Thursday, February 26, 2009

Apples to Apples



Sunday, we went over to a friend's house for dinner. It was so much fun! We really enjoyed ourselves. We also learned a new game! Brian, who is not a game kinda guy, loved it too. lol.

It was Apples to Apples! Totally hilarious. I didn't win, but totally hilarious! If you ever find it at a thrift store or a garage sale, it is worth it!!! And if you find one, and don't want it, just pass it on to your sweet friend Annie. hehehehehehehehehe...
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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Michigan Trip...aka...I love Dawn and Band Groupie Trip.


Brian and I traveled up to Detroit last weekend. We really enjoyed being together, without the kids! It was the first time that the two of us have gone away since Abbie was born. Seriously. First time that Isaac stayed the night away from us. While I missed them, I really enjoyed my grown up time...and we will have to do it again!




While we were there, Dawn and I met up with our friend Terry from HP. We ate at a "fancy" restaurant in Macy's. The food was wonderful, but the fellowship was even richer...


These are my fancy french fries with Gorgonzola Cheese, but I like to call it Gogongzolla. lol.


Isn't Frieda one of the prettiest girls??? Oh...and Dawn too.

Chilling and Checking HP. Seriously. I drove almost 7 hours to sit on Dawn's couch and check HP. :P

Breakfast with the band. Yes...our music pastor, Titus, is giving bunny ears? This was such a wonderful morning...well worth waking up early for.

Shake and Shake the Ketchup bottle...some will come and then a lot will. Or, you can try to tap your finger on the 57 sign. Which really did not work. But the shaking did. Who owned the Ketchup bottle? Me.
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MONDAY MATCHUPS....


This is a great week to learn how to trade coupons on Hotcouponworld!!! If you have the right coupons, you can get many things FREE!!!!

Meijer:

Aunt Millies Bread .30 a loaf
SALE: 1.00
MQ: .35/1 1/11 insert

Hershey's Chocolate Bars FREE
SALE: Buy 3 Get 3
MQ: Buy one hershey's bar get a special dark free 1/25 insert

Land O Lakes Butter .25
SALE: 1.25
MQ: .50/1 1-25 insert

Yoplait Kids Yogurt .50
SALE: 2.00
MQ: 1.50/1 With this coupon


Bounty Paper Towels 2 for $1.00
SALE: 1.00
MQ: 1.00/2 2/8 insert


Kroger/Payless:

Dial Handsoap .18 bottle
SALE: .88
MQ: .35/1 1/4 insert

Eckrich Bologna .45 package
SALE: 1.00
MQ: .55 tearpad that I traded for

Gatorade FREE
SALE: 1.00
MQ: .50/1 Tearpad that I traded for

Nesquick Milk FREE
SALE: 1.00
MQ: .50/1 Tearpad that I traded for.

Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls 1.00 Money Maker
SALE: 1.00
MQ: .30/1 2-8 insert
Catalina: Get 3.00 oyno when you buy 5

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls 1.25 Money Maker
SALE: 1.00
MQ: .35/1 1-25 insert
Catalina: Get 3.00 oyno when you buy 5


Healthy Ones Lunch Meat .25 or FREE
SALE: 1.00
MQ: .75/1 2-1 insert or 1.00/1 Hangtag that I traded for

Sobe Life Water FREE
SALE: 1.00
MQ: .50/1 hangtag that I traded for

Tennessee Pride Sausage Gravy FREE
SALE: 1.00
MQ: $1.00/1 1/25 insert



CVS:

(kuddos go to HCW for these matchups)

Nyquil or Dayquil : .99
Sale: $9.98/2
MQ: $1.50/1 Nyquil or Dayquil (either P&G 1/18/09 or 2/8/09..use two)
ECBs Earn $5
Math: $9.98 - $3 MQ - $5 ECB = $1.98/2 or $.99 for 1

Gillette Fusion Gamer, FREE
SALE: $7.99 - Limit 1
MQ: $4 2/8 insert
ECBs Earned: $4.00
MATH: $7.99 - $4 (MQ) - $4 (ECB) = +.01

