Organic Pressure Washing {Non-Toxic Tuesday}

I thought we might make it till the end of the summer to have to pressure wash our house, but it's already looking awful! These are the pictures from last fall. Warning: Before pictures are embarrassingly dirty. Oops. You might have caught on by now that I'm going to be using Basic H2 and Basic G to get the job done. Yeah, I heart Shaklee. :)

Get your pressure washer out and grab your Basic H2 and Basic G! I squeezed a good bit of Basic H2 in the bucket (still not enough to touch the bottle) and then a few splashes of Basic G. This was Kent's first time ever pressure washing so it isn't perfect, but I think he did an amazing job.

Gorgeous again, right?!?! My dad was convinced we'd have to go out and buy bleach, but I knew Basic H2 and Basic G could do the job without all the toxic grossness!

J and I had a blast passing the football in the front yard while Kent pressure washed and I never had to worry about bleach mist getting on us. :)

Remember: Shaklee is offering FREE Lifetime Membership in the month of July with any purchase! I think every house should be saving money with Basic H2 and G, but if you'd like to take your non-toxic efforts another step forward,

I recommend a Get Clean kit, which can save you up to $3400!

Happy Cleaning!

My Story: How I Monetized My Blog {Part Two} + MacBook Pro Giveaway

Last Monday I told you a little history about myself and how I became a professional blogger. I also mentioned at the end that I, of course, still need to make money to pay bills :)

Enter Project Dream International - I was first introduced to PDI by another blogger who I had been following for about a year. I read all about how she was building her own business by blogging. I was very curious!

Have you ever thought about doing affiliate marketing on your blog? Or adsense? Or reviewing products? Those are all ways that bloggers can monetize their blog and you'll hear tons about them at events like BlogHer and Bloggy Bootcamp, but what I've learned in the past year is that there is a better way to monetize that isn't talked about much.

Moms everywhere are opening up Etsy shops and investing in supplies to craft their jewelry, purses, prints, etc. Well, there is another group of entrepreneur moms who are also building their own businesses! That's what Project Dream International is- we're a group of women building our WAHM businesses together. :)

I don't know where you are in your life and career. Maybe you absolutely love your job and your blog is already making lots of money! But if that doesn't quite describe you and you want something to help you reach your dreams (vacation, college tuition, home renovation, etc.), you need to check out Project Dream.

Prior to partnering with Project Dream International, I was feeling very trapped in my 9-5, cubicle job. I thought I had reached my dreams, but was beginning to realize that I wanted more from life. I had also started blogging, but wasn't making much money on affiliate marketing and sponsorships. Project Dream trained me, helped me build my blog, and gave me real tools to make my new dreams a reality. Following my 4th layoff I didn't have to worry because I knew I had my blog and business to rely on. It has made all the difference in my life. Now I am a part of a community of amazing women who will forever be family to me! :)

If you would like to learn more about Project Dream International, go to our site here and sign up to receive the free webinar that explains even more about how we are making money blogging! :) And you are always welcome to message me with any questions. I see so many women with great blogs or obvious potential- they just need a little training and support. I love being able to help others learn how to make money through blogging!

P.S. Now that you are ready to get serious about blogging, you might want some good equipment! :) I'm a part of a really great giveaway going on at Pretty My Party for an Apple Macbook Pro! See the details below and enter to win!!! Good luck!

Rules: Giveaway is open worldwide to all participants age 18 and older. If the winner resides outside of the U.S. they are required to pay shipping. Everyone entering the giveaway is required to like and follow every business and blog participating. You will be disqualified from winning the prize if your name is chosen and you did not follow everyone on the entry form list. Giveaway is open until July 29, 2013 at 12 a.m. EST. One winner will be chosen randomly through Rafflecopter. The winner will be notified by email by hello@prettymyparty.com. Please make sure that email is on your safe email list and doesn’t end up in your spam folder. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The winner will be announced on Pretty My Party on Aug. 1, 2013.
Disclosure: This giveaway is in no way associated with Apple or any of its products. Pretty My Party and those bloggers and businesses listed above receive no compensation to promote Apple products, including the Macbook Pro.

Prize: 13.3-inch MacBook Pro (model MD101LL/A)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Coupons for Soldiers {Charity Sunday}

On Sundays I will be showcasing my favorite charities. To start it off I am going to give you some information about Troopons straight from their website. Troopons are coupons for the Troops. Our soldiers can use coupons overseas that are expired up to 2 months! Don't throw those coupons out! Families stationed overseas are often dealing with how much less the dollar is worth there and can use our help to save money on base as much as possible. This takes so little time and will only cost you a stamp. :)

The Support Our Troops^® Troopons^® program enhances the well-being of overseas and domestic military families by sending them food, non-food, baby, and pet manufacturer coupons to make their hard-earned dollars go farther.

Coupons must be :

• From manufacturers for individual products" examples include items like soup, pasta or toothpaste.
• Not for individual stores - coupons for individual stores cannot be used.
• Clipped out individually.
• Packaged in sandwich or quart-size plastic bags
• Not assistance vouchers, not food stamps or the like; not restaurant coupons
• Separated into food, non-food, baby, and pet baggies (the military advises they will recycle unsorted coupons due to lack of manpower).

Military families say use their savings to:

• pay other bills
• send their children to college
• simply “make ends meet”
• purchase things they otherwise could not afford

Go here for the full instructions and have some fun with it! :) I think this is a great service project for teenagers, but I also enjoyed doing it myself.

Have a favorite charity you would like me to spotlight? Let me know!