Really?!?! Gummy Envelopes??



First birthday party planning is in full swing. Although the stupid stamps have still not arrived, the envelopes are all stuffed and in the process of being sealed.

Speaking of the envelopes... Am I the only one who gets flashbacks of the episode of Seinfeld where George's fiancée died licking the recalled glue on their wedding invitations every time I see a gummed envelope?? C'mon! I know it's not just me. Why do they even still make gummed envelopes? Such a pain. It's not like the sticker kind haven't been invented!

/mini-rant


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A Trip Down Memory Lane: 2009 Blog Posts About Infant Ear Piercing

In honor of the fact that I recently called and made the appointment with our pediatrician's office to have Pop Culture Baby(2)'s ears pierced with her first-year well-baby checkup, I am re-sharing (with minor edits) my blog posts about our experience the first time around. These originally appeared on WTE back in my former life as a Featured Blogger on that site. Enjoy the trip down memory lane!



February 27, 2009
Infant Ear Piercing – A Cultural Issue?


I had never considered infant ear piercing a hot topic until I joined the What to Expect boards. I always considered infant ear piercing second nature. I had my ears pierced when I was only a few months old. Every girl in my family had her ears pierced as an infant. All of my friends with girls clearly have no problem with infant ear piercing, because all of their daughters had their ears pierced as babies.
But when I was pregnant, I joined these boards and witnessed moms-to-be (and at least one dad) arguing with each other over the issue of infant ear piercing. I began to wonder, Am I missing something? I mean, why was everyone so passionate about such a non-issue?

Slowly, I began to notice a pattern. The people who were so dead-set against infant ear piercing were largely (though certainly not exclusively) Caucasian, Christian and American (hereinafter, “CCA," solely for the purpose of abbreviation, and not for any other reason). Ear piercing by many of these women was couched in terms of a “bonding experience” or something you do when your daughter “asks for it.” Maybe it’s a cultural thing, but I’ve never seen ear piercing as something to bond over. I’ve gone with my older sister when she got her ears pierced (a re-piercing), my mom when she got hers done (a second hole), and even my dad when he got his done (suspected mid-life crisis), but never did it seem like something you bond over. I just didn’t get what the big deal was. And as far as asking, I grew up with the mentality that kids don’t get things just because they asked for it, nor do they get to opt out of things simply because they don’t [dinnertime would have been really different growing up if I could have just opted out of things]. I’m not questioning people who think that way – far from it – I’m just saying there’s a different cultural perspective on it.

Most of the parents I know who don’t think infant ear piercing is a big deal are not CCA – we’re each missing at least one part of the acronym. Yes, I have friends who are CCA who don’t consider it a big deal, but they seem to be small in number. Pop Culture Dad is CCA (kind of), and he was at first against getting Pop Culture Baby(1)’s ears pierced just because he had “never heard of it.” After taking a survey of my family and our friends and co-workers who, like me, are not CCA, he began to understand that a lot of people don’t think infant ear piercing is a big deal. He, too, concluded it must be a cultural thing; and since our daughter is a reflection of her mixed backgrounds, he is now on board with piercing her ears.

When we get Pop Culture Baby(1)'s ears pierced, my husband is going to go with us. It won’t be a bonding experience, but we both want to be there with her to hold her little hands. We would have gotten it done already, but Pop Culture Baby(1) has this bad habit of pulling her ears. My hubby and I have agreed that when she stops doing that, we will pierce her ears.

To each his/her own. If you don’t like the idea of infant ear piercing, don’t do it. But don’t tell me or anyone else something’s wrong with our families because we do. Like many traditions, this seems to be an issue that varies among families and perhaps even cultures. So embrace your own traditions, and don’t stress about what goes on with other’s.


Pop Culture Mom After-Notes:
When this piece was originally written, it became one of my most talked about and controversial postings. Apparently, just mentioning something about which people have such widely varying (and strong!) opinions gives them a desire to talk (passionately) about those varying opinions. Honestly, only half the mothers who expressed opinions on this piece addressed my initial inquiry about whether or not the opinions were the result of cultural differences. From a survey of those comments, it seems I missed one part of the equation: for those moms in the CCA category who have no problem with earrings on infants, they were largely from the South (as I am). Of course, I will always acknowledge that the are exceptions to every rule, and my pondering was not meant to create some sort of stereotype.