Ritz, Triscuit or Wheat Thins , 2 for $2.00

SALE: B1G1 ($3.99)
MQ: 2.00/2 1/25 insert

Colgate Cavity 4.6oz, .13 a tube Limit 5
Sale: .88
MQ: .75/1 2/1 insert

Renuzit Tri-Scents Starter Kit, .51 money maker

Sale: $5.49
MQ: $4 2/22 insert
ECBs earned: 2.00
Math: 5.49-4=1.49 get back 2.00 ECB


Pringles Mini FREE
Regular Price: $1.00 -These are a smaller bag...like 1.6 ounces. Check all around the store and ask the manager. They are a promotional item.
MQ: $1.00/1 2/8 insert and 1/25 inser
t



Walgreens:

Reynolds Wrap, .11 Money Maker
SALE: $.89 w/ in-ad q
MQ: $1/1 2/8 insert
AD Q: pg. 12, $.89


Dove Deodorant, .49/1
SALE: $1.99 sale price
MQ: $1.50/1
1/18 insert






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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Some More Freebies


Victoria Secret Lotion---courtesy of HCW

Print the voucher and redeem at your local Victoria's Secret for a FREE Victoria's Secret Pink 1 oz energizing body lotion! No purchase necessary! Valid through March 2, 2009

JCPenneys $5.00 Gift Card!!! --- Courtesy of HCW

Get em while you can this is hot!! Need to use CODE 3008--->You will still get the gift card even if you don't put your CC or Debit Card. ;)

Goody Girl Barrettes---courtesy of HCW
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Totally Freebie Tuesday!!


Enjoy some free things. Free is always enjoyable. :)


CLAIROL PERFECT 10
"Try Perfect 10 for free! The first 500 readers to sign up will receive a coupon for a FREE box of Clairol Perfect 10 hair color!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Be one of the first 500 to sign up for a free box [$13.99 value] of Clairol Perfect 10 hair color on Cosmopromo.com and you will receive a coupon for a FREE box! Promotion starts at 12:00 PM on February 10, 2009 until supplies last. Limit one per household. A notice will be posted on Cosmopromo.com when 500 entries have been received. Must be 18 years or older and a resident of the 50 United States, District of Columbia or Canada. Void in Puerto Rico, Quebec Province and where prohibited by law. Allow 4 weeks for delivery. Sponsored by Hearst Communications, Inc. "
(Value: $13.99)


Free Mantra Grocery Tote
This is for a free Grocery tote...you can choose between red and green. I personally chose red!


Free Starbucks Coffee Sample
I don't have to say anything about this, other than...yummo!

Free Kids Boost Essential Drink Pack
"We invite you to register now to get a free trial offer coupon1, nutritional facts, news, offers, tools, and more. Just fill in the form below and click submit"

Poptarts Sprinklings Kids Club
"Join now to get a bunch of fun for you and the kids, including a smattering of samples and a variety of values that'll keep your family happy throughout the year."


Free Lego Club Magazine!
This a completely free magazine! Make sure that you go to the right hand side of the icon that says Free Lego Club Magazine, and put your country in. ;)

Free Dr Pepper
Good to the first 2,000,000 requests. Also, you can choose between a 2 liter and a 20 oz.

Free Greenies Cat or Dog Treats
I believe that these are natural treats??? Don't really know...but I will take free Zeke treats!

Free $20 Gift Certificate to Baby Dangy!!!
Click on the banner that states $20 Gift Certificate. They stated that the certificate will be emailed to you.

Free Crest Whitestrips...and other samples too!
When you click on the "Get sample Now", you will be taken to the Proctor and Gamble site. Follow through with all the questions!!! It will be worth it, because they will send you multiple samples and more COUPONS!!!


Also---Check out the Free Redbox codes at Redboxcode.com. Just in case you had not heard of it before. :)

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!!!

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Monday, February 16, 2009

First Words Isaac...


Every morning , we wait to see what Isaac's first words will be. They are always just hilarious.

