Kathie
Happy Freebie Friday, everyone! A huge thank you to Freebies 4 Mom for sharing their favorite freebies of the week with our readers. Heather features great deals & freebies all week long so be sure to check her site regularly! Make sure to get your entry in for Heather’s contest to win a $300 Apple gift card that closes at the end of the day Sunday.

Health & Beauty
Pampers Cruisers (Sam’s Club)
Olay Total Effects Body Wash (Walmart)
Hyland’s Restful Legs

Food
Beech-Nut Let’s Grow Toddler Welcome Kit
South Beach Living Fiber Fit S’mores Bar
ZonePerfect Indulgence (on Facebook)
Bahama Breeze $10 gift card

Home & Garden
Photo Book for Troops (shipping is free too)
Tide plus Febreze
Conagra Child Hunger Ends Here House Party
Poise Ladies Who Laugh House Party
Ziploc DIY Home Organization House Party
DiGiorno Champions House Party

Upcoming Freebie Events:
Please call your local store or restaurant to confirm they are participating in these freebie events

FEBRUARY
William-Sonoma Cooking Demos & Classes
27 – Target Dr. Seuss Story Time 9-11
27 – Walgreens SaturDate with Beauty featuring L’Oreal 10-5
27 – Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic make a LoweBot 10-11

MARCH
6 – Home Depot Kids Workshop make a rain gauge 9-12
13 – Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic make a tabletop basketball 10-11
20 – Rita’s Ice free italian ice noon-10pm

I'll see you here next Friday for another installment of Freebie Friday! Enjoy your weekend and your freebies!

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Kathie
Search & Win
What does this mean exactly? Well, every Friday the wonderful people at Swagbucks increase the rewards on your everyday searches! For today only you will have greater chance of earning larger SwagBucks! You could even win up to 500 SwagBucks! (Just now I earned 3 for searching Blogger to post this. Anything more than 1 or 2 SwagBucks just rocks my socks.). You can also learn more about it from my post here.
If you don't have a SwagBucks account, today would be a great day to sign up! You'll earn 3 SwagBucks just for signing up!
If you hit the 500 SwagBucks you'll have to let me know. I'd be so excited for you.
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Kathie
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A short while ago I was given an opportunity to try out some Perfect Foods Bars that they graciously sent me for review.  I couldn't wait to dig into them and it took me a little bit to taste all the flavors they sent.  Thank you Perfect Foods for giving me the chance to review your products.

*Click links for ingredient listing
Fruit and Nut: Very good. I love raisins tho so anything with them in it is pretty much a hit for me. To me it tastes like peanut butter fudge with nuts added!

Carob Chip: Very tasty!! It was dense and moisty and just delicious. It is made with mostly peanutss and honey..two excellent ingredients if I do say so myself.

Cranberry Crunch: This was fun to eat because it really did crunch. Love, Love, Love cranberries so this was on the top of my list.
 
Peanut Butter: This bar was dense, chewy, moist and freaking delicious. It was like eating peanut butter straight out of a jar. It does need to be refridgerated tho. I left it in my bag til my afternoon snack time and it was softer and creamier than it orignally once was earlier in the day. 
 
I love that all these bars are all-natural, gluten-free and have a ton of protein. Every one of them was tasty and kept me full for a full three hours. I would certainly put these in the meal replacement category.
 
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Kathie
Another fabulous Healthy Coupon to share with ya'll......

Jennie O Turkey is offering a $5.00 rebate to the first 25,000 people to register to their wellness website. Register for Wellness Daily, then under “Coupons & Offers” you will find the rebate form to print. Buy $5.00 or more in Jenni O Products between Feb 8th and May 31st and you are eligible for the rebate. As always, allow about 6-8 weeks for processing.  Please note that this rebate offer is only available to the first 25,000 people to register for Wellness Daily and print their form so I would act fairly quickly if you normally buy Jennie O Turkey. I'm off to print mine now. These products are so yummy!


Thanks Saving Cents with Sense!


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Kathie
Hello Fitness Enthusiasts!

I know a bunch of you are going to love this.  Fage Yogurt Coupons!

I'll admit, Fage yogurt is one of the greeks that I have yet to try (we don't have it around here - or atleast I can't seem to find it) but I hear from several of you that they are a personal favorite.  Print these coupons and you'll be able to get them for a little less this week:


◦Become a fan of Fage on Facebook and you will have a chance to print a coupon for $1 off any Fage Greek yogurt.

