Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Happy Feet Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Lately my feet have been oh so happy with me. I’ve been treating them right! No, I haven’t been staying off of them or getting weekly pedicures. In fact, I’ve been doing just exactly what I’ve always done: making my feet work really hard for me!
But I’ve been using Happy Feet Therapeutic Massaging Insoles in my shoes, and that is making all the difference in the world. I don’t have any specific foot problems like heel spurs, corns or plantar fasciitis, although if I did, these insoles are meant to help with those conditions. Nope, I just have plain old sore feet, and I have noticed that the soreness has increased with age.
But it turns out that your feet don’t have to hurt! I honestly never considered getting insoles for my shoes until I heard other bloggers talking about what a difference it was making for them. I thought that I should give it a try, but I wasn’t expecting to notice any difference.
I’d say that I started noticing a difference in about 3 days. My feet weren’t nearly as achy as they normally were at the end of the day. After about 5 days, I started noticing something else: my back wasn’t as sore, either! There’s a connection between sore feet and a sore back, folks! I didn’t realize that!

Unless you are already battling major problems related to your feet, insoles are probably not on your radar as something that can help you feel a lot better every day. But I’m here to tell you that these are really nice, and now that I have a pair, I don’t think I’ll look back and will be getting some for myself every year or so. I love them so much that when I change shoes, the insoles come along with me. They even make versions designed to work with thong sandals! Pretty cool, huh?

Happy Feet Insolescost $44.90 (that includes shipping). That’s about what you would pay for a pair of shoes, right? What you are actually buying, however, is the ticket to turning every pair of shoes you own into shoes that are comfortable and help you thrive, instead of the shoes they likely are, which is uncomfortable at worst, and at best, comfy but unsupportive. Also, they can be put in the washing machine should they ever get a little stinky (but only air dry, please!). LOVE that!

Happy Feet are proudly manufactured in the USA and each pair comes with a one year warranty!
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win your own pair of Happy Feet Therapeutic Massaging Insoles! The contest will run until July 29th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Your choice: either follow Happy Feet on Facebook or Twitter!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Whatever you chose for the mandatory entry, choose the other and you will earn an additional entry (be sure to leave an extra comment that you did so!)
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by RSS or email.

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Extending the Life of Your Razor: Tim’s Top Mens Shaving Tips

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I recently learned that Tim changes his razor blade about four times a year (!?!?!?). I noticed this because I’m the one who always picks up razors for us. Since I’ve been getting back into couponing, I’ve been getting $10 razors for about $1.50. I’ve created a stockpile, so I wasn’t surprised to see that he had a surplus when I checked my inventory. I was, however, surprised to see that he still hadn’t opened razors that I bought for him a year ago.

When I asked him how this was even possible, he told me about two important things that he does to greatly extend the life of his razor. He was actually rather proud of these discoveries he made.

Tip #1
Keep a washcloth by your razor. Pat your razor dry after every use on the washcloth, and even rest the razor on top of the washcloth to catch any excess moisture. Keeping your razor as dry as possible goes a long way toward extending the life of the blade (guess that’s why my razors, which stay in the shower, are toast after 2 weeks…).

Tip #2
Sharpen your blade on your forearm. Are you confused by that one? Yeah, me too. This is a very interesting trick, but it is one you need to watch in action so that you don’t go hurting yourself while attempting to do this. This is the video Tim watched to learn how this works.

I’m not sure how this guy kept his blade for 22 months, and Tim is not getting the same results, but he is stretching his blade use out to just over 3 months per cartridge by using this technique along with drying out his blade.

I think Tim’s tips are really interesting. I don’t think I can successfully keep my own blade dry, but I will try this sharpening technique to see if that can help me squeeze a few more weeks out of my blades.

What about you? Do you have any neat tricks to share to extend the life of your razors? Or do you have any cool products that you use and love for hair removal? Do tell!

Disclosure: I am participating in a blogger campaign about mens shaving by Bucks2Blog and was compensated. However, the views and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

GoPicnic Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Being spontaneous with small children can be really tough. It is so much easier said than done to do an impromptu picnic in the park, for example. If your little one is still in diapers, you’ve got to bring your stocked diaper bag. You also need to load up on sunscreen for the entire family and choose outfits that are great for playtime (as well as spare outfits for playtime, should you need to do a wardrobe change). You also need to bring a big blanket to lay out, and some extra toys.

