Collaboration ·
Creating my work space ·
Designing My Home Office ·
Working From Home
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Designing My Home Office
Cocktail Making ·
Experiences ·
Food and Drink ·
Peroni ·
Peroni Infusions ·
Prezzo
No comments
Cocktail Making Masterclass at Prezzo
Closed Giveaways ·
Home and Garden ·
review ·
shopping ·
Trolley Bags
No comments
Trolley Bags Xtra and Cool Bag Review and Giveaway
Collaboration ·
Holidays ·
Tips ·
Travel ·
Travelling With Kids ·
What To Prepare and Pack Before Taking The Kids Abroad
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What To Prepare and Pack Before Taking The Kids Abroad
Al Fresco ·
Dining Out ·
Eating Out ·
Food and Drink ·
Prezzo ·
review ·
Summer
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Review | The Summer Set Menu at Prezzo
Disclosure - We were sent the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our unless stated.
Even though the boys haven't finished for Summer yet I am already thinking about the 'Back To School Essentials List' for September. I like to be prepared and organised and there is nothing worse than back to school shopping in the Summer holidays. The boys just want to be out with their friends or playing in the garden in the sunshine, they certainly don't want me dragging them around town trying on uniform and school shoes. So with my back to school preparation in mind I was really excited to be offered the chance to review My Nametags. My Nametags are stick or iron on labels that can be used on almost anything.
I have always labelled the boys uniforms, packed lunch boxes, bags etc, but you will be amazed how many parents don't. You may not feel the need to label but I have always done it and these are my two main reasons why.
The obvious one is to ensure your child can identify their own belongings.
The second reason is I know how hard it is when you are a teacher trying to find a child's belonging when their is no labels. Imagine at the end of the day with a mountain of school jumpers all piled up and trying to figure which jumper belongs to who. Its a nightmare.
When it came to choosing a label for little J I knew instantly he would love Mr Men. He is crazy for Mr Men at the moment so I went with Mr Strong.
The order process was very simple. I chose my design (there are so many to choose from) and clicked order now.
A screen will load which will ask you to enter what you would like on the label. This would be your child's name. There is space for surname too.
As you type you can see what your label will look like on the screen.
You then are prompted with the choice of iron or stick on.
Once completed your order is posted to you within one week.
My Nametags are not just for kids I have loved labelling all my work stuff.
Our giveaway may be closed but you can still enjoy My Nametags by purchasing online or on Amazon.
My Nametags
Michelle
Competition closes on Sunday 1st July 2018.
Upon entering this giveaway you agree that should you be the winner your details can be passed to the promoter to arrange fulfilment of your prize.
All other entrants details will not be used in any way. They will not be added to a database, mailing list or passed to the promoter.
The Winners name will not be disclosed on my page. All winners of Playdays and Runways giveaways will have the option to share on social media that they were the winner. Should they wish to disclose they can tag us and only then will we will RT or Share with our followers.
Entrants must have a valid UK address.
Bulk, third party or any other entries using automated software will be disqualified.
All entrants and entries are checked and verified.
2 lucky winners will be chosen at random by the Gleam application.
Playdays and Runways will contact the lucky winner within 3 days of the competition closing.
The winner must respond within 28 days. If no response a new winner will be chosen.
This prize is non-transferable and there is no cash alternative.
The Prize : My Nametags of your choice.
Collaboration ·
Cyprus ·
Festivals ·
Holiday Gems ·
Holidays ·
Limassol Wine Festival ·
Travel
No comments
Limassol Wine Festival, Cyprus 2018
We have visited Cyprus a few times now and have another holiday planned. Other than the Disney parks its our favourite place to visit. Whenever you visit a new country or resort you are naturally a little nervous about what it will be like but as soon as we went to Cyprus we fell in love. Everyone is so friendly and families are more than welcome on the island. John and I were actually thinking about going to Cyprus, just the two of us for a little break and to experience one of it's many festivals it celebrates throughout the year. The Limassol Wine Festival looks amazing and it's the perfect time of year for us too in August / September.
