Four kids + one business + a husband + a house + social life + children’s activities = One busy mama. I’m (hashtag) blessed, you guys. I married a man who doesn’t have a traditional view of “men and women” in the home. He’s the kind of guy who goes above and beyond for us… Continue reading Friday Favorites: The 5 Things I Do For Myself When I Need to Recharge My Soul
Trying new things makes us well-rounded, more worldly people, right? It’s easy to look back and see how trying new things has helped me to evolve and grow as a person, a wife, a mother, a writer, and newly-minted blogger…yet most new things must be forced on people while they may or may not… Continue reading Why Not Wednesday: Why Not Follow These Three #Bossbabes Today?
Bottomless mimosas overlooking the bay in Tampa followed by a day of shopping til we dropped with my favorite person by my side is my idea of a gorgeous day. Any day with my husband, best friend, partner in crime, built-in comedian is a gorgeous day – only made more gorgeous by the fact our… Continue reading 6 Easy Tools to Set the Tone for A Great Week Ahead
Happy Friday! I love Fridays. Today is a good one, too, because our big girls have their cheerleading camp showcase today to show off all they learned this week at camp, and they are so excited! It’s also a good Friday because my husband just told me I need to be ready to go in… Continue reading Friday Favorites: Bright, Bold, Beautiful Bobbi Brown Lipstick Shades You Cannot Live Without
What I love so much about fashion is just how versatile and gorgeous it is. I love how one woman can wear something so spectacular and look like a total Rockstar while I look like a total lunatic in the same thing (obviously I wish I looked like a supermodel in everything, but we all… Continue reading My Favorite Trendy Tops for Summer With H&M and Old Navy for Under $20
Happy Tuesday, friends! We are fresh into the second full week of summer vacation, and boy are we struggling to grow accustomed to our new summer schedule. The twins will stay in in school all summer, but the girls are definitely making our jobs a challenge. I've been working from home their entire lives, but… Continue reading 3 Summer Staple Splurges for Every Mom on the Go Who Wants to Look and Feel Put Together and Stylish
It’s Monday, which means most people feel unmotivated – but not I. I love a good Monday. It’s a cliché, but it’s really a fresh start. It’s also the day after my rest day, which means I usually feel full and content and happy. Sundays are family days for us. It’s the day we attempt… Continue reading Motivation Monday: My 5 Favorite Quotes and Verses
I’m a creature of habit. I like schedules, routines, and I don’t like change – unless the change is my idea, and it’s executed with exceptional planning and my own control. Control freak, anyone? I just like things my way, all the time, without anyone or anything changing my plans. Is that too much to… Continue reading What I’ve Learned About My Skin in My 30s
It’s (one of) my favorite times of the year! No, not summer vacation. Sure, I’m off enjoying a very long weekend in the sun, having fun, not connecting to my inbox or doing anything even remotely related to work for another five days…but I’m not talking about summer. My kids are out of school. I… Continue reading Friday Favorites: 5 Things in My Cart at the Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale
Rest. It’s what we all need from time to time. Life is hectic, and it’s not always easy to stop. At home it’s easy to get caught up with all the things on the to-do list, even on days we not only want but need to rest and recharge. My husband and I are guilty… Continue reading Florida’s Paradise Coast Trip Review: Rest, Relaxation, and Waterfront Perfection
Florida weather is no joke for anyone, but it’s especially brutal on those of us who don’t leave the house without makeup. There’s a fine line between achieving that dewy, fresh look and looking as if my face is melting off. I try for the former, but often feel more like the latter. The moment… Continue reading Beauty Must-Have: Hard Candy Pro Palette
Happy Friday, friends! I love Fridays. It’s amazing how that’s changed over the years, though. Before kids, we loved Fridays because it usually meant we were boarding a flight to one of our favorite cities for a weekend away, or it meant date night, or it meant we got to sleep in like crazy the… Continue reading Friday Favorites: 5 Things I Always Have At Home