And of course, everyone needs food and drink that will be yummy and also won’t spoil in the heat. I find putting the food together to be the most challenging aspect, sometimes. It has been enough for me to throw my hands up and say, “Forget it!”

That’s why I love the concept behind GoPicnic so much. They offer an impressive variety of shelf-stable mealsand snacks that are perfect for any of the following:

  • Those impromptu picnics I mentioned
  • school
  • work
  • traveling (car or plane trips)
  • a day of running errands

There are many moments in life when having something yummy on hand to eat would be really nice, but you just don’t, so you either have to go hungry (boo) or buy something you didn’t really want (I can’t even count how many times I’ve done that in an airport…).

Before you start wondering if GoPicnic foods are also something that you don’t really want to eat, let me tell you, you are going to be very impressed with their food options. We received a care package full of snacks for kids, and I was absolutely delighted with what was included. There were lots of organic options from which to choose! Everything that was in that box was something that I felt totally great about feeding to Darah. I will confess that Tim and I made quick work of those barbeque potato chips, so little D only got one of two of those! But the rest were hers to enjoy. She gets a snack tray every day mid-morning, and the items you see her helped supply her snack try for a few weeks! It was SO nice to have these items on hand. It also made packing snacks for any of our outings almost effortless.

GoPicnic has a lot to offer, and I think their prices are quite reasonable for the quality of food that you receive. Shelf-stable food doesn’t have to be loaded down with nasty preservatives, folks! They also have many options for various special diets, so definitely take a look to see if GoPicnic might have something that meets your family’s needs!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a gift box similar to the one I received for review! Yay! The contest will run until July 28th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me a product offered by GoPicnic that you would love to eat!

My answer: The Salmon and Crackers meal looks super yummy to me!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like GoPicnic on Facebook (they are having a sweepstakes there for their fans!)
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect

Be sure to enter my other contests, found on my sidebar.

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Guest Post on Teaching Your Kids to be Organized (Hallelujah!!!)

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I’m so deeply honored today to have Julie Bestry, a fabulous professional organizer from Chattanooga, guest posting here at Stuff Parents Need. I was introduced to her a few months ago at a meet-up for bloggers, and realized immediately that she had some nuggets of wisdom that you could benefit from hearing. And let’s be real, I need some help in the organizational department, myself! This is part of one of her post. Part two will go live in just a few days. Get a pen and paper out because I guarantee you are about to get some great ideas!

Organized Kids: An Operator’s Manual

What do parents need? Some serenity. Not lost library books, forgotten lunch boxes and missed parties. Teaching children organizing skills can be difficult, especially when parents don’t feel they’ve entirely mastered those abilities, themselves. As a professional organizer, I see how disorganization leads to morning arguments, wasted time and money and dissention in the family ranks. But there’s hope – you can be relaxed instea

d of regimented and still find matching socks. Simple strategies can transform life with kids from disorganized to delightful.

Building Blocks


Just as grocery shopping and a walk around the neighborhood are great opportunities to teach kids colors, numbers and the alphabet, even a two-year-old can benefit from having you point out basic organizing themes, like matching items and grouping them together. Seat pre-schoolers with you as you fold the laundry and have them find two matching blue socks, or help you put all the folded hand towels on one shelf.

A Place For Everything

Everything should have a home, but not everything has to live with you. That means that if something belongs in your home (or life or schedule), you need to create a defined place for it so there’s no question where it belongs. If it’s no longer used, enjoyed or appreciated, it‘s time to let it go.

For pre-schoolers, it helps to anthropomorphize possessions — pretend you hear the shoes in the middle of the floor whining because they’re lonely and miss their other shoe “friends” in the closet. If dolls and stuffed animals have secret lives, why not toys and clothes? By the time kids are too old to want to play along, the good habits will already be embedded.

For school-aged kids, consider advising that items abandoned (i.e., left far from where they belong) for more than two days will go into Time Out and won’t be returned for a defined period of time. Obviously, this works better with gadgets and toys than science books, but it’s a start.


Label, Label, Label


Once kids have mastered the idea of matched items belonging together, make it easy for them to know what goes where. For children who can read, label the interiors of kitchen and bathroom cabinets and edges of shelves so they can practice helping you put things away. Electronic label makers create easily-removed labels, and your kids can even help you create the labels – just proofread before hitting PRINT.

For pre-literate kids, post a photo of Barbie or action figures or LEGOs on the bins or drawers where those toys should be kept.