Sunday, his first words of the day were: "When I grow up, I am going to be a Philippine Soldier."

Today, his first words were: "Next time we go eat, I am going to get a cherry sloo-shie. Cause I love cherry sloo-shies".

The boy is about the most random kid in the world. I love it. It makes him who he is. And it reminds me that God chose his name for him. "Laughter".
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Crummy Matchups


There really are not many matchups this week. So, I am going to do something different...

Tomorrow, I am going to post some freebie deals. Check back then :)

And---So sorry about the lack of Matchups.
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Sunday, February 15, 2009

Small Town Living....


So, for those of you who know what it is like here, you will laugh. For those of you who have never lived in small town, USA...you will laugh too.

Yesterday, as I drove to one of the final days of Brown's Candles store, I came upon an accident. Two larger trucks had collided in front of the "Crossroads" restaurant. Neither were "horribly" damaged, but it was a wreck none the less. Of course I slowed down as I drove by. I had to chuckle though, which I felt kind of remorseful over. But not really. In the parking lot of the restaurant, there stood at least 30 people watching the accident. Several older men were pointing out details on the trucks. No one was on a cell phone. And at least half of them were smoking. It appeared that it was more entertaining than the new Brad Pitt movie. Yes...it was chuckle worthy.

I went on to the candle store, and on the way back, they were STILL cleaning it up. There were more watchers. Funny.

I then went on to the grocery store. At the grocery store, my cashier and bag boy was discussing it. The lady from the line over joined in the conversation. I said nothing, listened, and smiled. I really wanted to laugh out loud...I suppressed it though. Good Girl, Annie!

Driving home from the grocery store, I saw the trailer/tow truck that was carrying the beat up truck. It was pulled over to the side of the road, BECAUSE the truck was falling off!!! Wanna guess what else was going on??? There was another set of people at the gas station, standing there pointing their fingers and watching. A dad ran and got his kid out of the car to see the "amazing sight". I held nothing back, and laughed to my heart's content.

A day in the life of Small Town, America. Have I ever mentioned that they drive tractors and lawnmowers to the grocery here??? They do.


Oh---and I wanted to share this AWESOME website! Brian and I love to try new little restaurants. It is kind of a hobby of ours. This guy calls himself, "The Hungry Hoosier". He has a book and a website of the best of Indiana. Check it out and find a new dive to visit!

The Hungry Hoosier
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Saturday, February 14, 2009

Meet ?????



She needs a name...

And yes, She is a van :)

Super deal with lots of fun added things like a video system, built in child seats, automatic doors, etc...
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Friday, February 13, 2009

New Addition to the Family


We have a new Friend... It's a SHE according to Brian.

I will post pictures later on. Until then, any guesses what the "SHE" is???
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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Admission...


I must come clean and admit.

My name is Annie...and I still have my Christmas Tree up. There, I said.

Is it horrible that I am not ashamed of that? I love my tree. But, alas, Brian says it will come down this weekend. :(

OH----and it rained today! Have ever mentioned that I LOVE RAIN! Love love love it. Made my heart feel all warm and gushy today, to awaken to that sweet trickle against my window. Mmmmmm....
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Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Meet A Friend Of Mine...


I love my friends from High School. I had such an eclectic group of friends, which made for a VERY fun teenage life. There was one family that we were fairly close to, as my sister went to college with the oldest sister...the middle sister was in youth group with me, as was the younger brother. They were all beautiful people, full of talent. I recently caught up with the younger brother...Marco. And b/c I know some friends who would appreciate his work in way that I can only try to...I want to share him.


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January in Review



Man, I got way behind in family blog stuff! So sorry!!! We had some major projects to do in January, and pictures on the blog just kind of got pushed to the back. But, here is the month in review with pictures. :) I will try to do better with February!




The Month Started off with me doing my very first Coupon Presentation. I was invited to speak at a Wonderful Church in Plainfield, on couponing. I was nervous, and yet, I really enjoyed myself as well. It has been fun to hear the stories of families coming back to tell me how much they saved each week! YAY! Coupons ROCK...and I am glad that the fever is spreading!