I love a checklist of things to do. I crush the art of crossing things out and checking them off. I feel a little like superwoman every time I do it. In all honesty, if I’m feeling unmotivated, behind, or even as if my list is too short on any given day, I’ll start throwing… Continue reading To-Do List Disaster: Handling Life When the To-Do List is Too Long for Comfort
May 15, 2005 is the day my husband and I exchanged vows in front of God and 130 of our closest friends and family members. May 15, 2005 was 12 years ago. Twelve. I can’t even believe it’s been that long. In all honesty, I feel as though it was just yesterday. Cliché. I know,… Continue reading 12 Fun Facts About My Marriage on Our 12th Wedding Anniversary
Happy Mother’s Day, Mamas! If you’d told me 9 years ago when I was celebrating my first Mother’s Day as an expectant mommy-to-be that Mother’s Day would become a day that’s so bittersweet, I never would have believed it. I was high on life, on the baby we were expecting, and on everything else. Life… Continue reading 6 Surprising Things I Love About Being A Mom: The Mother’s Day Edition
We have too much fun, and sometimes I make poor decisions when we’re having fun. Relax, friends; my decisions aren’t that poor. I’m talking about purchasing shots for a group of 12 knowing how I feel after a shot, or ordering a quesadilla for lunch alongside a couple of bloody Mary’s and a bucket of… Continue reading Vacation Recovery: Looking and Feeling Good After Too Much Indulgence
First 5 Email Facebook Instagram Pinterest Online shopping I mean, I shower first, pour my coffee second, and then start with my First 5. That’s a morning tradition I cannot live without. I like my me time in the mornings to get myself situated. I like to get up at 5. I like mornings. I’m… Continue reading How Does Social Media Make You Feel?
274 days. 3 feet. Math. Yuck. But that’s how long my husband has been working from home full-time and how far his desk is from mine in our home office with his fancy title I can never remember (he’s a tech genius who makes magic happen – and if I understood half of what he… Continue reading 5 Ways Our Marriage Benefits From Traveling Without Our Kids
Want to know a secret? I don’t handle stress very well. I have several theories as to why – none of which are medically backed, medically diagnosed, or medically anything. I am not a doctor, and I gave up on Grey’s Anatomy when they killed off McDreamy (but I was kind of off that train… Continue reading Handling Stress When It’s Overwhelming Is Easier Than You Might Imagine
When I was 29, I could not wait to turn 30. I’d been hearing for years that your thirties are the best years of your life and considering how amazing my 20s were, I was pumped for my 30s. Let me tell you this – my 30s have been amazing, and it was hard for… Continue reading My Body in My 30s: What My Body is Telling Me
I’m not perfect, but I refuse to leave the house looking like it’s obvious. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I don’t feel comfortable if I look sloppy. I get up at 5 am so I have time to shower and get myself ready as well as work for a few hours… Continue reading 3 Accessories that Add Chic Style to Any Ensemble
I don’t spend much time in my laundry room. My husband does the vast majority of our laundry, and I’m not even remotely ashamed to admit that. He’s good at it, whereas I’m lazy about it. Well, maybe not lazy so much as just careless. Most of my clothes don’t get washed at home, and… Continue reading #LaundryUpgrade Contest: Laundry Room Goals
Hi friends – My apologies for going MIA the past two weeks – and for planning on doing precisely the same the next two weeks. It’s been an overly stressful time in our household with all four kids getting sick, and now me falling ill. It’s been four very LONG weeks, and my body decided… Continue reading Much Needed Rest and Recovery: Back on April 12th
Today, March 15, my sweet babies are three. I can’t even believe it. It’s impossible to comprehend how quickly the past three years have passed, and how bittersweet it is to have three-year-old twins already. That means our oldest is almost 9, and it means we have only two more days until our middle daughter… Continue reading A Birth Story: Welcoming Twins into Our Family (Happy 3rd Birthday, Babies!)