As far as rehashing the issue, I am honestly not interested at this time. Thankfully, the hundreds of heated comments on this piece got buried when WTE moved to a new blog platform (they're still there, but you would have to do some crazy detective work to weed through and find them, and, trust me, it is not worth your time). I don't personally care why people pierce or don't pierce. We did it, we're doing it again; and quite frankly I don't care if some person off the street (or even some "friend" or relative) wants to judge me for it.

If you do, for whatever reason, want to discuss infant ear piercing, cultural aspects or otherwise, feel free to do so in the comments here. But heed some warnings: I am a member of The Mom Pledge. Put in simple terms: I do not feed the trolls. I will not tolerate name-calling, bashing, or inflammatory statements. If you want to call me or a fellow commenter names or question anyone's parenting skills/sanity/etc., take it to another site. If you want to compare earrings to female genital mutilation (seriously) or even circumcision (both permanent and irreversible decisions), take the hyperbole somewhere else, as that kind of gross and inflammatory exaggeration always leads to unproductive arguments. If you want to discuss your views intelligently and passionately (preferably with facts, whether cited or reasonably anecdotal), you are more than welcome here, whatever your views.






June 11, 2009
Infant Ear Piercing is Done

I know that infant ear piercing can be a controversial subject, as evidenced by the debate in my earlier blog wondering if people's feelings about infant ear piercing are based on cultural perceptions. Whether it's a cultural issue or not, one thing I do know is that we have done it.

At the end of last month, we had Pop Culture Baby(1)'s ears pierced. The piercing was done at her pediatrician's office, along with her six-month shots. It was a pretty nice setup, actually. We checked in, and Pop Culture Baby(1) was given these little pads with numbing gel on them. The numbing gel stayed on her ears for an hour (this was actually the worst part of the entire experience). While the numbing gel did its business, Pop Culture Baby(1) got her shots. Our regular pediatrician did her normal checkup and answered my questions. Then, when the normal appointment was over, we walked to the waiting room of another doctor in our pediatrician's practice. She is the doctor who does all the ear piercings in the practice.

While we waited for the doctor, I read a book to Pop Culture Baby(1). Pop Culture Baby(1) got really into the book, so when the doctor showed up, she suggested that our au pair (who came with me) hold the book up for Pop Culture Baby(1) in order to distract her. As the doctor was getting ready to put the earrings in, my very nervous husband called because he had expected to hear from us already [we spent a LOT of time waiting]. When he heard the doctor's voice and realized she was about to do the piercing, he nervously hung up, because he was afraid to listen. He was worried for nothing, because Pop Culture Baby(1) did not even cry. She made a muffled "hmmph" sound after each one was done, but that was it.

It's been a couple of weeks now, and her ears are doing well (they have been from day one). Pop Culture Baby(1) has actually stopped pulling on her ears since she's had the earrings. Now, she pulls on her neck instead. They look really cute on her, but I can't wait until the two months are over so I can get her different earrings. The doctor gave her gold earrings, since those are the most hypoallergenic. When she is allowed to have different earrings, I'm getting her platinum, since I hate yellow gold. We also have a pair of infant pearl earrings that I bought right before we got married (long story), which I will let her wear someday, but not just yet.

Whatever people's feelings about infant ear piercing, I am happy with our decision. I have no regrets that my parents got mine pierced when I was an infant, and I am actually glad that it was done so young when I don't remember it. Everyone I know who had their ears pierced as an infant feels the same way. I'm not saying that means that's how everyone should do it. I'm just saying, this is what works for us.

And, p.s., Pop Culture Baby(1) looks soooo cute!


In the waiting room with the numbing gel on.


"Reading" a book while we wait.


Showing off the new lobes.


So nice to put her in all blue and not get asked, "How old is HE?"


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Don't Mix Business and Idiots (Real Housewives of New Jersey)

How is it that I watch the Real Housewives of New Jersey for mindless relaxation, but instead I just end up stressed out about how mindless these people are?

Tonight I watched the most recent episode, "Whine Country." Whine indeed.

The Manzos/Lauritas and Guidices/Gorgas/Wakiles1 are on vacation in Napa. This episode is like episode 5,000 of this trip, and I have been increasingly bored and infuriated by these people this season, so I only halfway know what the heck is going on at the beginning of this episode. Next thing you know, everyone is boarding a tour bus with Albie, Albert, Caroline and Chris are looking scared as hell. Chris is warning everyone to be on their best behavior. Yeah, good luck with this crowd.