◦You can also print a coupon for $0.50/1 any Fage yogurt when you register on the Fage website.
 
Thanks Printable Coupons and Deals!
 
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Kathie
Search & Win

Happy Birthday SwagBucks!!!! It turns 2 today

I have some very exciting news for you today! To celebrate their 2nd birthday they have launched SwagBucks 3.0. Go check your account and you will probably totally freak out because they have multiplied your points by TEN! If you had 30 you now have 300! I couldn't believe my eyes this morning when I saw my balance. Score!!! What's even more exciting is with the lauching of the 3.0 version you can now earn bucks for doing more, like viewing special offers, using the toolbar, and much more!

Today's launch is celebrated by them giving away a TON of free swagbucks. There will be tons of hunts and hidden codes. There is even a special 7 swagbucks code on Facebook. Better get it now before it expires.

If you haven't signed up yet...what are you waiting for?!?! Do it. Do it now!

Seriously folks, this is one of thee best program I have found. I mention it time and time again. You can earn gift cards and prizes for doing what you do anyway...searching!!!!!!

Here are some of the ways to earn bucks...
1.Use SwagBucks to search, like you would use google. (The search engine is actually powered by Goggle & Ask)
2.Download the toolbar - they post codes radomnly so keep an eye out.
3.View the Special offers
4.Visit the Swagbucks Blog - they post codes randomly also.
5.Get people to sign up under you (like I am doing), you get a buck for every buck they earn!

When you find a Swagbucks code that you need to enter go to "Home" and in the "Gimme" box  enter your codes. This will redeem them into your account. For every 450 bucks earns you a $5 Amazon gift card. They add up fast too so you'll hit 450 easy and fast!

Here's the best part sign up today and you will get 30 bonus points just for signing up. By using the link you are signing up under my account, which makes you totally an awesome person, because I use the gift cards and/or free prizes I earn for Christmas presents for my family.

Click HERE to sign up today!!!!

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Kathie
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For more Wordless Wednesday Photos, Visit 5 Minutes for Moms
 

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Kathie
Yes. I do believe my title pretty much sums up my feelings of last night.

For the last two years, Little Bear has been falling asleep with us on the couch every night. Poppa Bear and I enjoy this time with her for several reasons. We enjoy the snuggling and we enjoy being with her since both of us work outside of the home.  It gives us time to bond with her and just enjoy her.  However, the last few nights she's been falling asleep later than 8pm  - she's been either falling asleep or still awake close to/at 10pm every night (the bedtime for Poppa Bear and I). When I got to get her in the mornings at 6:30 she's still asleep. This is not normal for her so I know she hasnt been getting enough sleep.

I always knew this time would come. The day where we'd have to institute a more formal bedtime routine. I knew what we were doing was probably not the best decision but it was what was comfortable to me - to us. It's no secret that we had to undergo a lot of loss and sadness before receiving our Miracle baby. It is only natural for me to hold on for as long as I can. It's intensified even more due to the fact that i'm away from her for so long during the day. I/We look forward to the "family couch time" every night. Last night, however, was the first night without it and truth be told, we did not like it!

Seven o'clock rolled around last night and we immediately started the routine....bath, massage, reading, cuddling, time for bed @ 8:00. She looked and cried very sadly thinking she did something wrong. I'll be honest, it sounded like she thought we didn't love her anymore (Talk about breaking my heart). I had to explain to her that she did nothing wrong, that Mommy and Daddy still loved her but that now that she is getting to be a big girl that it was time to start a big girl bedtime routine. We did this as sincere as we possibly could. We kissed her, put her in her crib and walked out. Ugh. Broke my heart!!! She cried for about 15 minutes, played for about another 15 and then was out. 

Me? I stayed by the baby monitor for those good 30 minutes - my heart breaking and aching inside. Sitting there longing with everything I had to go up there, grab her and come back down to cuddle with me. It tore me up inside. Poppa Bear wasn't liking it one bit either but he was still easily distracted and entertained with his Xbox 360 game. Me? I couldn't think of anything else. After my ear was pressed up against that monitor for so long I just went upstairs and sat in front of her door. I'll admit, I was pretty darn close to going in there but I stayed strong.