Put Yourself In Their (Tiny) Shoes

Those of us standing above five feet tall can forget what it’s like to be half that size. Make sure that the organizing tools you use for your children take their size, range of motion and manual dexterity into account. In children’s closets, be sure to have a low rod and shelves they can reach if you want to help them master dressing themselves and putting clothes away.

(Darah’s closet – not very organized, but the rod height is right!)

Use tubular child-size hangers – they’re sturdier, fatter, and easier for small fingers to maneuver, and brightly colored hangers motivate kids to hang up their clothes. Keep current-season clothes on the bottom rod and next season/next size clothing on the top. If your four-year-old likes to play dress-up in her best outfit, keep special occasion clothes out of reach, too.

Parents typically put underwear and socks in top dresser drawers, but if you want your kids to start dressing themselves, put foundation garments in the lowest drawers.

Tiny hands have difficulty manipulating hangers; add hooks to walls and the backs of doors (especially in the bathroom, bedroom and entry areas) so even toddlers can master hanging up towels, bathrobes and book bags. I highly recommend 3M’s Command-brand hooks, whi

ch come in all styles, from elegant décor to Disney-themed, hold a surprising amount of weight and can be easily removed without leaving any marks.

Use vertical space to your advantage to tuck away small toys and accessories with translucent shoe organizers or Simply Stashed organizers (above). (Stuff Parents Need readers can use coupon code BESTRESULTS for 10% off.)

Beds with oodles of fancy pillows may suit fashionable tastes, but it’s not an easy look for kids to replicate when they’re just learning how to make their beds. Consider skipping bedspreads and top sheets (which often tangle and come loose from their hospital corners) and stick with fitted sheets, comforters and one non-decorative pillow.

Stay tuned for part II!

Julie Bestry is a Certified Professional Organizer, speaker and author, who helps individuals and businesses save time and money, reduce stress and increase productivity. Although a generalist, Julie specializes in paper organizing, blogs as the Paper Doll, and publishes Best Results for Busy People: Organizing Your Modern World. For more information, visit Best Results Organizing at http://www.juliebestry.com.

GoPicnic Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Being spontaneous with small children can be really tough. It is so much easier said than done to do an impromptu picnic in the park, for example. If your little one is still in diapers, you’ve got to bring your stocked diaper bag. You also need to load up on sunscreen for the entire family and choose outfits that are great for playtime (as well as spare outfits for playtime, should you need to do a wardrobe change). You also need to bring a big blanket to lay out, and some extra toys.

And of course, everyone needs food and drink that will be yummy and also won’t spoil in the heat. I find putting the food together to be the most challenging aspect, sometimes. It has been enough for me to throw my hands up and say, “Forget it!”

That’s why I love the concept behind GoPicnic so much. They offer an impressive variety of shelf-stable meals and snacks that are perfect for any of the following:

  • Those impromptu picnics I mentioned
  • school
  • work
  • traveling (car or plane trips)
  • a day of running errands

There are many moments in life when having something yummy on hand to eat would be really nice, but you just don’t, so you either have to go hungry (boo) or buy something you didn’t really want (I can’t even count how many times I’ve done that in an airport…).

Before you start wondering if GoPicnic foods are also something that you don’t really want to eat, let me tell you, you are going to be very impressed with their food options. We received a care package full of snacks for kids, and I was absolutely delighted with what was included. There were lots of organic options from which to choose! Everything that was in that box was something that I felt totally great about feeding to Darah. I will confess that Tim and I made quick work of those barbeque potato chips, so little D only got one of two of those! But the rest were hers to enjoy. She gets a snack tray every day mid-morning, and the items you see her helped supply her snack try for a few weeks! It was SO nice to have these items on hand. It also made packing snacks for any of our outings almost effortless.

GoPicnic has a lot to offer, and I think their prices are quite reasonable for the quality of food that you receive. Shelf-stable food doesn’t have to be loaded down with nasty preservatives, folks! They also have many options for various special diets, so definitely take a look to see if GoPicnic might have something that meets your family’s needs!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a gift box similar to the one I received for review! Yay! The contest will run until July 28th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me a product offered by GoPicnic that you would love to eat!

My answer: The Salmon and Crackers meal looks super yummy to me!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like GoPicnic on Facebook (they are having a sweepstakes there for their fans!)
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect

Be sure to enter my other contests, found on my sidebar.