We then find out from Caroline's voiceover that the gang is on their way to a business meeting:
Initially, it was supposed to be Albert, Chris, Albie. And then I guess Christopher felt kind of bad and was like, 'Mom, you wanna come?'. And I felt kinda bad. 'I'll ask your sister.' 'Well, Vito would like to see it.' And then, like, before you know it, we're all going to the vineyard—which is fine… Maybe.


No, Caroline, no it's not! And I can tell from the look on your, your husband's, your sons' and your brother's faces on the bus that you all know this isn't fine.

First off, at least two of the people in your group are, on their best days embarrassing and on their worst, certifiably crazy. I'm looking at you Teresa and Joe Guidice. Second, much of your group spends a lot of time—and I mean a lot—at each other's throats (okay, this is really an offshoot of the first point, since the Guidices are usually the source of the problem where fights at concerned). Third, and more importantly, this is a business trip. You know who doesnt belong on a business trip? People who have no business and (most importantly) have no respect for the people that do.

So as you can probably guess, the extraneous non-business-having people on the trip acted like asses and embarrassed the guys who were supposed to be conducting business [and Caroline; but let's face it, that bitch Teresa is "eating crackers" with her right now, anyway]. Teresa is in her voiceover totally confused [isn't she always, though?] as to why people were mad, when she thought they were there to have fun. The woman at the winery with whom the Manzos/Lauritas are conducting business is being awfully good-natured about everything, even though she is probably seething inside [i am sure you would put up with a lot of tomfoolery, too, if you knew your small winery was getting free publicity every time someone on this insipid show mentioned your winery's name. Though, I'm not so sure how excited about the publicity she remained after this episode aired and she got to witness Teresa and Joe Guidice having a quickie in her vines. Yes. Seriously.

Honestly, though, I can't blame the interlopers, not even the Guidices. They never should have been invited in the first place. One very important rule of business is that everything you do in reference to your client reflects on you, that includes who you involve in your business affairs. If you bring along tagalongs, their behavior is a reflection of your judgment. It shows very poor judgment to bring along a band of idiots. The extras should have been left back at the resort, or at the very least, Chris/Albert/Albie should have set up a separate (non-business) tour for the others at the winery while they finished their business transaction.

I am not sure if the guys got this wine distribution contract they were hoping to get on this trip. Honestly, I don't really care. I do know, however, that if I were ever conducting business with someone and he/she/they brought along 10 imbeciles with him/her/them to our first meeting, I would look for a different partner for my business ventures



1. If you are fortunate enough to never have seen this show, allow me to "briefly" explain how these people are connected. Caroline Manzo (née Laurita) is the older sister of Chris Laurita, who is married to Jacqueline. Caroline's sons, Albert IV (Albie) and Christopher are currently in business with their uncle Chris (Jacqueline's husband), who sometimes does business with their dad (Albert III). Caroline and Jacqueline are on-and-off friends with the absolutely insufferable Theresa Guidice (née Gorga) (who changes the way her last name is pronounced every time she makes a television appearance, so please don't ask me how to pronounce it). Teresa, who is married to Joe, also has a brother named Joe. Brother Joe is married to Melissa. Joe (Gorga) and Teresa are cousins with Kathy Wakile.

Teresa is in the middle of a fight with Caroline, because she made fun of Caroline in her cookbook, among other things. Teresa was fighting with Jacqueline, because (long story short) Teresa is a terrible friend. They recently made up, because Jacqueline is a pushover. Teresa and Melissa were fighting, because Teresa is obviously jealous of Melissa, as her husband is of her brother. They recently made up, because they're family, and Melissa and Joe (brother Joe, not husband Joe) wanted to be adults for the sake of their kids. I honestly couldn't tell at the beginning of the episode if Teresa and Kathy were fighting, because they are always going back and forth between fighting and and wanting to act like family. Just know that when they are fighting, it is always some inconsiderate thing that Teresa has done that she (as always) turns around and tries to use to argue that she is the victim.

See a pattern here?

