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!