending probably three days a week there.
12:06But it really has become the landing place for Brunch with Babs.
12:10So that's like our new home, you know.
12:13And it's amazing because we did, you know, it's 1830s.
12:17It was a blacksmith shop.
12:19In 1850s, it was a basket shop.
12:22So in renovating it, because we really had to renovate it from the bottom up, because we're on a river
12:28and we were in a flood zone.
12:30That took about a year of going back and forth and finally being able to raise the thing.
12:34And then in renovating her, we respected the history of the house.
12:38All the first floor floors are terracotta as a nod to the blacksmith shop.
12:43There's wicker everywhere.
12:45And we have a lot of lattice everywhere.
12:48So the lattice is a nod to the baskets.
12:51And there's baskets everywhere, Joanne.
12:52I have to tell you, so in the family room, I call it the library.
12:55And it's a two-story library.
12:57And you look up, and the whole ceiling is covered with baskets.
13:01So it's really cool.
13:02I have to say, it is a gem.
13:04And I almost feel that she's just perfect, honest to goodness.
13:08I think so, too.
13:09What is your secrets for not getting stressed, like when you're entertaining or anything?
13:15Yeah, anything.
13:16Yes.
13:17So I think you have to put it in perspective.
13:18What's the goal of having friends over?
13:21And I used to stress out, trust me.
13:23But it's not necessarily being the hostess with the mostess, right?
13:27It's welcoming your friends to your home and then being of service
13:31and encouraging a community and camaraderie and friendship.
13:35I think the secret is plan ahead.
13:38Get as much as you can done ahead of time.
13:40And also supplement with store-bought stuff.
13:44It doesn't have to be always, you know, you don't have to make bread
13:48every time you're having guests over from start to finish kind of thing.
13:52So supplement it with some store-bought things, but serve it beautifully.
13:55And also you want to be present, right?
13:57You don't want to be in the kitchen 24-7.
14:00So make sure that you're with the friends.
14:04Do as much as you can beforehand and supplement with store-bought things.
14:07I love it.
14:08Was there ever a time, like you said, that you were not like that?
14:11Oh, yes.
14:12I would be so stressed out.
14:13Honest to goodness.
14:14When I was younger, right?
14:15And you had children, too.
14:16So the kids had to be tended to.
14:18And, you know, get them kind of settled down before the doorbell rang.
14:21And, yes, we're coming in.
14:22And, you know, at that time you got dressed up.
14:24I remember being in heels, walking to the door, opening the door, click, click, click,
14:28click, you know.
14:29Nowadays, it's just like we're more casual and we're more laid back.
14:33Some good things are getting older.
14:34That's right.
14:35What's your favorite brunch item?
14:37I have an entire brunch menu, a Mother's Day brunch in Celebrate with Babs.
14:43So I have this, it's called the Perfect Brunch Casserole, and it's made with a pound of
14:47bacon, 18 eggs.
14:48You make your own cheese sauce.
14:51And you need an egg slicer for this, truly, because you don't want to, and you have to
14:55have all those eggs sliced beautifully.
14:56You make your bacon, crumble that, slice those eggs, and layer it like a lasagna and with
15:02fresh herbs in between each layer.
15:04And then you top it off with that cheese and some breadcrumbs and bake it.
15:10It is to die for.
15:11That sounds so good.
15:12Yeah, it's really good.
15:12Was there anything you did growing up, like, you know, rituals that you guys had to do
15:17as a family?
15:18Oh, yes.
15:19You know, coming from an Italian family, you know, the rituals, it all revolves around food
15:24and the hustle and bustle of foods that they only made once a year.
15:29And my grandmother, rest her soul, she would start her tomato plants, Ash Wednesday.
15:35She'd put the seeds in an egg carton and with her soil and put all the, and then she'd have
15:41them all, like, stored, like, in an extra room, like, you know, that got sun.
15:45And she started her plants from seeds and all that business.
15:50But probably the baking, it was mostly food that we had, like, the rituals, like Christmas
15:56Eve.
15:57It would be, I'm one of 22 grandkids.
16:00So it would be all the grandkids coming.
16:02I'll tell you other rituals, though.
16:03My grandfather made his own wine.
16:05So everyone in the fall would go to my grandparents' house.
16:09That's nine children with their spouses.
16:11So 18 adults, not including my grandparents.
16:14And they would all help my grandfather make that wine.
16:18And he had, like, three oak barrels in the basement.
16:21One new, one halfway fermented, and then one ready to draw.
16:26And I remember my aunts and uncles, purple, with crushing those grapes, with the machine
16:33and all this, all hand.
16:34It was no electric machines or anything.
16:36So I would say I have so many memories of that, of the grapes in the fall, of my grandmother's
16:42Italian cookies that I don't make.
16:45But they were the fried cookies, the ribbons.
16:47Yes.
16:47Have you made those?
16:48Oh, yes.
16:49Yes.
16:49I still have those.
16:51I'm a preaster.
16:51Yeah.
16:52See, and I really need to, I need to get my pasta machine, you know?
16:56Yes.
16:56Because you need that for those, because you've got to cut the ribbons, right?
17:00And it was all one by one.
17:01One by one.
17:02They curl, and then that oil, and then you're out, and then the powdered sugar.
17:07You could eat the whole thing, can't you?
17:09But I think the whole idea of family and tradition.
17:13So even in Celebrate with Babs, which is my first cookbook, I talk about it takes two years
17:19to make a tradition.
17:20And people will tell me, well, I never had anything in my family.
17:24Well, in two years, you will establish your own.
17:27Make your Christmas cookies with your grandkids or your children.
17:30Make a gingerbread house every year, right?
17:32At Easter, you know, our tradition was hiding the Easter baskets when the kids came down,
17:38and then doing an Easter egg hunt.
17:40So those are some of the things that, you know, you can establish any tradition, just keep
17:46doing it.
17:47Yes, right, right.
17:48I love it.
17:49So good.
17:50That was great.
17:50Well, I could talk to you all day, Joya.
17:52Me too.
17:52Yeah.
17:53To hear more of this interview, visit our podcast, Life Minute TV on iTunes and all streaming podcast
17:58platforms.
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