Raising boys Archives - Page 6 of 13

0 In 2020/ Family/ Minnesota/ Peek into our Week/ Raising boys/ Things to do in Minnesota

Peek into our winter weeks

The winter of 2019 was so cold we didn’t get to spend a lot of time outside. 2020 has started much more MILD and we’re all happy about that. “Mild” in Minnesota means the temperature is a “warm” 30 degrees.

Here are some fun things we’ve been doing this winter:

Skiing

Luke learned to ski! I signed him up for a 90 minute class, and 6 hours later…he still didn’t want to stop skiing!

George and Clark joined the Ski Club at school. Once a week they go directly from school to the ski hill with their classmates.

Luke learning to ski and LOVING it!
Clark and Paul about to begin
George and Clark

Sledding

We found a huge sledding hill near our home!

Clark’s “homemade” sled…it didn’t work that well
George’s new sled – Christmas gift from his Grandma and Papa Chris
Luke

Shoveling

George and Clark are earning extra money by shoveling for neighbors.

Christmas

Christmas was a fun family day with just the 6 of us. We made pancakes and played lots of games.

The boys playing Hungry Hippo
Clark got a new jersey and signed card from Don Beebe
RataTat Cat – fun family game!
Luke, Paul and Ted playing Yeti in my Spaghetti

A Visit from Family

My sister and her family came to visit from Indiana. We got to go out to dinner, swimming, sledding, and visited Mall of America. This is their second annual trip to Minnesota. They come up and spend the New Year with us – and we spend 4th of July with them in Indiana.

Fun Day at MOA
Date night at Colita

Basketball

George, Clark and Paul are finishing their first season of basketball and they’ve loved it. We were all surprised how much fun this sport it. They’ve enjoyed playing, and the rest of us have enjoyed watching them play

Winter is for watching Movies:

Little Women – A friend invited me to go see this with her. It’s nominated for a bunch of Oscars and now I know why – it’s an INCREDIBLE movie! Watch it!

Where’d you Go, Bernadette? I really enjoyed the book and thought the movie was fantastic! (Get it from Redbox or the library)

Something we have NOT enjoyed this winter: The FLU

It started with Paul, jumped to Luke, and then to Ted. Thankfully, I only had one rough night! We are all better now!

He had the flu, so I probably shouldn’t be this close…but look at him. You’d hold him too, wouldn’t you?

What have you been up to this winter?

Click here to read my Minnesota Bucket List!

Click here to read How Not to Hate Winter!

Please subscribe so you don’t miss a post!

January 28, 2020 By Kathryn

0 In 2020/ Motherhood/ Peek into our Week/ Raising boys

When You Need Your Mom, But You Are the Mom!

Last night I was laying in bed with a high fever. I was waiting for my mom to come and check on me and bring me a cool cloth for my forehead.

And then I remembered…

I AM THE MOM!

I heard little footsteps running around. One of my sons was up past his bedtime. This is one time I was HAPPY about that.

“Come here,” I weakly called to him, “please bring a cool rag for my head.”

A minute later, my son gently laid a wet hand towel across my forehead.

“I love you” he said as he walked out of the room.

He then tripped over a nerf gun.

I smiled as I realized we had switched roles. He was taking care of me, offering a cool rag and “I love you” …and even tripping over a toy in the hallway!

I felt so loved!

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand beside me to take this picture to remember the moment.

My son does these little acts of love for me because I’ve done little acts of love for him. And I learned those things from my mom – who did the same for me. And even if you didn’t have one of those moms that did that for you, it’s never to late to be one!

Keep doing little acts of love, moms!

The care you give, and values you live, will develop in your children as they watch and learn.

They may soon surprise you with their own acts of love!

By the way – My husband has been down with the Flu, but still got out of bed to give me water and Tylenol. Thank you Ted!

I prayed that night and asked God to heal me. I woke up this morning feeling SO much better! Thank you God!

January 24, 2020 By Kathryn

1 In Food/ Free stuff/ Motherhood/ Product Recommendations/ Raising boys/ Review

Bonding through cooking & eating together

I’ve been ordering from Hello Fresh for several years. I’ve tried other subscription meal services, but keep coming back to this one. I usually order 1 box every 4-8 weeks.

