Guaranteed, Natural Stain Removal {Non-Toxic Tuesday}

Non-toxic Tuesday is back! I love these because I feel like it's a virtual-self-high-five. :) A whole new level of lame that I'm proud of. Today is the story of the vanishing Indian food stain on the powder pink dress I wore in Nashville. The dress was just so sweet and soft looking, I couldn't resist wearing it before my trip. Of course, that meant dripping a dark red sauce on it at dinner! No worries, Shaklee has a non-toxic, bleach-free stain removal that is guaranteed to get your toughest stains out! Need to see to believe? Scroll down!

All you have to do is mix a little bit of the Get Clean Nature Bright powder in a bottle of water and then soak the stain. After it has soaked for a few minutes (you'll see the stain disappearing), blot it. You may have to repeat, if it's a really nasty stain, but, as with all Shaklee products, it has a 100% money-back guarantee! What do you have to lose? :)

(Dress from Forever 21) Isn't that awesome? I thought for sure that my dress was ruined since it's such a light color and that chiffon type material that's really light. Next I grabbed some of Kent's stained shirts and got to work! This shirt had been sitting in a pile, stained for months and had been washed multiple times with the stain on it...

No more annoying, little belly stain! Ready to give the boot to your bleach? Bleach is a cheap alternative with some very nasty side effects. Did you know that chlorine bleach is the cleaner most commonly swallowed by children? I always hated having it in our house. The Shaklee Nature Bright bag lasts a really long time and works better to get out stains than any stain remover I've ever tried! Kick those toxins to the curb, moms! :)

Top 5 South Carolina State Park Camping Picks

We LOVE camping! Although, we are a house divided when it comes to the seasons we love. I actually don't mind summer camping. It gets hot here, but in the upstate it is plenty cool at night with a medium fan on you. However, Kent is like most people who love to camp in the fall/winter seasons when bundling tight in the sleeping bag is necessary. Whichever season you like- here are my top 5 South Carolina State Park picks for the adventurous Charlestonian.

1. Cheraw State Park- Located about 3 hours from Charleston, it's perfectly more north for cooler nights. This is number one our list for future camping because we really want to try the boat in camping. Boat in camping means you can rent or bring a boat and paddle to an island where there are primitive camping spots. Cheraw also boasts some nice hiking trails and just looks beautiful.

2. Dreher Island State Park- Also located about 3 hours from Charleston, Dreher offers waterfront camping on Lake Murray without the hassle of boating to it. The waterfront pictures seem magical to me. I love waking up to a waterfront view! Dreher has a little bit of trails, but most of the fun seems centered on the lake life.

3. Givhans Ferry State Park- Givhans Ferry is less than 1 hour away from Charleston on the Edisto River and has been on my bucket list for far too long. There is a nice 1.5 mile trail for easy walking and of course tons of boat ramps and rentals nearby for kayaking and canoeing the Edisto. I have always wanted to do the kayaking trip with just adults, but also really want to camp and relax there with just the family one weekend. For a quick weekend trip, Givhans is a great choice at only $15/site/night.

4. Santee State Park- Located 1 hour, 15 minutes outside of Charleston, Santee is perfect for wildlife observing with kiddos! I first experienced Santee on a class trip in middle school. We stayed at the cabins and learned so much about lake ecosystems, etc. on the pontoon tours. I can't wait to take J, probably next summer. And of course, I love Santee because they have water-front camping and good trails.

5. Poinsett State Park- Poinsett is less than 2 hours away from Charleston and the only one on this list that we have tackled so far. I was truly blown away by this park. Humble, yet very nice all in one. Poinsett attracted us with their canoe rentals. We wanted to practice with J in the boat before going to a canoe-to-camp park. I'll do a full post on Poinsett soon, but for now I'll just say the nature there is beautiful. A great little lake/large pond, boat rentals, a spillway, lots of trails, and a huge field near the campground that boasts a large bonfire area and the most amazing view of the stars. When you drive down to the park ranger, trails, and swimming area, it's like a snapshot of amazing summers past. Where a kids summer memories should be made. And all that for only $15/site/night.

Bonus National Park: Want to camp but not spend money? Checkout the National Parks that allow camping! Our first family trip was to Congaree. It was a stormy, muggy, buggy weekend, but the boardwalk trail through the swamp forest there is gorgeous and camping is free!

Have a SC park you love to camp at? Let me know! There are a few others we want to try, but this list is a good starting point. :) And just in case you hadn't already noticed- the SC State Parks website is amazing! Seriously, great work put into this site. Every bit of information you could need to choose the perfect spot for your family AND always check the deals page for discounts at the different parks on specific weekends!