I dunno...Help me out here folks......is it wrong to keep her on the couch with us at night until she falls asleep? should we start this routine now? or would it be an alternative if she came back downstairs with us for just a short while as a transition and when we feel she is falling asleep (or it's close to that 8:00 period) we then put her to bed?  After last night, I want to think that maybe a transition would be better for all of us - like the last suggestion.  I don't know..I just know it tore us all up inside. My heart is still hurting. She never gave me more of a hug than she did when I greeted her this morning.  I want to be a good Mother tho and instill good values and habits for her. I just don't want to make a decision like this and have it slap me in the face, ya know? 

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Kathie
Here's a freebie for all you fitness enthusiasts out there. Next time you are at a loss as to what workout you want to do or just bored of the same ol' routine why not try one of these? Women's Health is offering free workouts to go via download for your Ipod/touch or computer. Click here to get your free workouts!

Thanks All Aboard Deals!


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Kathie
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Monday - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Tomatoe Soup (ahhh, so comforting)
Tuesday - Southern Style Chicken Tenderloins & Salad (Poppa Bear's request for the 2nd week in a row.)
Wednesday - Appetizer Night (Poppa Bear's request. This was a winner last week apparently)
Thursday -  Beef Stir Fry
Friday - Dh's Frozen Pizza Dinner Night
Saturday - Sausage Jumbalya
Sunday - Loving Leftovers. Spread out a buffet table of all the leftovers from the week’s meals. This means a day-off for the chef!

For a thousand more recipes and hundreds more menu plans, check out I'm" An Organizing Junkie!

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Kathie
Search & Win
What does this mean exactly? Well, every Friday the wonderful people at Swagbucks increase the rewards on your everyday searches! For today only you will have greater chance of earning larger SwagBucks! You could even win up to 500 SwagBucks! (Just now I earned 3 for searching Blogger to post this. Anything more than 1 or 2 SwagBucks just rocks my socks.). You can also learn more about it from my post here.
If you don't have a SwagBucks account, today would be a great day to sign up! You'll earn 3 SwagBucks just for signing up!
If you hit the 500 SwagBucks you'll have to let me know. I'd be so excited for you.
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Kathie
Happy Freebie Friday, everyone! A huge thank you to Freebies 4 Mom for sharing their favorite freebies of the week with our readers. Heather features great deals & freebies all week long so be sure to check her site regularly!

Health & Beauty
Lever 2000 bar (Costco members)
Crest 3D Whitestrips (Walmart)
Fekkai Hair Care (Walmart)
Orange Benefiber Sticks (Walmart)
Underjams for Kids (Walmart)
Kotex choose your sample
Playtex Sport

Food
Orange Julius drink
Kikkoman’s mini-magazine

Entertainment
Kindle for Blackberry
“Love Yourself…” Kindle Book
“Daring Chloe” Kindle Book
Sister Hazel 20 in 10 album
Classical Favorites album
Winnie the Pooh picture book, audio book & music

Home & Garden
Hallmark Kids Card (in-stores)
Tide plus Febreze
Mr. FixIt Window and Door Replacement DVD
Poise Ladies Who Laugh House Party
Ziploc DIY Home Organization House Party
Maxwell House/Velveeta Spring Into Brunch House Party
DiGiorno Champions House Party

Upcoming Freebie Events:
Please call your local store or restaurant to confirm they are participating in these freebie events

FEBRUARY
William-Sonoma Cooking Demos & Classes
20 – Auntie Anne’s Free Pretzel Day 10am-3pm
23 - IHOP National Pancake Day 7am-10pm
27 – Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic make a LoweBot 10-11

MARCH
6 – Home Depot Kids Workshop make a rain gauge 9-12
13 – Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic make a tabletop basketball 10-11
20 – Rita’s Ice free italian ice noon-10pm

I'll see you here next Friday for another installment of Freebie Friday! Enjoy your weekend and your freebies!

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Kathie
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For more Wordless Wednesday Photos, Visit 5 Minutes for Moms
 
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Kathie
We all know I am currently all about my Wii - especially for my fitness needs. So when I was navigating to Amazon.com this afternoon I was pleasantly surprised to see that today's Lightening Deals are all Wii Deals. The below is the Deal of the Day.
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Walk It Out for Wii
List Price: $29.99
Today's Discount: - $10.01
Gold Box Price: $19.98 (33% off)

Get off the couch and get moving to the beat of over a hundred hot songs! Step to the beat of hot hits like the Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow” and Demi Lovato’s “La La Land”, and explore a unique in-game world you create with each step you take! It’s a fun and easy way for the whole family to get their hearts pumping!