You can choose from an assortment of meals each week. There’s a vegetarian option, seafood, pork, chicken and/or steak.

The 3 that I chose for this week were:

Chimichurri Steak with a Sweet Potato, Poblano, and Tomato Jumble
Balsamic Fig Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Mixed Greens
Shrimp Pasta with a Kick with Garlic Herb Butter and Zucchini

Here’s how it works:

Hello Fresh sends me a box of colorful recipe cards and perfectly portioned ingredients, allowing me to prepare a balanced, delicious meal for my family without having to spend the time planning and shopping as much as I normally would.

I love that someone else takes care of all the parts of dinner that I don’t enjoy – especially the DECIDING what to eat! With Hello Fresh, we make and try things we would have never made or tried before.

Here are some reasons why we like Hello Fresh:

#1 :

We get to cook together – spending time side-by-side!

The recipe guide has pictures and instructions that are step-by-step and easy enough for a child to follow. My sons feel great about being able to prepare a delicious meal for the entire family.

#2:

It’s an ADVENTURE!

A cooking adventure of trying and preparing something new and discussing what we like about each meal, and what we want to cook again. We discover foods and recipes we would have never tried if it weren’t for Hello Fresh.

#3:

We all sit down to eat together!!

This is my favorite part of ordering from Hello Fresh. It’s a well-balanced meal that really encourages sitting down and eating together. Hot dogs and chicken nuggets don’t do that – I warm those up and hand them out.

Cooking these delicious Hello Fresh meals has us sitting down and enjoying a meal TOGETHER!!

Many of us know that everyone benefits when we sit down and eat meals as a family.

5 Scientifically-Proven Benefits to

Eating Together as a Family:

Family dinners mean better family relationships
Eating together fosters happy, well-adjusted kids
Eating together helps kids do better in school
Eating together reduces stress
Eating together provides better nutrition

Here’s the rundown about how we felt about each meal:

Chimichurri steak – My boys LOVE steak so this was a hit. I didn’t put the chimichurri sauce on their steak, but I loved it on mine. We all enjoyed the sweet potato medley too!

Balsamic Fig Chicken – Chicken is something we eat on a regular basis, so trying this new recipe was fun and it tasted great!

Shrimp Pasta with a Kick was DE-LICOUS! Clark and I loved the meal, just as shown in the picture – pasta mixed with shrimp and zucchini. The other boys liked all their items separate, not touching. Ted, not much of a pasta eater – just ate the shrimp and zucchini.

My version – not as pretty as the picture, but definitely tasty!

I order from Hello Fresh to add some variety. To save money, I order the smallest meal size and just add my own ingredients to make enough for 6.

If you’d like to try Hello Fresh, I have a $40 discount for you.

Click here for a $40 discount off your first order!

You do have to log on to Hello Fresh about once every 6-8 weeks to choose your meals or hit “skip.” If you don’t love it, just cancel! It’s easy!

Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Would you like some ideas about what to talk about with your kids? Here’s a game we play at dinner called: Would You Rather?

Click here to read My Struggle with Housekeeping!

Here’s my unpacking of a Hello Fresh box:

January 17, 2020 By Kathryn

0 In Family/ Friendship/ Memories/ Minnesota/ Peek into our Week/ Raising boys/ Things to do in Minnesota/ Traveling

The Best Thing About Memories is … Making Them

Summer is for making memories! Here’s the highlights:

A visit from Mom

Grandma came for her first summer visit in Minnesota! We got to spend a few awesome days together, which included knocking an item off the Minnesota Bucket List – a visit to Mill City Museum (click here to read about it). Then she graciously watched ALL FOUR boys so I could go to Florida for my second favorite memory of the summer…

My Cousin’s wedding in Florida

I spent four wonderful days with family in Sarasota, Florida to celebrate the wedding of my cousin (who’s like a little sister to me). My uncle rented a big house that used to belong to Flavor Flav and I spent 3 nights with family there – and one night with my sister on Long Boat Key. It’s the first time I’ve been back to Florida in SO long and forgot how much I love it there.

Me and my sister, Krista
View from Flavor Flav’s former house

There’s something soul-healing about walking on the beach, soaking in some sun, and playing in the waves.

My cousin’s wedding was absolutely BEAUTIFUL and I’m grateful I could be there!

