...sentiments that hit so hard when you have a child graduating. Living this weird existence between monumentally proud and feeling my heart break a little bit more with each passing day is a feeling I cannot explain using words. It’s meant to be experienced, though I wish I could tell you. ‘The days are long… Continue reading friday four…
Nordstrom – my favorite. I’ll admit I’m not super good at sales. I’m not a planner when it comes to shopping. I’m definitely a “I’ll know it when I see it,” as well as an “I need this now,” kind of shopper, and so I don’t always do myself the favor of saving money during… Continue reading nordstrom beauty savings event must-haves
...positive thoughts about the time change this weekend. A Friday Four that’s a real stretch for me because I feel an intense dislike for this time change. I love the evenings dark as early as possible. I love cozy weather, cozy evenings, cozy vibes. The endless daylight is rough for me. I can’t explain it,… Continue reading friday four
Otherwise, you’re just teaching your kids to be losers. I said what I said. I went on a slight rant on the ‘gram the other night because I heard a grown adult say that “It’s not about winning, it’s about being fair to all the kids and giving them all a chance,” and with all… Continue reading it IS about winning
I don’t. And I'm sure I couldn't if I tried. But I do keep seeing blog posts and videos with the title, “How I do XYZ for under XYZ every week,” and I’m just over here like, okay, good for you, but sure. $150 a week? That doesn’t even cover the items my husband packs… Continue reading how i feed my family of 6 for $150/week
…deep dive moments. This week came in hot in all the wrong ways. A sick baby. An under-the-weather me who wasn’t sick, per se, but also wasn’t feeling 100 percent. An exceptionally busy week for all. Cold weather that I’m over and done with because while I love the cold, I only love the cold… Continue reading friday four…
Life lessons that matter. Today is a day that falls into the bittersweet category for me. It’s a day I’ve thought about for a long time, but also a day that I thought I had a lot more time to prepare for. Spoiler alert: I did have almost 18 years, but those went by pretty… Continue reading what i’m teaching my kids
What’s going on 2026? I turned 42 in September, which means with math and stuff, I’ve lived a lot of Januarys and Februarys. And they’ve all lasted approximately 700 years each. Seriously. Over the course of my entire life, January and February have always felt longer than the entire remainder of the year. Two months… Continue reading it’s okay
...favorite things this week. Let me just preface this by saying that I am having the best time writing The Friday Four. It’s become such a great way to focus on the many good things in my life that I might otherwise overlook. It’s been a real dopamine hit. I like it. This week doesn’t… Continue reading friday four
My rich life. I love seeing these posts on the ‘gram because they’re so sweet and so uplifting. I adore it when people realize that the richest aspects of life are not what’s in your bank account (this is me making it clear I’m not going to tell you that money doesn’t buy happiness, because… Continue reading my rich life
Survival. Or as I like to call it: The current season of our lives. Television shows have seasons. The weather has seasons. The Raifords also have seasons. And right now, we are in survival season. I won’t even mention the fact that graduation parties, planning, college tours, scholarship deadlines, acceptance deposits, grad events, and everything… Continue reading sports season survival guide
…favorite ways to unwind. My favorite thing in the world is relaxing. And I mean relaxing – I think it’s because it’s something we didn’t do for years. Until just a few years ago, if it wasn’t sports and school activities for the kids, we were overscheduling ourselves socially. We wanted to rest, but we… Continue reading friday four
There’s an art to not losing my mind. And I’m not an artist. But that’s all right. I’m also not perfect, so on the rare-ish occasion I do lose my mind, it’s okay. I remind myself that I’m 42, I have four over-achieving academic-athletes and a husband who searched the entire house both upstairs and… Continue reading how i do it all
The luxury of knowing what works for me. It’s a very quiet luxury, and I think it’s one that comes in hot during this particular season I like to call midlife (even though I doubt I’m even close to midlife, considering my grandmother died at 102 and her sisters all died older than she did…good… Continue reading what works for me.
..favorite recent purchases. I do love to shop. Not, like, in person or anything. There are people in public, and you know I don’t like those. But give me my morning coffee and peace and quiet while my husband is taking the three littles to school in the mornings, and my phone and I can… Continue reading friday four…
The mental load of a mom… You know we do this to ourselves, right? Okay, give me a hot second to get to my point, because first I want to point out that right now the internet is absolutely trending with the concept of the mental load of a wife and mom. We have the… Continue reading the mental load.
It’s not about you. Unless…it is? But it’s not. Is it? I am exceptional at taking things personally. I’ve made an art of it almost my entire life, and trust me when I say it was not easy to unlearn to take things personally. But do trust me when I say it was, perhaps, the… Continue reading it’s not personal.