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Make Donating to Thrift Stores Easy: Reisenthel Shopper XL Review and GIVEWAY!!!

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Raise your hand if you have too much stuff in your house that you don’t need and that brings your precious little joy to hang on to. If you didn’t raise your hand, please consider doing a guest post here on how you live that way. Totally serious.

For the rest of us, we all know that we need to let go of some stuff so that we can make our house feel a bit less junky and a lot more peaceful. For a while I had a pile of donations kept in a basket in our laundry room/office. The problem with that method was that Darah would get into it and take things out and tote them all over the house. So basically, it was pointless! Also, since the pile of stuff I needed continued to take up so much space in my house, it didn’t really feel like I had made much of a difference in terms of de-cluttering.

So I came up with a new method for thrift store donations. Wanna hear my trick?

I put everything in the trunk of my car.

This immediately gets everything out of sight. Which I absolutely LOVE! If I’m ever on the fence about donating something, I can also put it in the trunk and there it will be if I change my mind. Let me tell you, I have put HUNDREDS of things in my trunk at this point, and I have yet to go back in and retrieve anything!

The other great thing about putting your donations in the trunk is that when you are out and about running errands and are going by the place where you donate things, you are always ready to drop some stuff off.

Now, my “put it in the trunk” strategy did have one critical flaw. As my donations grew, the pile became more and more out of control until it became too cumbersome for me to use my trunk for anything else. Boo. I realized that even my donations needed some organization. Here’s my before shot (don’t judge!).


And here’s my after shot. See if you can spy a super duper fabulous bag in the picture!

All of my grocery bags are over to the far right, and everything else but the stroller in the back are things to be donated. I’ve got the Reisenthel XL Shopping Tote which now serves as my donation bag. It is super cute, no? It’s also super big (26.8 ” X 17.9″) and super strong! It is the perfect bag to keep my trunk from getting too crazy. Plus, when it is full (like in the picture), that’s my cue to get my behind over to the thrift store and drop everything off.

This bag is also just the right size for holding sports or swim gear, which are other things that tend to stay in the trunk and make everything look a bit messy.

Reisenthel is a company that has been creating awesome reusable bags, carriers and home decor items for 40 years. That means that they were making reusable bags pretty much before anyone else! Their shoppers and tote are very popular in Europe and are making quite a splash here in the U.S. as well. The shopper I reviewed retails for $29.99 and can be purchased at Touch of Europe.

My BFF can attest to just how beautiful the bags are, as she was visiting when mine arrived. We used it to load up everything we needed for a day trip out with the girls, and after watching it in use, she said, “Are you going to give one of those away? Because they are awesome!”

Why yes, I am!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Reisenthel XL Shopping Tote (sponsor will choose the pattern). Awesome! The contest will run until July 27th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Check out the super impressive selection of Reisenthel products and tell me about another one that you really love. You are going to flip when you see all the pretty!My answer: I really want a carrybag for trips to the farmer’s market!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Reisenthel on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by email or RSS
Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my site.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary bag for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

TV Stands for Flat Screens: Get Creative

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Wanna hear about a furniture purchase I totally regret having ever made? It was for a tv cabinet.

You guys, it was gorgeous. It was solid wood. It had beautiful detailing. It had a commanding presence in a room. It looked great in our house, too. I even bought it used to save some money.

Wanna know my mistake? Two things:
1. I overpaid. I gave $300 for it. I have no idea what I was thinking.
2. I bought something that people don’t really need anymore. Such things are impossible to re-sell.

Scratching your head on that one? Well, just think about it. I bought a humongous piece of furniture designed for a humongous television. People are very rapidly trading in those big monsters for flat screens. Why shouldn’t they? The prices have dramatically fallen! In fact, when it was time to sell it, I couldn’t even get someone to give me $50 for it, and that’s just 2 years after I bought it. I had to donate it for a tax deduction. It kind of broke my heart. We couldn’t move with it because our new house was much too small for it. Plus, we had the same plans as the rest of the country…we were going to buy a flat screen!

We got a tv about 4 months after we moved in, and we looked around for TV stands for flat screens. We saw some interesting options, but decided to get really creative for our tv stand. We brought a desk with us from Memphis that we both really loved. But the house we are in now actually has a desk built into the wall back in the laundry room/office. We didn’t care; we loved that piece of furniture so much that we decided we would find a way to make it look right. But how does one make a desk fit into a living room and not look awkward? In our case, we put our tv right on top of it. Works for us!