A Unique Birthday

Dropping off diapers and wipes at a Pregnancy Center
Hiding Dollars at the Dollar Tree
Ended my birthday with burgers at B-52

I learned how not to dread turning a year older – make it about OTHERS! This year my boys and I researched ways to give back to our community. On my birthday, we spent the day making a difference!

My baby sister’s wedding in Oklahoma

Another whirlwind weekend with family in another part of the country. I loved spending time with family, celebrating Brooke and her new husband, Jeff!

She had the sweetest wedding, surrounded by big trees, on a beautiful lake.

My sister, her new husband, and new step-daughter
Fueling up for wedding prep
Presenting…the bride!

Fourth of July in Indiana

Shipshewana
Rise and Roll Donuts
An annual tradition – me and my sister with all of our kids

We spent several days with our Indiana family – boating, tubing, fishing on the Lake. We also explored Amish country in Shipshewana, Indiana.

On our way home from Indiana, we stopped for an…

Adventures in Illinois

We visited two places I love… Bien Trucha for the world’s best tacos and…

Blackberry Farm – A fun spot we’ve been visiting since the boys were babies!

We came back home to spend the rest of the summer at home. Some of the highlights for July and August are…

Exploring the Twin Cities

We went fishing, explored parks and beautiful spots around the Twin Cities.

Como Zoo and Conservatory

Egly Burger Challenge

BURGER CHALLENGE STOP #5

We are on the hunt for the best burgers in the Twin Cities. This summer we tried FIVE different burgers places. When we finish, I’ll blog about what we discovered!

Mall of America

Co-producers
Apple Camp
Lego store fun
Log Ride

We love having Mall of America just a few minutes away. George and Clark did a free video editing camp at the Apple Store and all four boys tried their first roller coaster.

Back-to-School Ice cream party

We texted our neighbors, set out ice cream and toppings and 30+ people showed up in our front yard for a back-to-school ice cream party. Super easy and fun for everybody! I wish I would have snapped a picture of the crowd gathered in our front yard – but I didn’t, and it is one of the sweetest memories of the summer.

The Minnesota State Fair

THE GIANT SLIDE

I was going to skip the fair this year, but a friend gave me four free tickets so I took Clark, his friend Sam, and Luke.

We tried some new foods, rode the Giant Slide, enjoyed the Fair from up above on a ski-lift type ride called the Sky Glider and played some games. It was the last thing we did before school started and Clark called it his “favorite thing” all summer…well, “and cousins.”

The Difference a Year Makes

One year ago, I attended a ladies night (Sisterhood) at our church alone. I sat by myself and chatted with complete strangers. This year I came with this group of phenomenal women.

I’m shocked at what a difference a year can make. Last summer we did some grieving and moving – this summer was filled with friends and happy memories.

It’s been fun to go back and reflect on the summer and see the generosity of friendship, the beauty of nature, and the Goodness of God in all of it.

Thanks for joining me on the summer road trip down memory lane.

Subscribe to follow along on our adventures through Fall!

September 7, 2019 By Kathryn

0 In Family/ Raising boys/ Things to do in Minnesota

An Easy way for a Parent to Invest in your Child

Written by my husband, Ted:

Today I had father-son time with my oldest, George, who is going into middle school next week. I used our time together not only to have fun at the Mall of America, but also started a tradition with my boys who are going into middle school (and in a few years, high school). I was able to capitalize on this transition as an opportunity to invest in him, and talk about leadership and many other topics.

During lunch I shared (or re-shared) with him:

* Picking quality friends. We become like those we surround ourselves with, for better or for worse

* The power of a growth mindset (Instead of “I can’t”… “I can’t, YET”)

* The value of integrity

* The importance of kindness

* Going first (e.g. saying hi…first; smiling first; encouraging first)

* That his mom and I are always here for him (during good and bad times)

* The power of courage and taking action when you are afraid. Action cures fear.

At one point I teared up during our time (I know…I know…a little sappy), realizing I have the wonderful privilege to father him and his brothers.

Cheers to a great year, George!

Ted Egly is my awesome husband and father to our four cowboys. He loves good books and adventure races. He does Executive Development for Target.

August 31, 2019 By Kathryn

1 In Minnesota/ Raising boys/ Things to do in Minnesota

Our Day with the Vikings

Each summer, the Minnesota Vikings invite the public to come and watch them practice. The tickets are FREE. Parking is $10 (if you purchase the parking pass online) and $20 at the door.