This is a picture of my stockpile, although it is even fuller now. We lived off of our pantry stockpile for Dec, and are now building it back up.

The enfamous Mac and Cheese Recipe...

One of my Goals for 2009, is to try one new recipe a month. This was January's. It was good, but WAY WAY WAY too rich. Did I mention that it was Too Rich? lol. And fattening. This month will be Kelly's Cracker Barrel's Hashbrown Casserole!

Brian and Isaac's project, for one weekend, was making nunchucks. The ones that Bri is holding, were his from childhood. Isaac is holding his new ones made from, "washas and ppc pipes" (aka washers and pvc)



My Boy turned 4 in January! When we went to choose his b-day cake, he carefully looked at each fancy, decorated one. Spiderman, Soccer, Mickey Mouse, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles....you name it. BUT, he said no to each. Then, he pulled my hand, to take me to HIS cake. A lovely triple chocolate cake. No writing, no decoration. JUST CHOCOLATE. That's my boy. I have never been more proud. And, we let him eat it for Breakfast, to which immediately afterwards, he asked if he could have his 1 pound Hershey's Bar for dessert. Good Boy.


Isaac had a Pirate Party this year. It was such a strange party, as it really just seemed like a fun time of fellowship, and not a party at all. Brian and I now treasure that day in our hearts. We were supposed to have the party at McD's Playland, but it was PACKED. So we headed to our trusty friends at Chick-Fil-A. They were just awesome. They even had the Totally cool Cow come out for entertainment. If anyone needs a b-day party place, you HAVE to check out
Chick-Fil-A. They are a wonderful organization to support.

This past weekend, we headed to Indy. It was supposed to be in celebration of Brian b-day and to find a van. Neither really happened, but I enjoyed myself. Brian, on the other hand, found the weekend stressful. I LOVE to ride around in the car, looking...kinda like window shopping. Brian...not so much. :P
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Update on Monday Matchups


Just found out on HCW that Meijer is doing a Catalina deal on their bars!!! Here is the deal:

Buy 3 get $1.50
Buy 4 get $2.50
Buy 5 or more get $3.50 coupon OYNO

So far, these bars are included:

Nature Valley Granola
Curves
Fiber One
Chex Mix Bars

All of these have coupons out there, that will bring them down to 1.00 a piece. That means that it would look like this:

5 boxes of bars 10.00
5 mf coupons - 5.00
---------
5.00
Get 3.50 coupon 3.50
--------
1.50!!! that is a good deal in my book. .30 a box is stockpile worthy!!!!


UPDATED AGAIN!!!!---Just realized that there are Peelies on the the FiberOne Bars and FiberOne Cereals. If you buy 3 Fiber One bars, you get 1 Fiber One Toaster Pastry FREE!!!! Cool!
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Sunday, February 8, 2009

Monday Matchups...


Yipppeee!!! I am early! Imagine that???

Good week this week. One to make us all smile. I needed that. :) Thanks to HCW for matchups and previews....

Meijer:


General Mills Chex Mix Bars$1.00
SALE: $2.00 ea.
MQ: .50/1—2/08/09 insert

Macaroni Grill Dinners$1.99
SALE: $2.99
MQ: $1/1—2/01/09 insert

Betty Crocker Frosting—FREE
SALE: $1.00 ea
MQ: .50/1—2/08/09 insert

Aunt Millies Bread--- .59
SALE: $1.29 ea
MQ: .35/1—1/11/09 insert

Skippy PB --- .45
SALE: $1.25 ea
MQ: .40/1—1/18/09 insert

Activia Yogurt--- 1.00
SALE: $2.00 ea
MQ: 1.00/1—1/11/09 insert

Velveeta 1lb 3.69
Sale: 4.69
MQ: 1.00 ---tearpad found at Meijer beside Velveeta

Betty Crocker Warm Delights --- .25
SALE: $1.25 ea
MQ: .50/1—2/08/09 insert

Chex Mix—FREE
SALE: $1.00 ea
MQ: .50/1—1/25/09 insert

Betty Crocker Brownies--- .66
SALE: $1.66 ea
MQ: .50/1—2/08/09 insert

Herbal Essences Shampoo/Conditioner/Styling Products$1.00
SALE: 2/$5
MQ: $3/2—2/08/09 insert

