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Shared Feb 12, 2014 comment

Freezer Cooking in an Hour: Butterscotch Brownies, Cinnamon Roll Cake, Baked Chicken, and Taco Meat

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 12, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Kaitlynn and I did some freezer cooking earlier this week.

I made a triple batch of Taco Meat and stuck some chicken in the oven to bake for some baked chicken.

The finished frozen Taco Meat and baked chicken.

Then, mixed up a Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake.

This was fun to make and so, so good!

In fact, the pan never made it to the freezer. 🙂

Kaitlynn helped me mix together the Butterscotch Brownies.

And the Butterscotch Brownies were also a huge success — so delicious!

Recipes Made:

Butterscotch Brownies
Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake
Baked Chicken
Taco Meat

Shared Feb 12, 2014 comment

“I’m Stressed & I Know Something Needs to Change!”

Published: by MSM Team on February 12, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Carrie Willard is working her way through Say Goodbye to Survival Mode and posting about her progress along the way.

Here’s a small snippet of her progress:

Seriously though, there’s more to my decision to buy this book however. For the last few weeks I’ve been feeling unusually stressed, and I know something needs to change. I’m just not sure what. (I’ll explain more about this in a later post, as well as what I intend to do about it.)

I’m hoping the book will help me – I’m not usually in “survival mode”, and I normally have a good grasp on my life and my time, but I am feeling tired and overwhelmed in a big way right now.

As I re-read through the book, I have decided to document my thoughts and notes here and invite you to share those with me. What do you think?

Read the full post.

Still wondering if Say Goodbye to Survival Mode is something you should read? Take a sneak peek at the introduction and first chapter here.

Shared Feb 12, 2014 comment

How Our Family Saves (& Earns!) Through Consignment

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 12, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post by Anita of Traveling Along

Wouldn’t it be great if kids only grew at Christmas, or on their birthdays — you know, those times when Grandparents happily purchase gifts? Thankfully, one of my mother-in-law’s love languages is “gifts” — specifically expressed via yard sale shopping!

Often what she picks is perfect, but sometimes it is too big or too small, not for the right season, or just not right for that child. However, I have a system in place for the clothing that doesn’t work, and we still benefit from her purchases!

I have learned to consign anything superfluous that is in decent shape, no matter its origin. There are different shops and they have varying payment methods.

This is what I do…

A: Charity Thrift Shop

The charity thrift shop by us will take up to 20 items a week, split the profit 50/50, and send a check when my total is over $10. I have received several checks — usually about every other month.

The store by us also takes household items and adult clothing — and since I get a check that turns into cash, I am able to purchase anything we need anywhere I want!

B: Children’s Consignment Chain

Our local children’s consignment chain will only take children’s items — toys, shoes, clothing etc. They will often pay cash on the spot or store credit. If you opt for store credit you get 15% more than in cash.

Currently I have about $4 in store credit, which isn’t a lot, but at their prices I could easily buy a pair of shoes and probably a pair of pants for a child who suddenly complains of sore toes or worn out knees.

In addition to consigning the kids clothes, I do whole closet clean outs for my husband and myself, stuffing bags full and delivering them for consignment. This will turn into cash in my pocket as well as clean out my own closet space, which has a therapeutic effect and clears the head. BONUS!

A few more tips for consignment:

1. Keep nice clothes nice. Dirty, stained, or damaged clothing will not sell and will be donated or tossed. Be sure to fold them neatly — presentation matters!

2. Clean out the closet regularly. If it is a good item but just doesn’t get worn, bag it and sell it!

3. Don’t just clean out clothes. Take in those dishes you haven’t used in years, clean out your purses, scarves, jewelry and other accessories.

4. Pick a day a month (ex. first Tuesday of the month) and fill a box!

5. Call your local consignment shops before going in and ask about their policies. You don’t want to waste your time or theirs.

I am not even half as intense as I could be with this, but in even the past few months we have added over $40 to our buying power through consignment. This will go a long way, especially buying back at thrift store prices!

I hope these tips can get you started!

What are YOUR best consignment tips?

Anita lives in Virginia with her husband and kids on a hopeful micro farm in the city. When she is not fine-tuning the budget, she can be found canning, cooking with spare parts, helping with math, praying the garden will grow, attending to a sick chicken, or covered in clay at the potters wheel. She blogs at Traveling Along.

photo source

Shared Feb 12, 2014 comment

I’d LOVE to meet you at one of the Teach Them Diligently Conferences!

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 12, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m excited and honored to be speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently conferences this year!