They open up the Vikings Practice Field several hours before practice and fill the grounds with games and fun activities for all ages.

Things to do at Training Camp:

Take your kids to play in the Kids Area. This is open before, during, and after practice!
No kids? Find Games for all ages throughout the training camp
Like to show your moves? Have a Dance party with a live DJ!
Take pictures with cool photo ops all over the place
Get autographs from players. A few players come out each day for autographs.
Eat at one of the many concession stands or food trucks
And obviously – Watch the players practice
Click here for more info and ideas on THINGS TO DO

We started at the ‘Kid’s Area’ – it was filled football related games. All kids are invited to participate in a “combine.” They get their picture taken, then are tested in their high jump, their throwing skills, and their speed. They can get a printout at the end showing how they did in each area.

There’s also a space for flag football, corn hole, and other games.

There are also lots of fun spots for pictures.

You can’t bring food in, but the price for food is actually reasonable. (We DID bring in water and Gatorade)

$3 for hotdogs,
$5 burgers,
$1 for a bottle of water.

If you didn’t bring kids, there are other games throughout the arena (for all ages) where you can win prizes and Vikings tickets.

Once practice begins, you can find a spot in the grass or on the bleachers to watch. There is no assigned seating except for those who payed for a ticket or are season ticket holders.

We were super excited to watch #12 – our friend Chad Beebe.

I think he earned the most cheers that day. We were impressed with his speed and ability to catch every ball that came his way!

The last practice for the 2019 season is on Friday, August 16th – so if you can’t make it this summer, plan to attend next year. Click here to get your tickets.

August 15, 2019 By Kathryn

0 In Family/ Peek into our Week/ Raising boys/ Things to do in Minnesota

A Peek into our Week – Summertime, Part 1

I’ve been so busy ENJOYING summer that I haven’t stopped long enough write about it.

If we are friends on Instagram or facebook – you get a glimpse into our lives…but this week I took a break from social media, so I suddenly had the urge to write down what we’ve been up to!

Sunday Funday:

We went to church in the morning. In the evening, Ted and I went to the adorable town of Wayzata . We had an amazing dinner at Gianni’s Steakhouse. We looked at each other in disbelief that we’ve lived here over a YEAR and haven’t yet explored this delightful little town – right on Lake Minnetonka!

Our family is doing a Twin Cities Burger Challenge. We are trying top ten Burger joints (according to the Minnesota Monthly Magazine) to determine which restaurant in the Twin Cities has the best burger. We decided to visit Gianni’s by ourselves because it’s a little fancy and better for date night. You can follow me on instagram for updates on “finding the best burger #eglychallenge.”

I’ll also write our thoughts on the best burgers when we finish the challenge, as well as how we thought they ranked in the following categories:

Kid-Friendly,
Price,
Ambiance, and of course,
TASTE!

Gianni’s Steakhouse was stop #3 on our Burger Challenge. It was DELICIOUS, with a fabulous patio right on Lake Minnetonka.

Monday at the Mall

#georgewilliam and #clarkwayne discussing their movie

I signed George and Clark up for Apple Camp on Movie Creating and Editing. If you have an Apple store in your area, click on this link – the camps are FREE and lots of fun! Here’s a short movie the boys created (no sound):

Afterwards, we walked around the Mall of America …

Beautiful Butterfly Display made out of recycled products
U Betcha!
#lukewashington

and played at the Lego Store.

#eglyboys hard at work
#paulwalter posing with a Lego Statue

Tales from Tuesday…

We met some friends at the movie theater to watch The Lion King. We loved it. It’s almost identical to the original cartoon, but the real animals make it better!

PS – Tuesdays at our theater is DISCOUNT day. Tickets are reduced and popcorn is FREE. Check your local theater to see if you have a “Discount Day.”

Wandering Wednesday…

We were back at Mall of America for Day 2 of Apple Camp. The boys created another movie. Here is George’s short film:

After camp, I let the boys choose a ride at Nickelodeon Universe. Clark, Paul, and Luke wanted to go on their first BIG KID roller coaster. Luke was an inch too short and CRIED that he couldn’t ride with his brothers. Clark and Paul LOVED it though!