…things I loved about January. Spoiler alert – I actually detest January. It’s long, boring, and empty thanks to Christmas ending and being exhausted from like 10 months of constant go, go, go. January and February are not my favorite months. They’re my least favorite. January is not in a hurry. January isn’t worried about… Continue reading friday four…
Easy. In a year when nothing feels easy (hello, saying goodbye to our firstborn as she becomes an adult and leaves home for college), I’ve decided – literally just this morning sitting on the couch with my hot coffee, the doors open, and the sound of the rain falling into the pool – that this… Continue reading easy.
Forty-three. First and foremost: Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday to my favorite person in the world – my husband. He’s 43 today, and it’s the 25th year I’ve had the pleasure of wishing him a happy birthday on his day. Second…let’s talk about date night. Craig and I had date night on Friday night. It… Continue reading date night non-negotiables.
…feelings I loved this week. To preface where I’m going with this, Fridays are all about fun and fabulousness and festivities (and Craig’s famous homemade pizzas and a family movie). Fridays are naturally gorgeous. The week is over. Responsibility feels less important because it’s coming to an end (car lines and homework and school events… Continue reading friday four.
The little things… Size matters, my friend. And I mean it matters in a way that the absolute best things are often the smallest. Especially as it pertains to elevating your everyday life to make it just a little bit ‘more’. More luxe. More relaxed. More enjoyable. More of whatever it is you want in… Continue reading elevated.
Mondays…ew. There was a time when I fucking LOVED a Monday. Like, love love loved a Monday. When the kids were little, the weekends felt long and exhausting because there were double them as us. Yeah, I loved Monday. When they went back to school, I felt I could actually accomplish things around the house.… Continue reading monday.
No. It’s my second-favorite word after “fuck”. Which is absolutely hilarious because there was a time in my not-so-distant past in which the word ‘no’ felt hard. I had a difficult time saying no because I was afraid of offending people, hurting their feelings, and being perceived as the ‘bad guy’. It took me a… Continue reading what i am saying no to.
Fashion + 42 + 4 Kids = Effortless And I do mean effortless, as in I want to look fabulous without making an ounce of effort. It’s my own personal double entendre. Darlings, I’m 42 years old with four kids and a hectic schedule that doesn’t leave a lot of free time, so I certainly… Continue reading fashion at 42
Parenting is such a mind fuck. Pregnancy Infant Toddler Kid Teen Adult Yeah…okay. Maybe if you have one child. But I have four children. Which means the chapters of parenting are nowhere near neat and orderly. It’s like pregnant, infant, toddler, pregnant, infant, kid, pregnant with TWO HUMANS AT ONE TIME, toddler, kid, TWO infants,… Continue reading the four seasons
Go ahead and ask me how I’m doing. Oh, you didn’t think I was going to hit you with the generic, “Good, busy, taking it all in!” did you? Because I’m doing no such thing. How am I doing? Amazing, depressed, fabulous, and no longer wearing mascara because I cry a lot. Well. You asked.… Continue reading 2026…the year everything changes
Dear 2025 Tiffany, My friend, you did it. You did what you set out to do, what you said you wanted to accomplish, and what you felt was most important. You learned to slow down You learned to sit inside moments and appreciate them You learned to rest You were present You were unapologetic You… Continue reading dear 2025 tiffany…
De-hustling like it’s my job …because, in actuality, it is my job. I don’t want to hustle. Been there…done that. My generation was raised to think that we had to do it all to have it all. We have to be girl bosses and hustlers with 639574 streams of income paving our way in a… Continue reading de-hustling
Allow me to reintroduce myself… My name is Tiffany. I’m 42 – and I love my 40s. My husband is my high school sweetheart, and even though I throw him an occasional side eye (when he cannot find his car key for my car because it’s NOT ON THE TRAY ON THE NIGHTSTAND WHERE IT… Continue reading allow me to reintroduce myself
Thirteen. Thirteen weeks of four kids back in school for their senior, freshman, and sixth grade years. Thirteen weeks of spending Friday nights in the stands watching our daughter cheer for the last time. Thirteen weeks of five-nights a week golf lessons and twice weekly midday golf matches. Thirteen weeks of five-nights a week tennis… Continue reading charleston
Senior year. I can’t even type it without tearing up a little. At the risk of sounding entirely cliché, I cannot believe we are already here. Time has flown. I need a do-over so I can enjoy it one more time while our first littlest love is still little. I remember being in Hawaii and… Continue reading senior year.
Privilege It’s a hot topic these days. But, in all honesty, everyone is missing the point. Privilege is real – in so many ways. But it seems most focus on the ways in which privilege benefits others without taking a moment to focus on how privilege benefits themselves. Privilege is real in my life…and I… Continue reading privilege.