On this trip are Caroline, Albert (husband), Lauren (daughter), Albie and Christopher Manzo, Lauren's boyfriend, and Christopher and Albie's roommate, Greg; Jacqueline and Chris Laurita; Teresa and Joe Guidice; Melissa and Joe Gorga; and Kathy and Richie Wakile. Clear as mud, right?


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This Week I'm Loving... Cozi (Cozi.com & Cozi App)

Price: FREE for basic




Cozi is a very simple digital solution to a common household problem: every member of the family has different appointments and obligations, you need groceries, there is a big list of punch items to be done, meals need to be planned, some new recipes would be nice, and oh yeah, you're tired of sending Outlook reminders to everyone. Enter Cozi.

Cozi is a one-stop shop for all of these items. The family gets one login name and one password [take note of this, as Pop Culture Dad forgot this fact when he changed the family password last week. Fortunately, Cozi sends an email to all family members when this happens]. You can access Cozi online at Cozi.com or you can download the app (for iPhone/iPad and Android).

Here is how the opening screen looks on my app:


This is the home screen online:


The calendar allows you to select which family member(s) are attending which appointments. Additionally, each family member is assigned a color (which you can change), which makes it easy to tell which appointments are whose at a glance. Every family member who logs in will see all appointments, but reminders are only sent to those attending. Every registered family member receives a weekly summary of the appointments once a week.


One added perk is that you can download an app for Microsoft Outlook that allows Cozi to sync with Outlook either manually or on a schedule. I have this on Outlook at work, so that I don't have to worry about copy/pasting my work events into Cozi. Less work, ya know?


The to-do list is pretty easy to master. It is easily edited and even allows you to make header categories for different groups of tasks.



The grocery list allows any family member to add and check off items needed and no longer needed.



The meal plan organizer is pretty self-explanatory:


BONUS: Recipes. Cozi not only contains a section to list your meal plan for the weeks ahead, but also provides recipes.



If the Cozi recipes don't tickle your fancy, you can add your own recipes manually or even upload them from the internet. This may be a good way to try out all of those recipes you keep pinning on Pinterest. Oh yeah, Cozi also lets you add the ingredients from the recipe to the grocery list.

All of this comes in the basic version, which is free. You just have to put up with ads and deal with having only one alarm on your reminders. For an ad-free experience with three alarms (plus a few other features), you will need to upgrade to Cozi Gold. Cozi Gold is $4.99 a month or $49.99 for a year. I've been using the Basic subscription for a couple of months now, and it is just fine for our purposes.

Before Cozi, Pop Culture Dad and I had been sending each other Outlook reminders (sometimes we still do) and texting each other at the grocery store. This is a more interactive way of doing things. It also makes it more clear when I'm making appointments that were previously just for FYI, that I really don't expect anyone else to attend.


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Why, Yes, I AM Still Nursing. [blank] You For "Asking"

No matter how old I get, I will never understand why the same people who applaud you when pregnant for your decision to nurse ("That's great! It is what is best for the baby after all!") always seem surprised, perplexed, and sometimes a little disturbed when you are nursing past the six-month mark. I am, of course, referring to relatives, childless friends, and other mommy friends who either never nursed or never did it very long ("very long" being a few months). This clearly does not apply to online mommy friends, because, as anyone who has spent any time on mommy message boards knows, the vibe there is generally pro-boobs. The real world needs to get on par with the cyber world.

I am tired of sounding like a broken record:
–"Actually, the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics both recommend breastfeeding for a bare minimum of six months and even for two years or more."
–"Well, I nursed my oldest daughter until she was 22 months old, so, you see, no, I don't think nine months is too long."
– "Yes, she has teeth. She has had teeth since she was four months old. A baby having teeth is a stupid weaning standard."
–"What do you mean, you should stop nursing when a baby can ask for it? She learned to pull at my shirt when she was a couple of weeks old. Isn't that technically asking? My oldest could sign for milk at four months. If I had a child who was deaf/mute, then you would be okay if I nursed him/her until she was 30, since s/he could never talk and ask for milk? Oh. No? So just a double standard then for what you consider 'asking'?"

Can we talk about the teeth thing for a minute?