Teach Them Diligently celebrates the focus of Christian families — that is, the discipleship of children to glorify God. More than simply a convention about home education, they purposefully develop the themes of Missions, discipleship, and Christian parenting in addition to the traditional academic “how-to’s.

The locations and dates of the four conferences are:

If you are a Christian homeschooling family (or one who is considering homeschooling), I’d encourage you to attend one of these events. I think you’ll be blessed and inspired! I was able to attend some of the sessions at the Nashville conference last year and was really encouraged by the speakers.

Get $5 Off the Registration Price!

Teach Them Diligently is offering $5 off any family registration to all of my readers when you use coupon code MoneySaver at checkout. Go here to register.

Psst! If you’re planning to attend, I’d love to meet you there! If you can’t make it to one of my sessions, we’ll also have a special meet & greet/book signing time at our booth at each conference. I’d love for you to stop by so I can get a chance to meet you personally. Meeting my readers face-to-face and getting to hear your stories is one of my very favorite things in the world!

Shared Feb 11, 2014 comment

Olympic Rings Pizza

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 11, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So I had initially thought I would use mini pepperonis to make Olympic Rings like this picture.

But I realized that my round pan wasn’t really big enough to do that… so I just used larger pepperoni pieces and did a simple Olympic Rings Pizza.

I guess you can call this Super Duper Easy Olympic Rings Pizza. 🙂 My kids still thought it was very cool! And it was yummy, too!

Need a good pizza dough recipe? Be sure to check out my Freezer-Friendly Pizza Dough recipe.

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Click here to sign up!

Shared Feb 11, 2014 comment

Stop stalling and start working…

Published: by MSM Team on February 11, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Have you purchased your copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode yet? Get the book here!

Shared Feb 11, 2014 comment

SavedPlus: Save Money When You Shop + Try it and Get a $15 Savings Bonus

Published: by MSM Team on February 11, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Need a little discipline to help you put money in your savings account? SavedPlus is an app that helps you automatically build your savings when you shop. Here’s how it works:

Download the SavedPlus app to your smartphone, or use it online at SavedPlus.com.

Register with SavedPlus.

Set the savings slider. Decide how much you want to save every time you spend. 5% to 20% of your purchase amount will be automatically transferred from your checking to your savings account.

Link your bank accounts to SavedPlus. SavedPlus is bank independent and should work with any bank that offers online banking.

Choose your source and destination accounts. If you have more than one checking or savings account, you’ll choose the accounts you’d like to use with SavedPlus. You can set your savings to deposit into a traditional savings account, a money market account, or even long-term savings like a 401(k) or an IRA.

Set your savings goals. Save for your emergency fund, a college fund, debt retirement, and more.

Track your savings and adjust your settings. You can log in and track your progress or adjust your savings slider anytime through the app or online at SavedPlus.com.

Get a $15 Bonus!

For a limited time, you can get a free $15 savings account bonus when you sign up for SavedPlus using the promo code promo10. To get this offer, you’ll need to install and link your bank accounts to the SavedPlus app. Your $15 savings account bonus should be deposited within a week.

This post was underwritten by SavedPlus. See our disclosure policy here.

Shared Feb 11, 2014 comment

Gretchen’s Walgreens Shopping Trip: Spent $5.16

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 11, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Walgreens Shopping Trip

Transaction #1

2 Mitchum Deodorant – $3 each (Buy 2, Get $4 Register Rewards)
Used 2 $2/1 coupon from the 1/12 SmartSource insert

1 Christmas Tree Ornament – Marked down to $0.10

Redeemed 1,000 points (like $1) from previous shopping trip

Tax: $0.44

Paid $1.54 out of pocket, Received $4 Register Rewards

Transaction #2

2 Colgate Total Advanced – $3 each (Buy 2, Get $4 Register Rewards)
Used 2 $0.75/1 coupon from the 2/2 SmartSource insert

1 Christmas Tree Ornament – Marked down tot $0.10

Used $4 Register Rewards from Transaction #1

Tax: $0.44

Paid $1.04, Received $4 Register Rewards plus 300 points (from Walgreens Winter Beauty Event)

Transaction #3

2 Axe Body Spray at $5.49 – On Sale Buy One Get One 50% off (Buy 2, Earn 2,000 Balance Rewards Points)
Used 2 $2/1 coupon from the 1/26 RedPlum insert

1 Rockstar Energy Drink – $1 (Buy 1, Get $1 Register Rewards)

1 Russell Stover Valentine Chocolate – $0.39 with in-ad coupon

Used $4 RR from Transaction #2

Tax: $0.59

Paid $0.86, Received 2,000 points and $1 Register Rewards plus 350 points (from Walgreens Winter Beauty Event)