July. Or, as I like to call it, the Saturday of Summer. It’s the month our family leans into summer full force. This, of course, makes June the Friday of Summer. The kids are fresh out of school for the summer, but there are a few lingering activities. Namely, cheer camp for our Varsity cheerleader… Continue reading the saturday of summer
Seventeen That’s how many years – tomorrow – it’s been since Craig and I became parents. It’s been seventeen years since our beautiful Addison Grace was born. Seventeen years of trying, failing, and learning every day that we are perfectly imperfect and we will never get it right every time. Seventeen years of making mistakes.… Continue reading seventeen
Life lately Where do I even begin? It’s officially the first week of July, which means it’s the beginning of the second half of the year – or as I like to call it…the best half of the year. Gator football The ‘ber months The holiday season The time of year when I absolutely come… Continue reading lately.
Waterfront living Raising our little ones in the charming coastal community of Crystal River is a no-brainer, and many of our neighbors choose this area for its waterfront location. There’s nothing quite like waterfront living in Crystal River, where the views are serene, the sunsets are spectacular, and the manatees are as much your neighbor… Continue reading waterfront living in crystal river florida
Home It’s not the same thing as a house. As a realtor, I get to see a lot of gorgeous houses, but not all of them feel like home. It’s not the square footage. It’s not the quality of the granite countertops. A house isn’t a home until you make it one – and not… Continue reading house < home
We all have the same 24 hours in a day. Um…no. We do not. We all have 24 hours in a day, but they’re not the same. My friend, let me explain something that’s not quite brain surgery – but I can see how it would be difficult for some to understand – my 24… Continue reading 24 hours
Luxury For many, the idea of luxury is an expensive car, a luxe home, and a closet full of Manolos. Do me and my closet full of Manolos disagree? No, we certainly do not. However, real luxury isn’t so much about the things in life as it is the *things* in life. While I’m not… Continue reading real luxury
It’s okay… It’s okay to do things the way you want them done during the holidays. Honestly. It is. In fact, I highly encourage you to enjoy the holidays precisely the way you love to enjoy the holidays. It’s your life. Your family. Your time. This reminder feels extra important this year. Addy is a… Continue reading it’s okay…
Ah…Friday, at long last. I don’t say that because I live for the weekend or anything of that nature, but because it’s the Friday prior to Thanksgiving week. Thanksgiving week is one of my favorite weeks of the year. The kids are home from school. We spend a great deal of time in the kitchen,… Continue reading friday fifteen
Holiday traditions. A group text went out last week detailing just our neighborhood holiday schedule between our family and our two best friend families. It’s…busy. Any other time of year, I’d balk at the idea of having so many things going on so many days in a row, but the weeks leading up to Christmas… Continue reading holiday family traditions
“Middle Age Kids” No, they’re not in their 50s, but they are no longer babies and not quite adults. We are no longer changing diapers and reading bedtime stories…they read to themselves at bedtime now. We aren’t sounding out words or asking them to identify shapes. We no longer own a car seat. Strollers are… Continue reading raising ‘middle-age’ kids
That’s the way the cookie 'Crumbls" And no one enjoys a warm, gooey, fresh-baked cookie quite like myself. My grandmother taught me to bake her famous chocolate chip cookies, and there’s nothing I love more than the scent of those cookies baking…I’m instantly transported to my childhood standing in my grandmother’s beautiful kitchen. I miss… Continue reading the way the cookie ‘crumbls’
Seven years That’s how long ago tiffanyraiford.com was launched, and that’s also how long it’s been since I’ve introduced myself to new followers and subscribers. My email list has grown significantly over the past few months, so it’s time for me to rectify that. Who am I? I’m Tiffany. And I’ll tell you immediately that… Continue reading me.
Joy. I recently came across a phrase I didn’t recognize (don’t judge…I also didn’t know anyone but Taylor Swift, Meryl Streep, and Margot Robbie in the recent Golden Globes red carpet outfit coverage. I am elderly. It takes me some time to learn about what all the cool kids know…and most of the time, I… Continue reading joy.
Rest. Reset. Slow & Deliberate. What Christmas break looked like for us. We made the choice this year to relax and reset. Life is exhausting anymore, and we haven’t enough time to sit down, enjoy our home, and enjoy just being without doing. It wasn’t merely necessary…it was imperative. Life is hard this season. The… Continue reading Reset
Mornings are hard. There was a time I was a morning person, but that time has long since passed and now I’m more of a ‘why would I want to leave the world’s most comfortable bed and the warmth of my husband next to me’ kind of person. Hey…I’m 40 now. I’m not really an… Continue reading morning motivation.
January. What a stupid month. Honestly. Let’s be real here…what is the point of January? And I ask that knowing full well it is the birth month of two of my favorite people in the world – both of whom I love celebrating, but also…January is stupid. It’s long. Whose idea was it to end… Continue reading january.
Tiffany Raiford 