What. A. Week. I’ve been MIA the past week, and for good reason. My household has been turned upside down, inside out, and back again. Thankfully, it’s Monday and I’m happy again! The last time I was here was last Monday when I shared some simple tips for making Mondays kick ass, and that post came… Continue reading Grace and Tears: What I Appreciate When Life Throws Curveballs
Monday…few people love a Monday, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t dislike Monday, but even I’m happy to admit it’s not my favorite day of the week. If you love what you do, you’ll never have a problem with Monday. Lies. I love what I do, and I don’t dread getting up on… Continue reading Monday Motivation
I’m the meanest mommy ever. I mean, I’m working on it; it’s my hope that I’ll eventually get there. I feel it’s how I’ll know I’m doing my job as a mom correctly. I don’t want them to like me too much all the time, because then I’ll be more of a friend and less… Continue reading I’m Okay Being the Meanest Mom EVER
I don’t love to DIY, but I will. When I get an idea, I am like a tornado touching down. I want it done yesterday. No, I want it done the day before. The thought consumes me, and I cannot think of anything else. It can be a Tuesday morning at 5 am in the… Continue reading Painting Ugly Kitchen Cabinets: By A Not-Very DIY (or even handy) Kind of Couple
“You’re so tiny you can eat all the Girl Scout Cookies you want!” says the mother of a very used car salesman-like aggressive Girl Scout when I turned down a box of thin mints (against every ounce of my being) leaving Publix today. Um…no. At the risk of stating the obvious, eating all the Girl… Continue reading Healthy Lifestyle Changes: Replacing Bad Habits with Good Habits
I go to the gym (our brand-new YMCA) every week day. I go after I drop my kids off at school and run errands in the morning some days, and in the evenings when my oldest daughter is at cheerleading practice. When I work out alone, I always listen to my favorite morning show from… Continue reading Picture-Perfect Product: 3 Flawless Face Must-Haves
It’s not easy keeping the romance alive with four kids; it’s work. Like, actual work. But it’s totally worth it. In honor of Valentine’s Day I thought I’d share something romantic and swoon-worthy. But, I have four kids so I’m going to share something practical and definitely relatable. I’ll start with the math, because nothing… Continue reading Married With (4!) Kids: Teamwork and Date Nights
It’s Friday! Can I get an amen for the best day of the week? I know other people prefer Saturday to Friday because it’s a full day of relaxation and fun, but there’s something I love a lot about Fridays. Perhaps it’s my lazy Friday afternoons. I work to meet all my deadlines and… Continue reading Friday Favorites: 5 Things I Cannot Live Without
Who doesn’t love a good weekend? Cheers to fun Friday nights, amazing Saturdays, and Sunday Funday. I sat down here to tell you what my ideal weekend looks like, and I find myself unable to do it. There are too many things I love most about weekends to break it all down into one perfect… Continue reading Weekend Recap: 24 Hours in NYC
Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter…between the numerous social media outlets where we can post photos, quick snippets, and thought-provoking content, what’s left about me you don’t already know? You know I have kids. You know I am enamored by my husband even after 15 years. You know everything…but not really. If you’re ready to get to… Continue reading 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me
I’m a morning person. I haven’t always been; but now that I have kids, I’m a morning person. It didn’t take me long after our oldest daughter was born to realize waking up early meant all the good things for me. I love my kids, but my day is always ugly if I wake up… Continue reading Coffee is Better Before Kids
Dark, dry, and decadent. Or Dry, light, and decadent. It’s how I like my wine. Don’t offer me a moscato or something fruity. Give me something with spice. Give me something with a hint of pepper, oak, or even vanilla. Give me a Malbec or a Sangiovese. Give me a Grenache or a Petite Syrah.… Continue reading Wine: Because Kids
A domestic goddess I am not. The kitchen and I, well, we have a love/hate relationship. We love one another when it comes to me baking something decadent and amazing. We hate one another when it comes to me cooking. Things happen. Fire alarms go off. There’s smoke. The kids want to know why daddy… Continue reading Quick, Healthy Pasta Anyone Can Cook (Even Me)
“You’re crazy,” is what I hear most when I tell people my husband and I both work from home, share an office, and spend 24-hours a day together. I get it, really. The idea of spending this much time with the person you’re married to might sound a bit insane to many people, but it… Continue reading Home Office Sneak-Peek
Resolution: A firm decision to do or not to do something The Dictionary Goal: The object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result The Dictionary I’m not a fan of resolutions in the New Year, but bring on the goals. Resolutions seem so stiff and unwavering, whereas goals are more fluid… Continue reading 2017 Goals
Tiffany Raiford 