If I had not already had a creative solution, I think I would have been interested in corner TV stands for flat screens. I didn’t even realize until recently that they existed! The main thing I don’t like about our current set up is that the TV is clearly the focal point of the room. I’d like to change that so that it is an element of the room, but not the primary focus. I think a corner stand could help make that happen.

If you are thinking about getting a flat screen, or have already bought one and want to find the right TV stand to fit your needs and your home, this guide is a really good place to start. With flat screens, you have to think about your furniture and your room set up in new ways!

Whatever you do, don’t buy a big TV cabinet. Even if you still have a big TV, you probably won’t 5 years from now, and you’ll be hard pressed to get any of the money you paid for it back out! At least that was my experience!

Lock Down the Perfect Gift: Master Lock Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Back in 2006, I got a grill for Tim. It was nothing glamorous, but it was his. It was one of those very basic models – a good “first grill.”

The grill sat on the side of our house for a few days, tucked away behind our garbage can. And then it was time to take the garbage to the road, so the grill was no longer hidden.

That’s when it was stolen. Tim never even got the chance to use it. 🙁

That incident is the main reason why all of our porches since that time have remained completely empty. I haven’t put out any furniture, any large potted plants, and certainly not any grills. I realized that if it can easily be moved, it can easily be stolen.

I was really excited to learn about a product that Master Lock puts out that is actually perfect for things that you’d like to leave outdoors, but that you’d also like to make sure stay where you put them.

These are Adjustable Locking Cables, and they are so useful! The cords are extremely flexible and the locking mechanism is adjustable so that if you need to use your lock to help hold something tightly in place (like a ladder), it can do that!

Other features are as follows:

  • 3/8″ (10mm) braided steel cable for superior cut resistance.
  • Cable end threads through places other cables cannot.
  • Rekeyable wafer cylinder for maximum pick resistance. Can be keyed-alike to any standard M1 key cut.
  • Rust resistant lock and vinyl coated cable for superior weather and scratch resistance.
  • Velcro strap holds excess cable for compact storage.

Now that Tim has a lock like this, he is MUCH more likely to have a grill in his future. It wasn’t an option at all before. This is also great if you don’t have a hidden place like a garage or a shed to store your lawnmower or weed eater. It can even serve as a bike lock!

Master Lock is a really great resource for gifts, whether you need an adjustable lock or something different. They are the world’s largest manufacturer of padlocks and related security solutions. Because they are such a popular supplier of such products, you can find them pretty much anywhere. Check out the list of stores where Master Lock is sold!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win the Adjustable Locking Cables we reviewed (ARV $28.70). The contest will run until July 26th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me one other product from Master Lock that you’d like to have.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Master Lock on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Like Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

How to Keep Coffee Fresh: Friis Coffee Vault

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I’ve made no secret of my love for coffee. Especially iced coffee. I’m actually sipping on some as I write this post! 🙂
I make my own coffee at home, which does save quite a bit of money. But I have always noticed that even when I use the more gourmet coffees at home, the stuff in the coffee shop tastes better.
I found out why that is the case, and I’ve found out how to better even the playing field. Wanna hear how to keep coffee fresh?

It’s called the Friis Coffee Vault, and let me tell you why this is not just an ordinary container.
It is specially designed to vent away carbon dioxide, which is the primary culprit for making your coffee taste a bit dull.
You see, once coffee is roasted, it is continuously giving off this gas, and they sit, trapped, in your typical storage container. The gas basically eats away at the freshness and flavor of your coffee beans or coffee grounds. That makes sense, because I have noticed that freshly ground coffee tastes the very best. I don’t have a coffee bean grinder at home, though, so I have to make do with the pre-ground stuff.
The Friis Coffee Vault has a patented valve built into the container, and it sends those gases right out, keeping your coffee free from the damage they cause. Pretty awesome, right?!
I can tell you after using the product for a few weeks, I really can tell a difference in how my coffee tastes. Really!
If you have anyone on your birthday or holiday gift list this year who loves coffee, this will be an unexpected but very much appreciated gift, I promise! It’s one of those things that I had never heard of until recently, but now that I have it, I wish I had known about it a long time ago. I shudder to think of all the mediocre cups of coffee I have made for myself without my Friis Coffee Vault!
Buy it!: The Friis Coffee Vault is available in a variety of sizes and quantities (buy more than one to save!). The 16 oz. coffee saver I reviewed retails for $24.95.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.