I also plan to write a post about camping with a 3yo soon. Hint: It involves mutually beneficial bribes like this shirt- I love it, he gets excited. Win!

Get exploring Charlestonians!

Bloggy Recap!

Wow- 2 months. Time has gone slow and fast all in one. Summer was amazing. Just pure fun, happiness, and progress with our foster-care/adoption process. September-now have been slower, difficult, life-changing, and torturous with the adoption process. Just a different season, you know? But I'm bursting with ideas and things to share and I really do miss posting. I still take pictures every week with the idea of blogging! So here I am. Thank you for sticking around. Now let's get back to business... :)

Here's a little recap of what's been going on so far this year because it really has been awesome.

I started on my weight loss journey...

 

After being laid off the 3rd time in May, I completely got off my Shaklee 180. I was a mess. Finally in August, I started back again and it felt great! The difference between the first 2 pictures is 8lbs. The first and third picture is a difference of 11-12lbs. Amazing what 10lbs. can do! I plan on taking another one in the same black tank-top, etc. soon. The third one was random when we were in Nashville and I was feeling bloated and down. Shaklee 180 has been monumental in my life. I feel empowered and knowledgeable about food and fitness for the first time in my life. It's easy to look at it and think it's just a shake diet, but it really is SO much more. More on that later. :)

If you are new here or it's been so long that you've forgoten why you love me- Start with these... This summer began the Coastal Living Showhouse Tour which was amazing and I can't wait to find a new home in Charleston to take you on a tour with me! See all of those posts here.

The show house tour opened up my passion for design and I began my Stage My Home series. I've been thinking about this one a lot lately since I received a pretty negative comment stating that I was being mean and picking on people. To that commenter- get over it. Blogs are here to inform and help, I don't mean anything in malice and I try to make it light-hearted, but sometimes the truth hurts! Even if you aren't selling your house anytime soon, check these out- I feature an amazing Charleston home for sale at the end of each post! ooh and ahhh.

Along the way I've also been sharing my love for organic, non-toxic cleaners... check out this awesomeness- Organic Car Cleaner and Non-Toxic Pressure Washing. Not sure why I love Shaklee so much? Here are 5 Reasons You Should Love Shaklee. :)

Enough business- time to open up to you a little bit! ;)

1. Beginning of our home tour- Living room Progress

2. A heart-to-heart- I was shocked and elated by the amazing, positive feedback I received for this post. Y'all are so awesome. You Can't Airbrush Self-Love.

3. My Story: Becoming a professional blogger, How I monetized my blog, Finding my blogging Family, Our Foster-Care Story.

Other gems you might love- Charleston Fashion Week 2013, 4 Lessons from 241yo Modern Design, HGTV Dream Home 2013, Charleston food reviews.

And if you read nothing else, I would have to at least recommend this ridiculous story. This post has brought my blog more traffic than any other. Family, friends, and total strangers have laughed along with us, as I recap the most awkward situation I could never had made up.... Charleston to Bahamas Carnival Cruise.

Well, that isn't everything so far, but it's plenty to get you started!!! Now time for me to get started on some new posts. :) Talk to you soon!

 

Project Dream Goes to Nashville

Last month (and beginning of this month) we traveled to Nashville for a week for the Shaklee Global Conference and were so happy to meet up with my Project Dream International Team! Project Dream is a group (team) of women who blog and market Shaklee products via our blogs. We're like family. I love these women, as I know you've heard me say before.

Directly following the convention I was so pumped about new endeavors that I promptly went on hiatus from here. :( So lame. Just as I was ready to get back to blogging (after a week break), I realized that my time limit to take the Certified Personal Trainer exam was in 11 days. I made the decision to pause from the blog and study my butt off and I don't really regret it, but I DO MISS blogging and interacting with y'all!!!

So I'm back now and I'm going to start off nice and easy with a little eye candy... feast your eyes on ... ME! j/k... sorta. Here are some of the absolutely gorgeous photos taken by Samantha Byers Photography in Nashville. This is only a tiny fraction of Project Dream, but it gives you a nice idea of how awesome we are.

(If you are every curious about PDI, go to our site and come to one of our Thursday night webinars. We love meeting fellow moms and bloggers! www.projectdreamintl.com)

 

Second from the left is Jaima from Ring Around the Rosies. She is a beautiful person and was so nice to have all of us over to her home to take pictures with a gorgeous Nashville backdrop and her husband prepped everything while she was at the conference, including finding a caterer for some Southern cooking. :)

This last picture is of all the PDI women, plus some friends and family, including Jacqui McCoy who you may know from Extreme Weight Loss or the Shaklee 180 site. Jacqui and her mom joined us for the night and they were so sweet and great/motivated business women to add to our team meeting.