Transaction #4

1 Scope Mouthwash 1 L – $3.49 (Buy 1, Get $2 Register Rewards)
Used $1/1 coupon from the 2/9 RedPlum insert

Redeemed 2,000 Balance Rewards Points from Transaction #3

Tax: $0.25

Paid $0.74, Received $2 Register Rewards

Transaction #5

2 Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo – $2.69 each (Buy 2, Earn 2,000 Balance Rewards Points)
Used 2 $1.50/1 coupon from the 1/26 RedPlum insert

2 Christmas Tree Ornaments – Marked down to $0.10 each

Used $2 Register Rewards from Transaction #4

Tax: $0.40

Paid $0.98, Earned 2,000 Balance Rewards Points plus 250 points (from Walgreens Winter Beauty Event)

Total for all transactions: $5.16, plus $1 Register Rewards and 2,850 points (like $2.85) leftover

Shared Feb 10, 2014 comment

Q&A: What do I do when I get thrown off my routine?

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 10, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

As I am reading your book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, I am trying to do one thing at a time… I began to implement a morning routine. That worked for about 2 days. We had to put my kids (ages 1 and 5) in the same room to sleep, as we are renovating the room my youngest was in. Now, the older one falls asleep sooner, and gets up an hour earlier. When she opens the door to the room to come out, she wakes my youngest up, too.

So they are both awake an hour earlier than normal and my routine doesn’t work. Since I am not a morning person, simply pushing my wake up time back an hour is an agonizing thought, though it may be what I have to do.

My question is this: this happens to me in some form or fashion ALL THE TIME. I struggle to get a routine, then once I get one and settle in to it, a wrinkle comes and throws it off. I get out of my groove and consequently seem to never find it again.

Do you have any suggestions for getting back into the routine (for whatever area) after I get out of it? I thrive on order, but cannot seem to keep it. -Kasie

Oh, Kasie! I so know this feeling — and I think many others can relate, too! Here are some ideas I had after reading your email:

1. Make Sure You’re Not Biting Off Too Much

After years of trial and error, I realized that the reason I was failing at my goals and ambitions was because I was trying to take on more than I could handle.

So step back and evaluate your morning routine (or whatever area you’re trying to change) and make sure you’re not biting off more than you can chew. Maybe just start with getting up 10 or 15 minutes earlier and doing one thing, every single morning.

This might seem discouraging because it feels so small, but starting somewhere and doing something is better than trying to overhaul your life overnight and ending up burnt out and overwhelmed. In addition, if you make tiny little steps in the right direction, they’ll add up to big progress over time.

2. Get an Accountability Partner

It’s amazing what a difference accountability can make! Think about running a race: if you have people running alongside you and cheering you on the sidelines, you’re going to have much more motivation to keep going and stick with it.

It’s the same in our lives: if we want to stay the course and follow through with our goals, we’ve got to be intentional about finding accountability partners and surrounding ourselves with cheerleaders.

Maybe ask a few friends who also want to make some small and steady progress in areas in their own lives to keep you accountable to stick with your morning routine. Text, call, or email them to check in on a daily or weekly basis. If you have a blog or Facebook account, you can also post your goals and progress there. I’ve found public accountability to be extremely helpful.

3. Ask a Trusted Friend for Ideas & Encouragement

In addition to having accountability partners and cheerleaders, I’ve found it’s imperative to have people in my life to bounce ideas off of and who can give me wise counsel. Find a few people that you can be 100% honest and vulnerable with about areas in your life you’re struggling with. These should be people who are committed to you, who will celebrate your successes, and who will love you enough to speak the truth to you when you need to hear it.

Ask these people for their advice and input when you’re having difficulty in a particular area. They will know you and your situation well and can give you counsel that’s tailored to your needs and specific situation. They’ll also be there to encourage you when you are feeling like you’ve fallen off the bandwagon and can help you get back up when you’ve fallen.

A Few Practical Ideas That May or May Not Work For You:

Switch Most of Your Morning Routine to the Evening: Can you switch some of your morning routine to before bed to simplify your morning routine?
Give Your Children Something to Do in Their Rooms: Could your children have a special basket of toys they could play with in their room if they wake up early to give you an extra 20 or 30 minutes to
Have Your Children Join You in the Routines: Could your children join you in your morning routine if they wake up early?
Try Getting Up Earlier for Three Weeks: I know you said you are not a morning person, but maybe consider going to bed a little earlier and getting up a little earlier for three weeks to see if it works for you?