Aldi ·
Brita Fill and Go XL ·
Budweiser ·
Buyagift ·
Davidoff ·
Dobell ·
Elizabeth Shaw ·
Father's Day ·
gift guide ·
Nespresso ·
review ·
Wilkinson Sword ·
Wilko ·
World Cup Ball
No comments
Father's Day Gift Guide 2018
Father's Day is just around the corner so I thought I would share with you some gift ideas. I always struggle buying for Father's day as my dad says he either doesn't want anything or he says get me anything. So I have selected a few of our top picks this Father's Day and I think I have covered ideas for all types of dad's, father in laws or for someone that is like a dad to you.
Buyagift ·
Closed Giveaways ·
Father's Day ·
Ultimate Adventures Smart Box
No comments
Win The Ultimate Adventures Smartbox From Buyagift
As it is Father's Day soon I know most of you will be thinking about what to get your dad or dad-in-law for the special day. I sometimes struggle because my dad is so hard to buy for and when I ask him for any suggestions he always replies 'I'm easy' which really doesn't help. So if you are like me and struggle to find the perfect gift then I am so excited to tell you that I have teamed up with Buyagift this month to give one lucky winner the chance to win an amazing prize just in time for Father's Day.
Collaboration ·
Work Life Balance ·
Working From Home
No comments
The Pros and Cons of Working From Home
Collaboration ·
First Impressions ·
Hotel ·
Travel
No comments
Why A Hotel's First Impression Is So Important
Disclosure - this is a collaborative post
Last weekend we visited a hotel that we have never been to before. I am always wary visiting new hotels as you never know what they are gong to be like. Obviously like most people, I visit trip advisor to check out other peoples views but for me first impressions are so important. The outside of the hotel and the reception are usually the first thing you see and it sets the tone for the rest of the hotel.
Collaboration ·
Cutting Costs ·
family life ·
married life ·
Money Saving ·
Wedding
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The Costs Of Married Life
Collaboration ·
Cutting Costs ·
Money Saving ·
Savings ·
Top Tips
No comments
Ways To Keep The Costs Down
Disclosure - We were sent the product below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are ours unless stated. This post contains affiliate links.
The 1:16 RC Ultimate Lightning McQueen is the perfect choice for any Cars fan with some very special effects.
You may have read a few months ago that we headed to the cinema to see Disney Pixar Cars 3. It was our first ever visit to the cinema with Little J but he loves Cars so much we knew it would be the perfect first time experience for him. As such a huge fan of Cars and Lightning McQueen I knew little J would be thrilled when he opened the 1:16 RC Ultimate Lightning McQueen.
Little J has quite a few remote control Lightning's but they were originally big J's from when he was younger so as you can imagine the features and design on the Ultimate RC Lightning McQueen are so more advanced and little J is absolutely hooked.
Disney Pixar Cars 3 1:16 RC Ultimate Lightning has many functions including
2,4GHz Remote Control
On/ Off button on the bottom of the cars
Light and Sound
Rev and Turbo
Drifting
Reverse Parking
Donut turns (360 degree turns)
Brake
Smoke
As you can imagine from the list little J was most intrigued by donut turns and the idea of smoke. None of his cars he owns has these functions so they were the first he wanted to try out.
Donut turns were extremely fun and using the button on the remote control you can make Lightning spin 360 degrees.
Smoking is an amazing feature that I wasn't sure how would work. Basically there is a small water tank under Lightning which you fill with water. Then when you are ready to make Lightning smoke from behind his back wheels you press the smoke button.
The smoke is like a mist effect but looks just like the real thing and little J loves it.
We are extremely impressed with the quality, design and functions on the Ultimate Lightning McQueen. The remote control is the perfect size for little hands and although the buttons take a little getting used to little J is know a whizz.