Register now for our next webinar (held every Thursday) to learn more about PDI and find out if this amazing team of bloggers may be just what you have been wishing for. :)

Bloggy mini Break - Getting My Fitness On

Hi friends! I've been away for almost two weeks now. :( And I have so many great posts planned and so much to share, but the break is going to last at least into next week too. Maybe. We'll see. Here's the deal... I'm on this really fabulous weight loss journey that peaked my interest in fitness.

So about 6 months ago I bought a Groupon for one of the certified personal training classes and certifications. Any CPT out there may be rolling your eyes right now because no it is not from one of the top providers. But I'm not doing it for other people (not at the moment anyways). I'm doing this for me to learn more about health, fitness, and my body.

Unfortunately I've spent the last 6 months pretty wrapped up in my job(s), lay off(s), and new business. The package expires in 11 days. Not sure if it's even possible for me to do this in time, but I am definitely going to try!!! It means a lot to me and I know y'all understand.

Hopefully I can schedule out the studying easily enough and get some blog posts out soon- I have great fun to share with y'all- camping, hiking, eating, exploring, painting, shopping, etc. I promise to be back asap!!! :)

 

P.S. You can always keep up with me on Facebook and Instagram (happyalison180)! And if you live in the Charleston area and are interested in weight loss and having a walking and accountability group, I would love for you to join me at the Charleston Body Turnaround!

My Story: Foster-Care {Charity Sunday}

I've mentioned it before, but in case you missed it- I am a foster mom. Kent and I have been fostering since 2011. In late 2010 we decided that we wanted to start a family; however Kent was possibly going to be deployed to Afghanistan and that's far from an ideal baby-making scenario. Long story short- we heard someone on the radio talking about foster-care and over the next few months the idea just kept tugging on us.

Finally in October 2010 I got the courage to tell Kent that I wanted to do foster-care. "I want to foster babies. Through our county's Department of Social Services. And I know it's crazy, but I just feel this calling to it and I've researched a lot and I just..." I was a nervous wreck. Not because I was afraid of Kent shooting down the idea, but because I was afraid he would love it and then I'd have to follow through. Oh and boy did he Love it. He agreed that we were a bit crazy, but he loved it as much as I did.

We started making phone calls the next day. I had a million reasons for why it just wouldn't work- they probably don't need anymore help with babies, we work full-time, we like to travel some, we have no kids of our own, we live in an apartment, we have limited childhood babysitting experience... No dice. DSS needs foster parents for all ages and was willing to train us, help with childcare, and figure out the rest.

It was the most interesting experience of my life and Kent would probably agree. Unlike most moms, I helped Kent put the crib together while I sipping wine. We scoured yard sales for baby clothes of every size and gender, not knowing what to expect. No one offered us a baby shower. And I'm not sure how I would have felt about it at the time, even if some one had offered. Although sometimes I now joke that my friends are going to pay up on the good stuff if I ever do have one. :)

One Friday in January, before our license had even made it to our doorstep (it was complete but not mailed yet), we both had the start of colds and were recovering from a very long week of chaperoning teenagers to Washington, DC. It was 5pm and I was headed to my car. Kent and I had big plans to sleep the weekend away. Of course, that is when I got the call.

"We have a seven month old baby boy. Can you take him?" 

Everything in my sinuses screamed NOOO. But my heart and mouth said, "umm... let me ask my husband real quick..." We had agreed to not accept a placement without talking first.

And just like that Kent was recovered from his cold and we were rushing home to get the car seat.

He was 7 months old and 14lbs. He was adorable and his laugh sounded like a dolphin. He was a baby!

My best-friend's mom came by that night (they lived within walking distance), fed him his first jar of peas, and rocked him to sleep. Kent and I were shell-shocked.

No one sent flowers or filled our freezer with casseroles. In three months time we had become parents, but there was no stork sign or "He's a Boy!" announcements to send out. We weren't even sure what names to go by for each other and it's not like the baby was going to tell us.

The following weekend my cold was even worse and Kent had to leave for National Guard drill. When I got home from work that Friday (exactly one week as parents), I placed our sleeping baby down, still nestled in his car seat from the ride home, and I looked at that beautiful, sweet child who had just rocked my world... and I cried. I bawled like a baby.