Thoughts on Thursday …

Thursday we went to our local library. It’s been closed for renovations and we were so happy to have it re-opened.

The big boys also have Sports Camp every Thursday. They’ve had an awesome coach and really enjoyed it.

TGI Friday…

The boys went to their final class at The Apple Store. Then we spent some time fishing and playing at the lake with friends.

Saturday Adventures…

We went back to Wayzata to let the kids play at the beach on Lake Minnetonka.

#lukewashington cheerfully posing for a picture for me
#paulwalter searching for beach treasures
Ted tossing a football with the boys

We are kind of spoiled with all the pool swimming we do, so the kids and I don’t love swimming with all the rocks and muck at the bottom of the lake. We left after a couple of hours and went to the pool to swim.

First, though, we picked up burgers at Lions Tap Family Restaurant to try their “Famous Burgers” in our #eglychallenge. (Stop #4 of 10) Lions Tap is a hole in the wall place, but the boys and Ted LOVED their simple burgers.

That’s a peek into our week!

Leave me a comment to tell me about your week.

PS – you now may have to “sign in” to leave a comment. I was getting a TON of spam and had to change the way comments are made. Sorry for the inconvenience!

August 4, 2019 By Kathryn

2 In Family/ Motherhood/ Raising boys

3 Cheers for Chores

Getting things done around the house is a dilemma for EVERY parent. It’s especially challenging for those of us who are (ahem)…messy.

From the time my oldest son George could walk and hold a broom, I started having him help around the house. He was DELIGHTED to help me when he was a toddler. However, the DELIGHT soon wore off and he’s no longer excited about holding a broom.

Sometimes, I’ve wondered if it’s really worth giving my kids chores because of the CHALLENGES that come with asking my kids to help.

Challenges with kids doing chores:

It can leave me with a a bigger mess,
It takes more time than if I just did it myself,
It usually involves some whining, crying, and complaining about how HARD life is because of ALL.THE.WORK.

However, when I step back and re-evaluate, I know that the benefits FAR outweigh the challenges.

Benefits for kids doing chores:

Children learn how to contribute to the family,
They learn how to keep things tidy
Their future spouse will THANK YOU,
They learn that they can do HARD things – which builds their self-esteem,
Chores help them mature,
Doing something with their hands releases feel-good chemicals in their brain that protect against depression.
Many studies show that kids who help at home are more confident, compassionate, resilient, and grow up to be more successful!

Chores are one of the best mediums we have for teaching kids about being part of a family, and about belonging, significance, and teamwork.
Lynn Lott

You aren’t just giving your kids CHORES, you are teaching them LIFE SKILLS – things they benefit from the rest of their lives!

How you keep track of chores is up to you. There are chore charts of every size and every price available online … and I’ve tried several of them!

Here’s a simple chore system that’s working for us this summer.

Find one container for every child in your family.
Write your child’s name on the container.
Take several clothes pins and write 1 chore on each one.
Clip the chores your children need to do on their cup
When your child has completed the chore, they can put their pin in the cup.

I didn’t come up with this system, it’s just one I found on Pinterest!

My sister started this simple system, and then sent me this picture of her girls (ages 4 and 7) cleaning their bathroom!

She said, “My girls love this visual and tactile system.” They see what they need to do, then get to put their clips in the cup when they are done!

When my boys ask to do something, I can just look to see if there are clips on their cups, and I say: “As soon as your chores are done, sure!”

Here are some ideas of chores your kids can do:

Do you have a system that’s worked for you? Leave a comment and share it with us.

And to everyone reading – Best wishes for you getting things done in YOUR house!

July 21, 2019 By Kathryn

3 In Motherhood/ My Journey/ Raising boys

The struggle with housekeeping…

Oh how I wish I were tidy.

I love it when my house is clean. I feel more relaxed and enjoy my home more when I see clean surfaces and organized rooms. What I want and what I have (most days) seem opposite.

Housework can make me feel like I’m drowning. If I stop and reflect on all that I need to do to have a spotless home (from a clean fridge to clean closets), I feel overwhelmed.

When I cook, my kitchen is a hurricane. I was mortified the other day when a neighbor walked in and saw the mess. I was too humiliated to even apologize.