What advice or ideas do the rest of you have for Kasie?

photo credit; photo credit: photo credit

Want some practical help with setting up your day for success? It all starts the night before! Be sure to grab a copy of my brand-new online course, Make Over Your Evenings.

This 14-day online course includes videos, a workbook, and step-by-step projects and is designed to help you maximize your evenings in order to experience more success in your life, more order in your home, and more joy in your soul.

It’s time to stop sleep-walking through life and wake up to the amazing excitement and fulfillment that comes when you follow my simple plan to Make Over Your Evenings.

Find out more about it here.

Shared Feb 10, 2014 comment

This Week’s Menu Plan + Freezer Cooking in an Hour Plan

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 10, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Breakfasts

Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, and/or Fruit

Lunches

Mac & cheese, fruit
Snack-y lunch {veggies, cheese, yogurt, fruit, crackers, etc.}
PB&J, carrot sticks, apples
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Leftovers x 3

Snacks

Fruit/veggies
Popcorn
Boiled eggs
Butterscotch Brownies

Freezer Cooking in an Hour Plan

No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Ham & Cheese Pockets

Dinners

Homemade Pizza, veggies, fruit
Slow Cooker Southwest Soup, Homemade Soft Pretzels, fruit
Breakfast for Dinner: Pancakes from the Freezer, scrambled eggs, fruit
Build Your Own Haystacks, fruit
Ham & Cheese Pockets, Fruit
Dinner at our church’s Valentine’s Banquet
Dinner out (We’re going to Oklahoma City as a family for a fun getaway trip and are planning to use our gift card to The Cheesecake Factory that we got as a Christmas gift one of the nights!}

What’s on your menu this week? Tell us in the comments or leave a link to your menu plan post.

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

Click here to download!

Shared Feb 10, 2014 comment

10 Goals For This Week

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 10, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Last Week’s Goals:

Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals

1. Read 4 chapters of Missionary Adventures of Bob & Arty aloud to the girls. ~~Read 4 chapters of A Big Year for Lily to Kaitlynn. Read a few picture books with Silas.~~

~~2. Write a love note to Jesse.~~

~~3. Clean out 4 drawers in our bedroom/bathroom.~~

~~4. Make Little House Inspired Molasses Candy with the kids.~~

See our Molasses Candy pictures and how it turned out here.

Personal Goals

~~5. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-27.~~

6. Complete five days of the P90X Program.

7. Read Sarah’s Key, ~~Eat Move Sleep~~, Samson, ~~Undaunted~~, and On Every Side.

8. Finish embroidery quilt square project. Make this Knit Headband.

Blog/Business Goals

9. Record the audiobook version of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode. {I finished two days of recording and am 2/3rd of the way through the book. I have 1/3 of it left and plan to finish recording that this Friday. You can see a little behind-the-scenes photo collage on my Instagram page.}

~~10. Write three content pieces for my blog.~~

This Week’s Goals:

Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals

1. Read 4 chapters of Missionary Adventures of Bob & Arty aloud to the girls. Read 4 chapters of A Big Year for Lily to Kaitlynn. Read a few picture books with Silas.

2. Write a love note to Jesse.

3. Clean out 2 drawers in our bedroom/bathroom.

4. Take a family overnight trip to Oklahoma City.

Personal Goals

5. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-28.

6. Complete four days of the P90X Program.

7. Read Sarah’s Key, Samson, On Every Side.

8. Finish embroidery quilt square project. Make this Knit Headband.

Blog/Business Goals

9. Put together details for a download for March’s 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home Challenge.

10. Write three content pieces for my blog.

How did you do on last week’s goals? What are your goals for this week? I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you’ve blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives! You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.

Shared Feb 10, 2014 comment

“We didn’t have a spending problem. We had an income problem.”

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 10, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Testimonial from Tiffany of Wife.Mother.Teacher

In the fall of 2012 I was introduced to Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover. I found his book at our library and became a regular radio listener. With the purchase of our home, we were quickly realizing — we’d bit off more than we could chew.

Between student loans and our new mortgage, our money needed to be told what to do if we were going to survive.

That realization led me to call in to the Dave Ramsey show seeking advice. By amazing grace, I was able to make it on air and Dave gifted us his Financial Peace University class.

Let the Games Begin

As predicted, money fights ensued. My husband and I learned that we weren’t on the same page with money, and fit the bill as personality opposites.

Within 3-6 months, we made monthly budgets and usually stuck to them. But it wasn’t until around month 9 that we really got the hang of the entire plan. We were working together creating our budget, and checking in with each other regularly. We were using the cash envelope system to follow through on our budget, and feeling successful, but that’s the point where we hit our next obstacle.