We made it through those first few crazy weekends and we've been having the time of our lives on this foster-care adventure that has turned from a "one year trial adventure" into 3 years of the happiest, saddest, most anxiety filled, wonderful moments of our lives.

Our baby is 3 years old now and we've finally made it to the adoption battleground. No matter how the events of these upcoming months play out, I wouldn't trade these past 3 years for anything. I have a son who I love more than I thought was ever possible. A hug or a simple "I love you, Mommy" continue to rock my world every day. Life is beautiful.

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South Carolina foster-care statistics show that there are for more foster-children of all age groups needing homes, than there are available homes for them.

Coastal Living 2013 Showhouse- Studio Apartment

Have you been enjoying this series? This last post of the Coastal Living 2013 Showhouse definitely goes in the dream home category! They built a wonderful MIL suite or studio apartment or office above the garage. It was designed as a sort of hangout studio space, but I'm sure you moms could think of a million different uses for this! Maybe a wocave?

I forgot to check to see if any of those drawers opened to a refrigerator, but there was definitely a full bathroom. I thought it was funny that they put the biggest, bulkiest furniture in the hardest to get to space. I mean, it all looked awesome in there, but I would not want to be those moving guys!

Complete with 2 balconies- one had room for seating and overlooked the backyard and the other was more for standing to admire the waterfront view...

Pillows and Cushions- Sunbrella /  Outdoor Lighting- Bevolo /  Outdoor Seating- Lloyd Flanders

Faucet and Sink- Moen / Furniture- Laura Ashley / Lighting- Circa Lighting

Well, that's the end of the Coastal Living 2013 Showhouse tour! Did you love it? Would you like to see more home tours like this on the blog? I hope you said yes because Charleston is full of amazing homes and I LOVE touring them all! :) In case 7 posts still just wasn't enough for you, you should go check out Lianne's view of the house on Lulabelle. I love seeing how we viewed each space differently. :)

Now that you've seen all 7 posts- What was you ULTIMATE favorite part? :D I'm choosing the living room. I just loved the colors. 

 

Part One- Outside / Part Two- Office + Den + Mudroom / Part Three- Living room  

Part Four- Kitchen + Dining / Part Five- Master Bedroom / Part Six- Pre-teen/Teen Bedrooms

Coastal Living 2013 Showhouse- Pre-teen/Teen Bedrooms

Did the wait almost kill you? Wait no more! We're on the second to last post of the Coastal Living 2013 Showhouse and this one's sure to give you tons of ideas for your kids' rooms! The 2 spare bedrooms were designed for what I would consider a pre-teen girl look and a teen boy look.

We'll start with the girl's room- it's right across the hall from the master bedroom and also has access to the balcony. And of course, princess needs her own full bathroom, complete with a shower curtain to match the wallpaper. :) (No picture, but it really did make the bathroom nice)

Lianne especially liked this room since she has a little girl. I was more in love with the boy room, which was down the hall, next to the laundry room...

Although I'm not a fan of that headboard, all of the other details were perfection. I literally just sat and stared at the dresser with the photograph and all for a minute. Something about it just made me want to be Mary Poppins and stow it all in my purse.

And I love that painting. LOVE that painting. ah it makes me smile just looking at the picture of the painting. Yes, I'm that kind of art lover. :)

So which room speaks to you more? Have you noticed that they use simple sizzle rugs in each room? I love that the floors are so understated. Trying to find "the perfect" rug can be such a waste of time when we should be focusing on the more important and larger pieces, like chairs and great art.

Pillows and Cushions- Sunbrella /  Outdoor Lighting- Bevolo /  Outdoor Seating- Lloyd Flanders

Faucet and Sink- Moen / Furniture- Laura Ashley / Lighting- Circa Lighting

See you tomorrow for the final post of the tour- the Studio Apartment above the garage.

Part One- Outside / Part Two- Office + Den + Mudroom / Part Three- Living room  

Part Four- Kitchen + Dining / Part Five- Master Bedroom

Stage My Home: Wrong Angle {Week Four}

I'm blogging from Nashville, TN this week! I'm here with my PDI ladies that I wrote about on Monday. I'm getting a lot of use out of my boots this week. Man, I love those boots. Since I'm in Nashville, I thought it only right to show you a gorgeous Nashville mansion after I get done tearing a new one in this week's Stage My Home MLS tragedy. This week's pictures were taken by the family pet. Or at least that's my best guess.