Suave Deodorant$.79
SALE: $1.79
MQ: .50/1—1/11/09 insert

Revlon Eye Cosmetics ---FREE
SALE: $1.49-4.49
MQ: 2.00/1—1/11/09 or 2/08/09 inserts



CVS:

1.99 ECB wyb CVS Children's Chewable Aspirin 36ct 1.99 Limit 1
4.99 ecb wyb Extreme Energy 6 hour shot 4.99 Limit 1
7.99 ecb wyb Earinse 7.99 Limit 2

American Greetings Cards ---FREE---Money Maker! not sure on limit
SALE: .99 cards
MQ: Use This Printable for B1G1 Free
ECB: 3.00 wyb 3 cards

Bodyheat Patches ---Free limit 5
SALE: 3.99
MQ: 1.00 peelie on the pkg
ECB: 3.00 wyb 1


Stayfree Maxi Pads---MoneyMaker limit 5
SALE: $3.69
MQ: BOGO free 1/4/09 AND THIS Printable for $2.00/1
ECB: 2.00 for each you buy.

Here is how I would do the above deal:
6 Stayfree 22.14
- 11.07 (3 bogo coupons)
---------
11.07
- 4.00 (2 2.00 printables)
------------
7.07
-10.00 in ECB earned
-------------
Profit of 2.93 to buy Maxi Pads...wasn't there some stupid commercial out there about having a happy period??? I guess making money on it, can at least make it all endurable huh?

Ritz or Wheat Thins---FREE
SALE: $1.00
MQ: 2.00/2— 1/25/09 insert


Walgreens:

Gillette Fusion ---1.01 MM
SALE: $8.99
MQ: 4.00/1— 2/08/09 inserts
RR: 6.00 when you buy 1


If anyone else sees something good, let me know. If I see anything else, I will put it on, the week is still early!!!! :)
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Monday, February 2, 2009

8 Tips For a Clean Kids Room...and help needed.


So, I have been seeking info and putting thoughts together on how to clean a kids room. Seriously, who would have ever guessed that this could be so frustrating and difficult???

Today, my friend Kelly blogged about it as well. I have a funny feeling that many mothers are in the same conundrum. Here is the best article I found. Would you please chime in with your favorite ideas too? PLEASE? Also, ideas on how to encourage them to keep the rooms cleaned!

---And by the way, I will do Monday Matchups, tomorrow. They were un-impressive this week anyway. lol----

8 Great Tips to Organize Kids Rooms ---by

1. Take a child's eye view

Get down to your child's eye level to help him or her get organized. Look at your child's space, storage, furniture and possessions from his or her vantage point. The view may surprise you!

Adult furniture and organizing systems don't translate well to children's needs. Sticky dresser drawers are hard for small hands to manage. Folding closet doors pinch fingers and jump their rails when pushed from the bottom. Closet hanging rods are out of reach, while adult hangers don't fit smaller clothing. Traditional toy boxes house a tangled jumble of mixed and scattered toy parts.

To organize a child's room, solutions must fit the child. For younger children, remove closet doors entirely. Lower clothing rods and invest in child-sized hangers. Use floor-level open containers to hold toys, open plastic baskets to store socks and underwear. Devise a simple daily checklist for maintenance. To organize a child's room, tailor the effort to the child.

2. Bring the child into the process.

Resist the urge to wade into the mess alone, garbage bags flying. Gritted teeth and threats of "You will keep this room clean!" don't touch the root of the problem: teaching children organization skills and maintenance methods.

Instead, look at the organization process as a learning activity, and put the focus on the child. Professional organizer Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing from the Inside Out, recommends that you view your role as that of organizational consultant to your child. As his or her guide, survey what's working, what's not, what's important to the child, what's causing the problems, and why the child wants to get organized.