This looks like a pretty cool game to get yourself moving during these Wintery days. From what I can see, it also has some pretty good reviews. This game sort of reminds me of the Leslie Sanson's Walk Away the Pounds dvd but in Wii game form. Pretty nifty idea, eh? Today's Gold Box Deals at Amazon are all Wii deals, so check back often! I know I will be. =)

Here are the deals that will be available throughout the day. They start at different times, so please take note:
2:00 PM CST: The Biggest Loser
5:00 PM CST: Band Hero
7:00 PM CST: Wii Fit Plus
9:00 PM CST: Wii Charge Station Quad (Nyko)
10:00 PM CST: EA Sports Active

If you are interested in any of these deals, make sure to check at the beginning of the hour. If the deal is good chances are it will sell out rather quickly!

I'm a bit bummed about the EA Sports Active. I've had mine for two weeks now. If only I had waited a bit longer I could have nabbed this deal. Ah well! I will tell you this because I have yet to review the product - if you've been thinking about buying it DO IT and try to at this deal because it will totally be worth it.
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Kathie
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Monday - Breakfast for Dinner (Eggs & Bacon)
Tuesday - Beef Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Wednesday - Hot Dogs with Mac & Cheese
Thursday - Chicken Alfredo
Friday - Dh's Frozen Pizza Dinner Night
Saturday - Appetizer Night
Sunday - Loving Leftovers. Spread out a buffet table of all the leftovers from the week’s meals. This means a day-off for the chef!

For a thousand more recipes and hundreds more menu plans, check out I'm" An Organizing Junkie!

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Kathie
VALENTINES Pictures, Images and Photos

I don't know about your dynamics but I can tell you that Poppa Bear never did believe in giving me flowers and/or candy for Valentine's Day. Nope, instead he would opt for jewelry. My kind of man!

Last Valentine's we did not do presents - with Little Bear being a little over a year old and still getting accustomed to our first home, first child, etc. etc. we opted for just dinner. I made his favorite dinner and that was it for the both of us - with movies of course. This is still an ideal frugal Valentine's Day option tho and certainly can be a most enjoyable one.

This Valentine's Day, however, is going to be a bit different. Poppa Bear was sooo suave about it too.

This morning, Poppa Bear says at the breakfast table "I was thinking, for Valentine's Day I never did like to get you flowers or candy. I prefer to give you something you want or need. Why don't you go ahead and buy yourself a new pair of K-Swiss's since your current pair is starting to look bad or that EA Sports Active game you've been talking about wanting forever." I immediately respond with "I thought we weren't doing the Valentine's thing this year just what we did last year?" To which he responded "Nah, go ahead. And don't bother worrying as to what to get me. I already told Jimmy to get me that Camero remote control car model. I should have it today or tomorrow."  BWAHAhahahahaha!!!! There it is folks! He bought himself a toy and found an excuse for why he bought it and a way that I would get something too. hahahahaha! This is a typical Poppa Bear move. If you knew more of the history you'd understand why it is so funny (Right, Genie?)

What Poppa Bear didn't know was that last week I went ahead and bought EA Sports Active last week and put it on my charge. He did not know that yet however so what I decided to do this morning was take that money out of our account and just put it on my credit card and pay the purchase off. Guess I did the same thing he did but sooner -- an early Valentine's Day present. hahahahahaha!!!

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Thanks Poppa Bear for my early Valentine's Day present. I've enjoyed it a great deal this past week and certainly will for many future workouts to come.  (Yes Blogger's, I will put a review on this product here on the bloggy in the near future. ;-) )

As for the day itself, we'll probably just do our usual weekend movie nights and that's perfectly okay with me.

What about you? Does your significant other/spouse opt to give you other items instead of the traditional flowers & candy? Do you do something special for this day every year? Whatever you do, I hope you have the best Valentine's Day weekend ever!
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Kathie
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From the new Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga Viva Glam Collection....I love this new GAGA lipstick color! It is the most lovely pink shade of lipstick you ever did see.

TA-GAAHHHH!! Here she is.......the one, the only Viva Glam Gaga!

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This little baby is gonna put a $14 size dent in your wallet. It'll be worth every stinkin' penny tho. I'll gladly give up next Friday's semi-cheat Breakfast and Lunch for this.

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Here's the sampling of the lipstick...as you can see "it's a light blue pink"......I love cool pinks.....our lips have enough red...wouldn't you agree?