We had already cut our spending dramatically — cutting back internet and cable TV, canceling smart phones, and limiting our grocery budget. And although we were making the minimum payment on all of our debts, we were struggling to really get the ball rolling on our debt snowball.

With nothing more to sell or cut out, we had to get real.

Our financial problems were no longer a spending problem. They were an income problem.

If we ever wanted to get out of a paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle, and see the debt snowball in action, we would have to increase our income.

Entering Phase Two of Our Debt Snowball

I waitressed before teaching, but with my husband’s schedule, a traditional part-time job wasn’t feasible. We don’t have an evening sitter that we could count on to babysit on such a regular basis.

Instead my husband picked up extra hours at work and I started working after school activities to earn a little extra income. It helped, but we still needed to find something more consistent.

That’s when I started tutoring online. Since completing my first lesson, I feel like I have found the key to increasing our income for the time being. It’s not a perfect solution, but until we can find another avenue, it will work.

We keep counting down the numbers as we pay off our smallest debt. I know that if we continue to persevere, our debt snowball will really start to take hold.

Whether you’re in phase one, or two, it’s important not to loose sight of your goal. No matter how big your debt, you can achieve financial freedom. The hard work and effort are worth it, especially when you learn to live on what you make. I’m looking forward to what phase two of our debt snowball has to bring and guarantee we’re up to the challenge!

This post was written by Tiffany at Wife.Mother.Teacher. – a blog devoted to sharing a passion for home management with modern, working moms – where you’ll find posts on household budgeting, teaching & raising a toddler. In her free time, Tiffany enjoys reading, exploring the great outdoors and catching up with friends and family.

top photo credit

Shared Feb 10, 2014 comment

FREE 4-Day Celebrating Your Valentine on a Budget Challenge + Free Love Notes Printable Pack!

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 10, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Many of you are on tight budgets right now, but you still want to come up with creative ways to celebrate your Valentine on a budget. So I put together a 4-Day Series on How to Celebrate Your Valentine on a Budget.

This series has practical ideas, a daily challenge, and just some personal ideas of things that have helped our marriage stay strong over the past 11 years. The ideas will work for Valentine’s Day — or any day of the year!

Sign Up for the 4-Day Challenge!

Sign up below and you’ll get an email every day for four days. These emails are simple and fun — each ending with a small practical challenge for you to implement that day.

When you sign up, you’ll also get a FREE printable Love Notes packet — with some fun ideas on how to keep the sparks flying in your marriage by the simple act of writing love notes. Plus, we put together some cute printable love notes that you can use to show your Valentine just how much you care about him/her.

Psst! Wishing you could get a copy of my new book for Valentine’s Day? We’ve made it really easy for you to do so here!

Shared Feb 10, 2014 comment

How to Start a Freezer Club

Published: by MSM Team on February 10, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Are you tight on time or money but want to eat healthy meals at home on a regular basis? Consider starting a Freezer Club with your friends.

“A Freezer Club is a small group of friends (anywhere from 2-8 people) who commit to cooking freezer-friendly meals for one another each month.” ~Rachel at Thriving Home

Interested in learning more about starting a Freezer Club? Read more at the Thriving Home blog.

Shared Feb 10, 2014 comment

My Interviews with Kat Lee: Say Goodbye to Survival Mode & Keys to Successful Blogging

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 10, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I was honored to get to do two interviews with Kat Lee recently! We did an interview for her Inspired to Action Podcast where we talked about my new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, and on How They Blog where we talked about Keys to Successful Blogging.

On the Inspired to Action Podcast, we talked about:

How to create and stick with your goals

How to find margin in your life

How a “best stuff” list will help you create margin.

The importance of self care.

How knowing your drainers and fillers will energize you.

On the How They Blog Podcast, we talked about:

How I got started blogging.

The importance of building relationships for blogging success.

The first step toward monetizing your blog.

How to find your voice.

How to find your niche.

How to know what to quit.

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

Recipes Made:

A: Charity Thrift Shop

B: Children’s Consignment Chain

A few more tips for consignment:

What are YOUR best consignment tips?

Get $5 Off the Registration Price!

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Get a $15 Bonus!

Walgreens Shopping Trip

1. Make Sure You’re Not Biting Off Too Much

2. Get an Accountability Partner

3. Ask a Trusted Friend for Ideas & Encouragement

A Few Practical Ideas That May or May Not Work For You:

What advice or ideas do the rest of you have for Kasie?

Breakfasts

Lunches

Snacks

Freezer Cooking in an Hour Plan

Dinners

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

Let the Games Begin

Entering Phase Two of Our Debt Snowball

Sign Up for the 4-Day Challenge!

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