1:16 RC Ultimate Lightning McQueen is available to buy in most good toy stores and online at Amazon
Michelle
Bullying ·
Development ·
Parenting ·
School Days ·
Teen ·
Teen Times ·
Teenager
No comments
How To Deal With Bullying
Body Image ·
Collaboration ·
CoolSculpting ·
Fat Freezing Treatment ·
Pulse Light Clinic ·
Summer
No comments
Getting Your Body Summer Ready
As soon as the weather starts to get a little warmer I start thinking about my body and how I can get it ready for Summer. Being overweight doesn't bother in the Winter as loose leggings and baggy jumpers hide my lumps and bumps, during the warmer months there is nowhere for them to hide. I have been doing Slimming World which I am enjoying, I feel like I have lots more energy and I am definitely eating healthier now than ever. The thing that worries me is that since having the boys my tummy definitely has some stubborn fat that just does not want to shift. I recently came across an advert for CoolSculpting which is a Fat Freezing Treatment. I thought it sounded crazy but I was intrigued and after reading about it in depth it is something I think I would consider.
Amazon ·
Closed Giveaways ·
Home and Garden ·
Peppa Pig ·
Summer ·
Swingball ·
Toys and Games ·
Tuft Tray
No comments
Enjoying The Warm Weather Plus The Chance To Win An Amazon Voucher
Summer will soon be here and if you have been lucky enough to experience the warm weather recently then you will know a little bit of sun puts everyone in a good mood. We definitely feel much better when we can be out and about having lots of fun in the garden. We've had lots of play days in the garden, paddling in the pool and playing with little J's new garden toys he got for his birthday. This has been the first time ever I have enjoyed playing in the garden and it's all because we had astro turf fitted last year. Its amazing and I would definitely recommend it.
As soon as Christmas is over I usually start thinking about a Summer holiday. It always seems the best time to start researching and gathering some costs for the Summer ahead. Planning a holiday abroad takes a lot of time so I have gathered some top tips when booking a holiday.
Do Your Research
When we have gone abroad in the past I find it quite stressful to actually find a suitable holiday for all of us. Our first holiday with big J was when he was just 1 year old. We researched for months before we settled on a destination. It had to be suitable for families, not too hot, plenty to do, clean and with amenities for a baby. It was hard work but it's worth it because holidays cost thousands and thousands of pounds and it has to be right.
Does It Suit ALL The Family?
When it comes to booking a holiday you have to ask yourself does it suit everyone? If you have kids a beach holiday might be just what you want but is there enough to keep the kids entertained? Having a hotel, villa or apartment with a pool is fantastic but the kids will probably get bored or tired after a few hours and will want more. A play area, kids daytime activity programme or kids club are ideal for little ones and now most resorts offer this up to the age of 16 with teen clubs to keep them busy.
Check TripAdvisor But Don't Get Hung Up On The Negatives
Over the past few weeks we have talked ourselves out of some fantastic hotels and resorts because of TripAdvisor. I love TripAdvisor but it is very easy to focus on the negatives rather than the positives. We found an amazing hotel through Thomson and overall on TripAdvisor it scored 82% on excellent and very good, but 3% of the 3,000+ reviews were negative. We focused on the negative and decided not to go which is crazy but we couldn't focus on all the positives after that. Some negative reviews will be genuine, but most of the time it is usually down to personal reasons for example they didn't like the food or they found the entertainment boring. Don't get hung up on the negatives.
Ask Family and Friends For Recommendations
Knowing someone has been to a hotel or resort and is happy to recommend it to you is usually a sign it's good. I wouldn't like to recommend anywhere to my family or friends unless I was 100% sure they would love it. There would be nothing worse than recommending somewhere and they hate it.
It's OK To Visit Somewhere You Have Been Before
I was determined this year to try and find somewhere that we haven't been before but as we love Cyprus and Majorca so much, I am guessing we will probably visit the same hotel we have enjoyed in the past. At first I thought if we visit the same place we are being boring and not seeing what else the world has to offer but like I said earlier holidays cost thousands of pounds so if there is a holiday, hotel or resort you love and it has everything you need, why visit somewhere else? Why risk spending all that money for it to be not as good as a place you have visited before it's not you being boring its you being sensible.
Have you booked your holiday this year? Leave us a comment below and let us know where you are going.
You can always keep up to date with us on our socials, give us a like on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or if this post has helped you you can Buy Us A Virtual Coffee to say thanks.
Michelle
Disclosure - We were sent the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our unless stated. This post may contains affiliate links.