I thought this particular listing was so silly that it even made it to that ^ header picture for all to see every week. Dear Homeowner, I want to imagine that I am walking through your house, not crawling through it.

via

Here's the thing- I really, truly do understand what these homeowners are trying to do here. Their house is almost completely clean for the pictures and they only do this "kneel to take a picture" thing in a few of the rooms- that dining area, this kitchen, and a bathroom. What do these rooms have in common? They are all areas that people want to look bigger. Just one problem though- Sitting on the floor to take a picture does not make a room bigger. It just makes your pictures look ridiculous.

If you want to show off the fancy lights- take a separate picture of just them. If you want to make the room look bigger, clean it out, bring in some light, and step back as far as possible to take the picture.

No. Walk through your house like normal to take the pictures. :)

Now on to a gorgeous Nashville mansion...

3401 Trimble Road

If you look through the pictures, you'll see that even a $2.6M house can fall victim to the bad instinct to crawl into a room, although not nearly as awkward

Have you entered to win the Nashville earrings yet??? Get on it! :)

3 Tips for a Successful Unplugged Vacation

Whether it’s a vacation or a staycation, ramp up the relaxation by getting away from technology overload. Even if you can’t travel to a place with no cell service or Wi-Fi, you can still unplug and enjoy. Arm yourself with some survival tips for dealing with the urge to pull out your smartphone and have a wonderful time.

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In honor of all the trips we've been taking lately and just general summer fun, I have a guest blogger today!

I LOVE this post because I struggle with this A LOT. Enjoy!

 

Barbara Boser is a Presidential Diamond Distributor with It Works Global.  She has built her business online since March of 2009 and spends her time helping people get healthier and wealthier.  Her favorite past time is traveling and she resides in Los Angeles, CA.

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Go Off The Grid

A Prosper Mobile Insights survey found that nearly 80 percent of mobile users brought and used their tablet or smartphone while on vacation. If you’re an Internet power user and you just can’t help yourself, choose a place where you simply cannot connect to the web, no matter what. Plenty of popular eco-tourism destinations offer this benefit. Some have electricity and other conveniences, while others will have you roughing it in nature. If you want to get off the grid cheaply, it’s pretty simple. Buy a tent, head to the nearest state park campground and leave your tech gadgets back at home. If you’re worried about making emergency calls, grab an inexpensive, disposable phone.

Schedule Tech Time

If you don’t want to commune with nature and no 4G, but you do want your kids to stop texting long enough to enjoy some family time, then make a schedule. One hour a day is plenty for most people to catch up on Facebook and clear out their emails. If you have kids, choose a time of day appropriate for them to chat with friends, like the hour after dinner. This can let everyone have a break from each other at the end of long days. Choosing an early evening time also keeps you from viewing bright screens too late at night, which prevents proper melatonin production and interrupts sleep.

Survival Tips

Whether you go off the grid completely or just set some parameters for tech use, here are some helpful tips to keep you on track and off your phone.

●       Wear a watch. So many of us don’t wear a watch anymore. We check the time on our smartphones. If you’re going gadget-free, make sure to wear a watch, not only so you’ll be able to check the time, but also fight the urge to look at your phone at all.

●       Set a vacation email response for work and personal accounts. Make sure your response includes your return date or the date you intend to reply by. This ensures that no matter how important the email is, the sender will know why you haven’t responded and when to expect to hear back from you. This goes for voicemail, too.

●       Pack a camera. If you tend to take snapshots with your smartphone, you’ll need an alternative. If you don’t already own one, simple point-and-shoot digital cameras are very affordable now. Plus, you’ll have it on hand for your next tech-free trip. If you don’t want to buy a new camera, you could skip taking any photos at all and simply enjoy the beautiful memories.

●       Bring a paperback. Remember flipping paper pages? Tucking a book into your beach bag? Yes, that. So many e-readers are capable of web browsing. If that temptation isn’t too much for you, using the device may still kick your brain into “tech mode,” so consider hitting the local library or bookstore on your way to destination.

●       Change your passwords.  Have your family members change each others passwords and keep them a secret until you return home.  Not being able to log in to Facebook or Twitter or even your email can cure the temptation.

●       Buy a map. Try finding the locations that you want to see without following the little blue dot around.

Most importantly, stick to your decision to get away from technology. You’re just “one, quick email” away from transforming your entire mindset away from relaxed, vacation mode to work mode.

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Told you! Great Post! Ah I have to really work on this. Thank your for giving me a bloggy break today, Barbara!

Don't forget to check out Barbara on her It Works Global site and Facebook.

Vacation on your mind now? Check out my Charleston to Bahamas Carnival Cruise post for a good laugh and some pretty pictures. :)