Partnered with your child, you stand a better chance of devising an organization scheme and system that makes sense to him or her. If they're involved in the effort, children are better able to understand the organizational logic and maintain the new, organized room.

3. Sort, store and simplify.

It's a conundrum! Children's rooms are usually small, often shared, and generally lack built-in storage. Yet these rooms are host to out-of-season and outgrown clothing, surplus toys, and even household overflow from other rooms. Kids can't stay organized when the closet is crammed, the drawers are stuffed, and playthings cover each square inch of carpet.

The solution: sort, store and simplify. Begin with clothing: sort it out! Store out-of-season or outgrown clothing elsewhere. Finally, simplify! Does your son really wear all 27 T-shirts crowding his drawer? Remove the extras so the remainder can stay neat and orderly in the available space.

For younger children,a toy library is the answer to over-abundant toys. Using a large lidded plastic storage container, large box or even plastic garbage bag, entrust a selection of toys to the "toy library." Store the container in an out-of-the way place for several months.

Some rainy day, bring out the toy library, swapping the stored toys for other playthings that have lost their savor. The stored toys will have regained their interest and freshness--and they won't have been underfoot in the child's room.

Older kids can utilize higher closet shelves to "store" some of their belongings. Clear plastic shoebox storage containers hold little pieces and identify the contents.

4. Contain, corral and control.

Toy boxes and open shelves are no place to store children's possessions, particularly those involving many tiny parts. To organize toys, think "contain, corral and control."

Contain toys and other belongings before you store. Use plastic shoebox containers for smaller toys (Barbie clothes, Happy Meal give-aways), larger lidded bins for blocks, trucks and cars, light-weight cardboard records boxes for stuffed animals. Use specialty organizers to corral magazines and comic books, video games, or CDs and cassette tapes.

A bonus: containers help parents control the number of toys out at any one time: "Sure, you can play with the farm set, just as soon as the Matchbox cars go back into their home!"

5. Make it easier to put away, harder to get out.

The premier rule for efficient children's storage? Make it easier to put something away than it is to get it out.

For example, store picture booksas a flip-file, standing upright in a plastic dishpan. The child flips through the books, makes his selection, and tosses the book in the front of the dishpan when he's done. Compare a traditional bookcase, where little fingers can pull down a whole shelf faster than they can replace one book. Build the effort into the getting out, not the putting away.

6. Organize bottom to top.

Befitting a child's shorter stature, start organizing from the bottom of the room, and work to the top. Most used toys and belongings should live on lower shelves, in lower drawers, or on the floor. Higher levels are designated for less-frequently-used possessions.

Working bottom to top, the best-loved teddy bear sits in a small rocker on the floor, while the extensive Grandma-driven bear collection is displayed on a shelf built 6 feet up the wall.

7. Label, label, label.

When it comes to keeping kids' rooms organized for the long haul, labels save the day! Use a computer printer to make simple graphic labels for young children. Pictures of socks, shirts, dolls or blocks help remind the child where these items belong. Enhance reading skills for older children by using large-type word labels.

Slap labels everywhere: inside and outside of drawers, on shelf edges and on the plastic shoebox storage containers that belong there, on boxes and bookcases and filing cubes. Playing "match the label" can be fun--and turns toy pickup into a game.

8. Build a maintenance routine.

The usual peaks and valleys approach to room cleaning can vex and frustrate children. Their room is clean, they play, and suddenly, their room is back to messy normal.

Help children stop the cycle by building maintenance routines into the family's day. "Morning Pickup" straightens the comforter, returns the pillow to the bed, and gets yesterday's clothing to the laundry hamper. "Evening Pickup" precedes dressing for bed, and involves putting away the day's toys.

Ready or not, autumn is coming. Pitch in now to get those rooms in shape for the new school year, and send 'em back to school from an organized home!


ADD Your Great advice PLEASE!!! Moms Unite Against Messy Rooms. MUAMR.

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