I feel guilty hiring someone to help – I shouldn’t need to because I don’t have a ‘job.’ I should have time to keep up with it all. But I’m struggling.

If any of you text and say, ‘I’m coming over in an hour’ … I will spend the next hour cleaning because I want you to think I always keep my house clean. I don’t clean to be hospitable, but for my own darn pride.

I visited a friend in Nashville once and when I walked into her house she said, ‘It’s not always this clean, I just had a housekeeper here.’ Her honesty was refreshing.

Another friend invites me into her home anytime …messes and all. She doesn’t apologize for it or expect me to have my house clean when she comes over.

Then there are the friends who always seem to have SPOTLESS houses. How? I want my house to look like that too!

I realize that I’m in a season of life that is busy and messy. My kids will grow up and (perhaps) I’ll miss the fingerprints, crumbs, and dirty socks.

I’m a person who would MUCH rather play than clean. If there’s a choice between a game or a chore – pass me the cards. If I have to choose between an adventure or dishes – Um, bye!

I can go from one activity to the next without cleaning up first. I think: ‘I will do it tonight.’ But then I’m too tired at night! I’m (slowly) learning to pause between activities and allow time to clean up. I’ve recently found an easy way to implement “chores” so that my boys carry some of the load. Click here to read about it.

I honestly don’t want to publish this post because it’s making my heart race putting this out there. However, I want to be more real and less prideful. I need to invite you into the mess.

I want to clean for the sake of hospitality, and with gratitude for the beautiful home God has blessed me with..not because I want you to think I’m a superwoman.

Feel free to come by un-announced. Walk into the kitchen, scan the fridge and ask to use the upstairs bathroom…it will humble me. Or, ask for a cleaning rag. I’m happy to let you help make my house as clean as I want it to be.

If you are a mom who’s figured out the secret to keeping the house tidy…send me all the tips!

PS – Since writing this post, I have found a housekeeper that comes once a month. She’s way better than the previous one (me).

Click here to read: Three Cheers for Chores

July 19, 2019 By Kathryn

6 In Family/ Memories/ Minnesota/ Motherhood/ Peek into our Week/ Raising boys

Life through the lens of a 5 year old

It seems like Luke Washington was born 5 minutes ago…but somehow, it’s been five YEARS!

On the night before Luke turned five, he asked if his daddy would be there for his birthday. I reminded Luke that Ted was working in Colorado but couldn’t wait to give him a BIG Hug and Kiss when he got home.

“Dad probably won’t even know me because when I turn five, I’ll be SOOO big!” Luke said enthusiastically. ‘Is it bedtime now? I want to go to sleep so I can be five!’

Luke showing that he is four one final time!

When Luke woke up on the morning of his fifth birthday I asked, “How does it feel to be five?”

“Perfect,” he responded…”PROFESSIONAL.”

Luke and I ran some errands after his brothers left for school. As we passed complete strangers in the store, he asked me why people weren’t wishing him a happy birthday.

“No one knows it’s your birthday unless you tell them,” I answered.

For the rest of the day, he told everyone it was his birthday and was rewarded with endless smiles and birthday greetings.

We joined his brothers at their school for lunch. His brothers and their friends were SO happy to see Luke. Everyone asked for Luke to sit by them and the ENTIRE cafeteria sang Happy Birthday to Luke! He was so embarrassed he climbed under the table. However, he had the BIGGEST smile on his face and loved all the high fives from the ‘big kids!’

After school we invited the neighborhood kids over for cake and games. I honestly wasn’t planning a party for Luke because we had a “family” party last weekend. However, Luke was inviting nearly everyone he knew to come to his house on his birthday for his “party”…apparently he would have a party with or without me…So, I got a cake and the neighbors came!

At bedtime Luke realized that dad was almost home and it triggered his memory of “growing so much dad won’t recognize me.”

“MOM!!! Why haven’t I gotten any bigger today!?”

Luke’s 5th birthday is a little bittersweet. Luke isn’t a baby anymore. I’ll miss those baby snuggles I’ve enjoyed over the last decade! I’ll also miss the hilarious thoughts and questions that come out of the mouths of our little ones.

However, I’m looking forward to the adventures we will take now that he’s a little bit bigger. I also love that I have four boys who put on their own shoes, buckle themselves in the car, and SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT!

May 17, 2019 By Kathryn

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