Why am I constantly running into moms who practically brag to me about how they stopped nursing as soon as their baby cut a tooth? Do they think I'm sitting there nodding in understanding as I nurse my little piranha-in-training? Every single time someone tells me this, it is a woman whose baby has barely a tooth poking through. Pop Culture Baby has seven (vey sharp and strong) teeth, and we are still nursing. Clearly, I am the wrong audience for empathy. Yes, getting bit sucks. But the presence of teeth is not the standard for weaning. You will not find a single medical journal that says this. Many babies have teeth as early as four months. A few babies are even born with teeth. You can always teach a breastfeeding child not to bite, and once they get used to those new teeth, they generally don't bite anyway [except those circumstances where your baby thinks s/he is being funny and bites you on purpose... But I digress]. Even ignoring all that, if someone wants to justify to herself that weaning was appropriate because her child has teeth, then that's her business; but for the love of Pete, women!! Please stop bragging to me about it! I don't feel the bonds of sisterhood or empathy/sympathy over these revelations. I just feel sad. Please save these conversations for a different audience—perhaps that lady over there in a corner nodding and mouthing "Me too."

Also, when did formula become the norm? No, really. I get that using formula in the 1970s was that decade's equivalent of the '60s bra burning. Women had the freedom to work and weren't "chained" to their babies all day. But formula has never been and never will be breast milk. And times have a'changed. Breast pumps are readily accessible and affordable these days, and that is a huge part of why breastfeeding has made a resurgence of sorts. But most importantly, the science just keeps coming out in favor of breastfeeding. Formula, no matter what they add to it, will never compete. Ever. I totally get circumstances in which the health risks to mother outweigh the benefits of breastmilk to babies [lactivist though I am, I would much rather a bipolar or schizophrenic mom be on her meds; same for mothers with certain bone, heart or neurological diseases]. I also understand that some women don't produce enough milk or any at all [though it appears that number is certainly much smaller than the number of women who claim they can't—some of whom give up at the colostrum stage or without trying things to boost their milk like eating oatmeal, taking supplements, drinking a lot of water, pumping more often, etc.]. And while the AAP argues:
Breastfeeding and human milk are the normative standards for infant feeding and nutrition. Given the documented short- and long-term medical and neurodevelopmental advantages of breastfeeding, infant nutrition should be considered a public health issue and not only a lifestyle choice.

(emphasis added), I will grant you that for many people, the decision to use formula is a lifestyle choice. Whatever.

The bottom line is, I am doing what is healthy and recommended. Breastfeeding my now-10 month old child is not an unusual thing, nor should it be. This is the default. The medical community backs me up. If I am able to breastfeeding into the next year, you are darn tooting' that I will. By asking me, "OMG, are you still nursing??" with that inflection in your voice and look of disapproval, you are not shaming me. You are only making yourself look and sound foolish.

/rant




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Total Baby App Update

It is no secret how much I love the Total Baby app for the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. It has, however, changed a lot since I wrote my last review. there have been some significant updates. Also, I now have a iPad (thanks again, Pop Culture Dad!) and am able to witness the pretty cool iPad interface. Like a typical lawyer, I have to point out that this "review" is merely an update of new features, and not meant as a stand-alone review of the app. For a more full update, this post should be read along with the original review.

New Feature: Breast Milk Storage
The Total Baby app now includes timers for pumping and keeps a log of your breast milk. Based on how it is stored, the app even tells you when the milk expires. Honestly, I haven't been totally diligent in the use of this feature, but when I have used it, it is glorious.



New Feature: Timeline and Summary Charts
If you are more of a visual person than a textual one, this new timeline/chart summary (I'm not sure what to call it) should be right up your alley. Here is how it looks on the iPad version:






New Feature: Facebook Share
Just typed up a huge diary or milestone entry and want to share it with all your Facebook friends? No worries, just click on the Facebook share button, and you can annoyimpress all your Facebook buddies with your little one's newest and greatest accomplishments, without any need to copy/paste.




New Feature: Reminder Alarms
If your last entry was for giving baby Tylenol, but you can't remember when to give the next dosage, just set a reminder. This is the one feature the ItzBeen timer had that this app was missing. Now it is totally superior in every way.




As before, this app remains my favorite. Pop Culture Baby has now gotten too old for me to use this app for every feeding and diaper change, but I still use it for important things like medications, doctor appointments, vaccination records, growth, milestones and diaries. I still use it with Pop Culture Preschooler, too. Now that she's a little sassafras, the "Diary" feature comes in handy for capturing all the crazy things she says and does.