As you may already know we are a Board Game Club blogger and each month we receive a game to play. We received something a little different this month, Rory's Story Cubes. I have never heard of them before so we were all eager to try them out. The idea behind the story cubes is you create a story using all nine icons shown on the cubes that you roll out in front of you.
The nine cubes have various images on and once rolled out you let your imagination take over. They come in a handy pocket sized box that closes with a magnet so you could take them anywhere.
At first I was unsure how or when we would use something like this as it's not actually a game. There is no board, rules or winner at the end. I did check the website for inspiration on how or when we could play this and it gave me lots of ideas.
Fun storytelling for family and friends, create magical moments with all generations, especially useful for the holidays.
Promoting literacy and language in the classroom – used and endorsed by educators across the globe.
Teaching Foreign Languages – endorsed by TEFL educators.
Creative Writing aid – Used for improving creative writing skills and as a tool when hitting the dreaded writer’s block.
Background story generator in role playing games – Create background stories and character scenarios for your next role playing game.
Ice breaker – At a party or in a work meeting, break the ice by rolling the dice and create shared experiences.
Idea generation and problem solving.
Agile coaching.
Bedtime stories – Create unique stories and adventures with your little ones every night. Never run out of ideas.
Improves social connections – Encourages, empathy and self esteem through storytelling.
It's amazing how a package so small and simple can be used in so many ways. We have used ours at bedtime to create a story for little J. It's been so much fun because you can take the story anywhere and create as much fun and silliness as you want. Each night has been a different story and last night little J created his own.
What We Loved
Handy sized cubes that are portable.
Lots of different uses.
Allows us to create unique stories each night at bedtime.
What Could Improve
Nothing, we love them
You can read more about Rory's Story Cubes and check out the full range available. Rory's Story Cubes retail at £9.99 and can be purchased online and on Amazon
Michelle
Alton Towers ·
Breakfast With Santa ·
Christmas ·
Days Out ·
Santa's Sleepover ·
Travel
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Breakfast With Santa At The Alton Towers Hotel
One of our favourite Christmas traditions is visiting Alton Towers each year for Santa’s Sleepover. This is a tradition that we have enjoyed for almost 20 years now and over those years we have seen the Alton Towers Resort change and evolve with new activities added each year. This year we enjoyed a breakfast with Santa for the first time.
Usually we visit Santa on our first day over at CBeebies land in the theme park and whilst this is still an option we were staying in an Arctic Explorer room so had the chance to have breakfast with Santa instead.
Breakfast was booked for us at 9:15am on the day of our departure. There were two sittings, one at 7:30am and one at 9:15am. I can’t say how busy the 7:30 sitting was but the later one was extremely busy in fact it was full and we did see a very disappointed family who had obviously booked but there was no room for them.
If you have enjoyed breakfast at the Alton Towers hotel before in the secret garden well the Breakfast with Santa is just next door in the Emperors Suite. We were advised to arrive at 10 minutes early and even by this time the waiting area was full.
When the doors opened there was a stampede to get through the door and find a table however there was no need as we had all been allocated a table already.
We were given a table for four and I will say it was a squeeze. Not only was the table of four small but we were packed in between other tables and it just felt a little overcrowded. Having said that little J didn’t seem to mind and was quite happy tucking in to the pastries that were on the table already.
Once everyone was seated we were welcomed by Sir Algenon who is the explorer mentioned throughout Alton Towers. He told us of a time when he met Mrs Claus and then suddenly she arrived. She had prepared a lovely breakfast for us all but before it was time to eat we had to help decorate the tree. Some of the tables had tinsel on and some had presents. We had a present and little J took the present down to the front and placed it under the tree while Mrs Claus and the elves sang a very upbeat and happy song.
Then a special visitor arrived down the chimney - Father Christmas. He was sat throughout the breakfast by the tree so you could visit him, have a photo taken and receive a gift. Mrs Claus and the elves were happy to have their photos taken too.
Once the buffet opened everyone was on their feet to get some food. It was about 9:50am by this time so I can imagine there were quite a few hungry tummies by this time.
The selection of breakfast was just as you would expect. Cereals, fruit and pastries then hot food such as sausage, egg and beans.
There was plenty of food and it stayed available throughout right until it was time to go.