Ah yes! This little gem will be MINE come Monday. You see, a fellow co-worker's daughter works for the MAC counter. She's off today but she'll grab it for me this weekend - give it to Le Co-worker who will in turn give to me in exchange for reimbursment on Monday. CANNOT WAIT!!!!  Truth be told, this will also be my very first MAC lipstick. *gasp*

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Kathie
Happy Freebie Friday, everyone! A huge thank you to Freebies 4 Mom for sharing their favorite freebies of the week with our readers. Heather features great deals & freebies all week long so be sure to check her site regularly! Also, this week be sure to get your FREE 8×10 Collage from Walgreens - today only!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine’s weekend and that you get all the time you would like to spend with the ones you love!

Health & Beauty
BareMinerals Foundation (with coupon at JCPenney Sephora counter)
iS Clinical Youth Eye Complex
Escada Marine Groove fragrance

Food
Emergen-C
Kraft First Taste
Mueller’s Meal Planner (limited states)

Entertainment
The Laurie Berkner Band “Open Your Heart” free song download

Home & Garden
Walgreens Free 8×10 Collage Photo (with coupon code VDAY Friday only)
Love Letter Kit (restock daily at 10am CT)
Kids N Pets full rebate (on Facebook)
Printable Valentines
Poise Ladies Who Laugh House Party
Ziploc DIY Home Organization House Party
Maxwell House/Velveeta Spring Into Brunch House Party
DiGiorno Champions House Party

Upcoming Freebie Events:
Please call your local store or restaurant to confirm they are participating in these freebie events

FEBRUARY

William-Sonoma Cooking Demos & Classes
5-18 – Walgreens Diabetes Wellness Event (free blood glucose testing)
12 - The Coffee Bean free chai 4 – 7pm
13-15 IKEA Kids Eat Free
13 – Walmart Littlest Pet Shop Parade 11am – 2pm
13 – Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic make a Jewelry Organizer 10-11
15 - Long John Silver’s free crispy breaded pollock samples
18 – America’s Biggest Bedtime Story 9am CT
20 – Auntie Anne’s Free Pretzel Day 10am-3pm
23 - IHOP National Pancake Day 7am-10pm

I'll see you here next Friday for another installment of Freebie Friday! Enjoy your weekend and your freebies!

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Kathie

Search & Win

What does this mean exactly? Well, every Friday the wonderful people at Swagbucks increase the rewards on your everyday searches! For today only you will have greater chance of earning larger SwagBucks! You could even win up to 500 SwagBucks! (Just now I earned 3 for searching Blogger to post this. Anything more than 1 or 2 SwagBucks just rocks my socks.). You can also learn more about it from my post here.

If you don't have a SwagBucks account, today would be a great day to sign up! You'll earn 3 SwagBucks just for signing up!

If you hit the 500 SwagBucks you'll have to let me know. I'd be so excited for you.

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Kathie
Photobucket My cuticles are horrible - no scratch that - dreadful in the Winter. I have tried oils. I have tried lotions. Nothing prevented the soft and peeling nails and the craziness of hangnails that I was getting. Every time I got a manicure the nail tech would look at them in disgust. I was ashamed! I will admit it my cuticles can take a serious beating in the Winter. Then I found it. The holygrail of cuticle creams - Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream.
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Made with sweet almond oil, beeswax and aVitamin E, it isn’t really a “cream,” but more “waxy” in texture. Massage it daily into the cuticle and nail bed and you will see it not only prevents hangnails and softens cuticles, it also strengthens and nourishes nails in the process. It even will help your manicure last a few extra days. How's that for extra benefits?

I swear, if this was edible I would eat it. It smells unbelievably devine. Like some mouth-watering lemon dessert. We all know how much I love lemon desserts - especially lemon cheesecakes.

This is a product that will feel a little greasy when you first apply it (making it ideal for nighttime application), but after a few minutes it completely absorbs into your skin. The key is to apply it regularly. I have noticed that if I stop applying it for a few days my cuticles will take a turn for the worse which always makes me sad and frustrated so be sure to use it regularly to receive optimum results.

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream runs about $6.00 for 0.6 ounces. That might not sound like a lot of product for the money but one tin will most likely last you through the Winter - possibly longer. The tin that I currently have has actually lasted me three Winter's and I just now finally put a dent in it. (A little of this product goes a longgg way)

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream can be found at your local CVS, Walmart, Target and Bath & Body Works stores. Of course they might be able to be located elsewhere but those are the stores within my area that I have seen it at.

Do you have a TILT to share? Something you just love having around? Head over to the Diaper Diaries and join in, or just visit others who are sharing their TILT.

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