Back-to-school Today is the eighth day of school for our kids. The first week was great because they went to school twice, and then it was weekend. Last week was their first full week back to school, and today marks the first day of their second full week. We are exhausted. It happens every year… Continue reading back to school organization
Scent. The first thing I notice when I walk into someone’s home is the scent (second is the dust on your floor trim...). After all, everyone’s home has a particular scent of its own, does it not? Scent is a funny thing…my kids can smell a certain laundry detergent and recognize it smells like their… Continue reading home fragrance
Happy Wednesday, loves! It’s been three long, lovely months since my last post, and it was a much-needed break for me and my creative mind. The truth is that sometimes I feel relatively uninspired, and I don’t have much to say. If you want to dig further down to the root of that truth –… Continue reading Life Update
Happy Wednesday! How is everyone on day 38 of the social distancing situation (in Florida, anyway)? Honestly speaking, I have to say I am impressed with my own handling of this situation. I thought for certain that by now I’d be a mess. I figured my patience would have exited the building weeks ago, I’d… Continue reading Our Kids Aren’t Going Back to School: And We Couldn’t Be Happier
Happy Thursday! Hands in the air if you’re doing a lot more cooking than usual? You can’t see my hand, but it’s in the air. Typically, my husband cooks or we go out. I cook very rarely because I’m just not good in the kitchen unless I’m baking. I don’t know what it is, but… Continue reading Mediterranean Couscous: Simple but Flavorful 30-minute Recipe
Day 31 of social distancing. It’s hard to believe it was only 32 days ago that our sweet twins turned 6 and we were waking up in one of our favorite hotels in Miami. We caught the sunrise over the ocean from our balcony before the babes woke up and made their way into our… Continue reading Learning to Appreciate the Simple Life
Happy Friday, and happy end of the first week of distance learning. For most of us, anyway. We just began distance learning in Florida this week. This week marked the end of the kids’ 3rd week out of school since the state cancelled schools. It also marks the week that President Trump announced that the… Continue reading Distance Learning Week One: Helping Four Kids Relearn Learning
Day 12 Honestly, I have no idea what day we are on quarantine-wise. The official timeline for us was on March 16, so we are just sitting here 12 days in and really trying to make the most of a horrible situation. Family walks. Long runs. Lots of power yoga at home. Lots of FaceTime… Continue reading 10 Quotes and Verses to Help You When You Feel Out of Control
Day 5 Today marks the fifth day we’ve been in the midst of our social distancing operation. No school, no cheer practice, no gym. Those are the big changes during the week. Otherwise, not much has changed. My husband and I both work from home and always have, so we aren’t adjusting to any new… Continue reading Blessings in Disguise Amid A Global Pandemic: Find the Good
I won’t start with my typical Happy Tuesday because I’m aware this is not a happy time for most. In fact, it’s a terrifying time for many. For those who are susceptible to COVID-19 – or the Corona Virus – such as the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. For parents who fear the… Continue reading Talking to Your Kids About COVID-19
Happy Monday, loves! It’s so hard to find motivation sometimes, right? I go through off and on periods where I’m super motivated to do all the things, and then there are days that I don’t want to do any of the things. But, there are a few things that I’ve come to notice about my… Continue reading Monday Motivation: Five Ways to Get Motivated Any Day of the Week
Happy Thursday, loves! Anyone else have kids struggling to acclimate to the new routine of back-to-school? Hitting the kids with school schedules, sports schedules, activity schedules, and the rest of our lives schedules is hard on them this time of year, and it’s showing in the Raiford house. The twins are the most emotional little… Continue reading Finding Quality Time With Your Family In Busy Seasons
Happy Wednesday, loves! It’s the first full week of school for all four of our littles, which means it’s the first full week of back-to-normal for my husband and me. Our situation is a little different than most considering our normal everyday commute to work is a staggering 12 feet into our office out of… Continue reading Wednesday Wisdom: Tips to Adjusting Your Schedule When the Kids Go Back to School
Happy Friday, loves! Summer is officially here (last week, I think?), but it doesn’t feel any different to those of us in the Sunshine State. It’s hot. It’s humid. The heat is downright oppressive. It’s my least favorite time of the year (sweating isn’t my thing unless I’m working out) and my mom guilt is… Continue reading Struggling with Mom Guilt During the Summer
Happy Thursday, loves! A digital detox is sometimes what the doctor ordered, and the Raiford family has spent ample time with our fair share of doctors in the past two or three months! Since our son’s unprovoked grand mal seizure on Valentine’s weekend, it’s been necessary. We are already so busy with our kids… Continue reading Anything Can Happen, and Being Prepared is a Good Thing
Happy Wednesday, loves! When we got home from Texas this weekend, we had to hit the supermarket. Ordinarily, we might order groceries to have delivered when we land so that we can come home to what we need and focus on unpacking, but I needed flowers. I always keep fresh flowers in our home –… Continue reading 5 Reasons You Should Keep Fresh Blooms At Home
Happy Monday, loves! Super fun fact: Did y’all know today is National Clean Off Your Desk Day? Well, it is; and I cannot think of a better Monday vibe. If you know me, you know I’m all about organization and cleanliness and all things OCD when it comes to being neat and clean and all… Continue reading National Clean Off Your Desk Day: Tips For Getting and Staying Organized
Happy Monday, loves! It is officially December, and that is officially exciting! We’ve been living our best lives over here the past few weeks, and I’ve been a little MIA. Last week was a crazy one. Thanksgiving was the week before last, and it was a beautiful week. Family, friends, food, and so much love.… Continue reading Subscription Boxes: The Christmas Gift that Keeps On Giving
Happy fall, y’all! I know, I know. It’s not officially fall until September 22 (right?), but it’s officially official in my house effective September 1. If there’s college football on television, it’s fall. I mean, it’s never actually fall in Florida, but there are faux pumpkins on my mantel, so it’s fall. I can justify… Continue reading Fall Favorites for the Home
Happy Monday, loves! It’s the first day of school, and we have the most excited kids you’ve ever met! Addison begins her first day of 5th grade, Ava begins her first year as a 2nd grader, and the twins begin VPK. We are all so excited about today, and we can’t hide it! Addy can’t… Continue reading Transitioning Back to A School Routine and Schedule for the Whole Family
Summer is here. Oh, who am I kidding…we are Floridians. It’s always summer. But it’s really summer now that the humidity is back in full force and the kids are out of school for another 10 weeks (yes, I’m counting). I don’t love summer. I don’t love saying that, but it’s true. I’m not a… Continue reading Summer Bucket List: Per My Kids
What. A. Weekend. Happy Tuesday, loves! Well, I’m hoping for a lovely, happy Tuesday. As I write this on Monday afternoon, I’m not very happy. Honestly, I had a whole different blog post in mind for today, but I’m inspired by my own bad attitude and moodiness. Nothing makes me happy today. We had the… Continue reading Bad Days: Sometimes You Just Can’t Change Them (and that’s all right)
{Photo: Her Creative Studio) If you follow me on Instastories, you may have noticed I posted a story last week of me sitting in my dining room with my laptop, iPad, and notes working away after being forced out of my home office in annoyance. In fact, I know you noticed because I receive so… Continue reading Working from Home: Answering FAQs About the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
2017 is over. Can you believe it? I swear the years go by faster every day. I’m still wrapping my mind around the fact that it was New Year 2017 just a minute ago and now we’re mere days away from ringing in 2018 with abandon. Anyone? Just me? No? 2017 was good to us.… Continue reading 2017: The Year of Quality Over Quantity
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
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
Tiffany Raiford 