When it was little J's turn to see Santa he went very shy as usual but Santa was great and chatted to him before posing for a photo and then giving little J a gift. He received a cute elephant hand puppet.
Once everyone had finished their food and had their photo with Santa it was time for him to return to the North Pole to prepare for the big day. He sang a lovely duet of ‘Its the most wonderful time of the year’ with Mrs Claus as they made their way through the tables and towards the exit.
Little J really enjoyed the breakfast and was entertained throughout.
What We Loved
A nice addition to the Santa’s Sleepover experience.
It was something we hadn’t experienced before so was good to try something new.
The room and tables were decorated perfectly for the festive season.
Great selection of food and drinks available throughout.
Chance to meet Santa and receive a nice gift.
What Could Improve
The number of people in the room. The room was overcrowded.
There was no professional photograph with Santa as promised. We had to take our own.
The gifts were not wrapped and were not as good as previous years of seeing Santa at the resort.
Overall it was a nice experience for little J and I think we would definitely book again if it is an option next year.
Michelle
Chad Valley ·
Chad Valley Play Panel ·
Chad Valley Post Office ·
review ·
Toys and Games
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Chad Valley Post Office Review
Disclosure - We were sent the product below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own unless stated. This post may contain affiliate links.
One of my favourite toys when I was younger was my Post Office play set. I would play with it for hours and I remember picking up leaflets and paying in slips when we visited the post office so I could add them to my play set. When Chad Valley sent us their Post Office Play Set it brought back so many memories. I knew little J would love it as he loves anything like this especially as it has lots of accessories.
The play set looks like a post box but when opened it turns in to a post office counter. It comes with lots of different accessories including money, stamps and parcels.
Little J loves adding stamps to the letters, postcards and parcels. We have used the money to help with little J's basic addition and subtraction and it has really helped. He likes to work out the correct amount of change he needs to give us.
The post office also comes with driving license, tax disc and savings book. We received a stamper in our post office however there was no ink pad so we had to improvise and use paint. I'm not sure whether it was supposed to come come with an ink pad or not as I couldn't find an exact list of contents in the box.
As a play set it is quite sturdy but it can be quite tricky to unfold and set up, it definitely needs an adults help.
What We Loved
Folds away in to a post box. Easy to store and carry.
Lots of accessories.
Perfect role play toy and great for a little ones imagination.
What Could Improve
No ink pad.
Little J has really enjoyed playing with the Post Office play set and I know this will be something he will continue to play with. I will add a few extra accessories to add the fun including some extra money.
The Chad Valley Post is available to buy at Argos and Amazon and is currently priced £16.99
Michelle
Air Pump Loader ·
Chad Valley ·
Chad Valley Play Panel ·
review ·
Toys and Games
No comments
Review - Chad Valley Air Pump Loader
As you may already know we are part of the Chad Valley Play Panel and this month we have been sent the Chad Valley Air Pump Loader to try out. We have said it before but we are huge fans of Chad Valley and have been since we were children so for us to be able to showcase their toys on our blog is a huge honour for us. Even before we were on the panel are home was full of Chad Valley toys and I know it will continue to be like that until little J is too old for them.
Art Of Football ·
Awesome Little Green Men ·
Betty Box ·
Borgo Molino ·
Christian Benedict ·
Christmas ·
Dobell ·
Gift Guides ·
Haribo ·
L.O.L Surprise ·
Nivea ·
Pink Parcel ·
Seasonal ·
Shopkins ·
Toys and Games ·
Twirlywoos
No comments
Christmas Stocking Filler Ideas For All The Family
Happy Christmas Twirlywoos
I have to admit that I haven't bought any Christmas gifts yet this year which is not like me as I usually begin as early as September. However I have started to make a note of some gift ideas that I have seen on other blogs and I have been sent some fabulous gift ideas to share with you. I have popped them below and I hope you enjoy having a browse.
Capturing Memories ·
Framed Print ·
Hello Canvas ·
Home and Garden ·
review
No comments
Hello Canvas - A Memory Captured
I haven't mentioned it on my blog as I just haven't got round to writing about it yet but back in April we visited Walt Disney World in Florida. It was a trip of a lifetime and something I know none of us will ever forget. I am planning on writing about our adventures and showing you all our photographs but for now you can have a sneak peek of one of our favourites as Hello Canvas have created a beautiful framed print for us to treasure forever.