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This Week (and Every Week), I'm Loving... Ebates.com

Ebates Coupons and Cash Back

Back in 2006, my friend Michelle walked into my office and asked if I'd heard about this site called Ebates. I had not. She explained the concept to me, and it was at once so simple and so wonderful that I thought for sure it must be a scam: before you go to whatever website you're most likely already going to shop, you go through Ebates first. They will take you to that website, maybe even provide you with some coupon codes first, and you will earn an assigned percentage cash back from Ebates. So basically you're getting paid to do shopping you were already going to do. I thought she was making it up. But she didn't.

I signed up for Ebates completely doubtful of how well it would work, even though my friend had already earned $50 from her weekly Sephora purchases alone. I was afraid I would find myself the subject of many spam emails after Ebates sold my email address, so I signed up with a dedicated email address. After two years of receiving nothing except Ebates emails through that address, I was finally satisfied that my name had not been and never would be sold (as is Ebates' online policy).

In the six years I have been an Ebates member, I've earned $648.93, which has been sent to me every quarter. I did the check option the first two quarters, but later opted for the instant gratification of being paid via PayPal. I could probably earn more, but 70% of my online shopping is through Amazon.com, which is not an Ebates member. I'm guessing it does not need to be.

So what kind of stores can you find on Ebates? Pretty much everything imaginable (except, of course, Amazon). In this year alone, I have earned cashback from iTunes [kicking myself for just discovering iTunes on the Ebates store list this month], Old Navy, Zulily, eBags, Kodak Gallery, Snapfish, Priceline, Walmart, Personal Creations, Expressionery, Build-a-Bear Workshop, Diapers.com, Shari's Berries, StrideRite, Bed Bath and Beyond, Naartjie Kids [a new edition, and not a moment too soon!!], Teavana, Sephora, HP Home [5% back on a new home computer—do that math!], Danskin, JC Penney, ProFlowers, and Victoria's Secret. I've even earned cash back throughout the years for electronics and other items I have purchased online but pick up in the store later that day.

Whenever I have to purchase anything, I look on Ebates for coupon codes and stores that carry what I want or the particular stores I have in mind. For example, when I have to buy new contacts, the first thing I do is check Ebates and comparison shop the different contacts suppliers by both price and cash back. I have now installed the Ebates toolbar on every computer available so that I don't forget to login before making a purchase. Unfortunately for my purchase made via iPad/iPhone, not every store is Ebates-enabled for Safari (sorry, Mac users).

I have referred many friends over the years and have noticed that the best time to sign up for Ebates is when you are pregnant. Cribs, strollers, baby gear... it all adds up quickly. I had one friend sign up the same day she was purchasing all of her twins-to-be's gear, and in one day, she had earned half as much as I had on three years on Ebates [that's what I get for having my registry on Amazon instead of getting 4% cash back through Target].

So how much can you expect to earn on Ebates? Well, that depends on you. Every store carries a different percentage cash back. Magazines.com (a site I have personally never used), one of the highest percentages, is 26% cash back. Walmart.com, one of the lowest percentages, is only 1% back. Some travel sites, like Jet Blue, offer dollar amounts instead of percentages (Jet Blue is $1.50). And then there are things like the Verizon Wireless store on Ebates where you can earn up to $95.00 [I'm thinking Pop Culture Dad would have wanted to know this before he bought me an iPad from Verizon for my birthday. Yes, he uses Ebates, too.]. So where you shop and how much you shop makes a difference. You also get bonuses for referring a friend. And the best part? They get a bonus too ($5 for each of you).

When you think about it, though, does it really matter how much you get back? These a things you are already purchasing. Even the measly one percent from Walmart.com is one percent more than the zero percent you are getting right now.

I realize this reads like an ad for Ebates. It's not. No one at Ebates has contacted me. I'm not getting paid (unless, of course, someone signs up for Ebates through my link, then we both are). I was just chastising a friend this afternoon for making a huge purchase and forgetting to go through Ebates first and thought, "Hey! This would make an excellent subject for this week's 'I'm loving...',".

So, go ahead and sign up. If you're feeling nice or charitable, use my link above, or this one, so we both earn $5. Use a dedicated email address if you're not feeling particularly trustworthy. And go get yourself some cash back in purchases you were already planning to make. You won't be sorry.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad, so please forgive any ducking typos

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