Closed Giveaways ·
Drumond Park ·
review ·
Shark Bite ·
Toys and Games
No comments
Review - Shark Bite by Drumond Park
We have a new addition to our every growing games collection this month and it's Shark Bite by Drumond Park. I've mentioned it before but even though he is only 4, little J absolutely loves playing games and playing them regularly as a family as really helped with learning to share and take turns. Little J loves 'fun' games and Shark Bite really is just that. It's a game where you have to go fishing in a shark's mouth before he snaps it shut.
Blogger Board Game Club ·
Board Games ·
Pandemic ·
Toys and Games
No comments
Board Game Club Blogger - Pandemic
I have said before just how much we enjoy playing board games. We love playing games suitable for kids, family and adults. We love finding new games to play so when we were asked to join the Blogger Board Game Club a few months ago we had to say yes. It’s the perfect opportunity to try our new games and add to our ever growing collection. When this month’s game arrived we were excited to see it was an ‘adult’ type game. Pandemic puts you on a disease fighting team with the hopes that you will not only keep four deadly diseases at bay but also discover their cure.
All Things Disney ·
Closed Giveaways ·
Disney Guess the Film ·
Jumbo ·
review ·
Toys and Games
No comments
Disney Guess The Film
Disclosure - We were gifted Disney Guess The Film by Jumbo for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own.
Disney Guess The Film game will test your knowledge of Disney movies by showing you just a small part of a bigger image. To win a token you must get correctly, if you don't you are frozen out the round. Disney fun for all the family.
Setup for the game is really easy as are the rules. Guess the Film is similar to Guess Who however you are guessing a film not a person.
How To Play
Shuffle all the movie image sheets that you’re going to play with and put them in the holder at the back of the screen with the coloured strip facing upwards.
The sheets are divided into three levels of difficulty
Green - Easy
Bue - Medium
Red - Advanced level
When playing you take turns rolling the dice and open the window with the corresponding colour to the die.
Each coloured window reveals part of an image from the Disney film, and it’s down to you to guess which film the image is from. You must shout the film name out loud and the turn the screen towards you to check if you are correct. If you do guess correctly, you win a Mickey token. If you guessed incorrectly then you are frozen out of this round. If you don't want to guess you can just close the window and play will continue which the next player.
If you roll the dice and reveal a star you can open any coloured window of your choice.
The first player to earn four Mickey tokens wins the game.
Depending how good your knowledge is of Disney films each game can last up to approx 20 minutes. You can play with as little as 2 players and it's recommend for ages 4+.
Disney Guess The Film really does test your knowledge of Disney and is a fun game for all the family.
Unfortunately our giveaway is now closed however you can still enjoy Disney's Guess the Film by heading to Amazon to buy
I am always so grateful for any support I receive on my blog and social channels. If you did find this post useful there are a few ways that you could say thanks and support Playdays and Runways.
Have you played this game? Leave us a comment below and let us know what you thought.
Share This Post With Friends Who May Also Find It Useful.
Michelle
Hot Wheels ·
Mattel ·
review ·
Roto Revolution ·
Toys and Games
No comments
Review - Hot Wheels Roto Revolution
Hot Wheels has been popular with us since Big J was small. We have amassed a decent sized collection of Hot Wheels cars, and Little J loves each and every one of them . We were asked to review the Hot Wheels Roto Revolution Track Set, and Little J was so excited to try it out.
Closed Giveaways ·
Scan 'n' Talk Flyer ·
Super Wings ·
Toys and Games
No comments
Super Wings Scan 'n Talk Flyer Jett
You may remember back in the Summer I teamed up with the lovely people at Alpha Animation and became a Super Wings Ambassador. If you missed it then just to let you know Super Wings is a hugely popular, action-packed, animation series that can be watched twice daily on Cartoonito. Little J absolutely loves watching Super Wings and we have just started to watch series 2. I have teamed up with Alpha Animation again for a fabulous giveaway to win a Scan 'n Talk Flyer Jett.
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