I love free stuff. I really love free stuff when it’s the type of stuff I would buy in the store anyhow, and having it for free just makes me want to dance.

No, it doesn’t take much to make me happy.

I was at a playdate a couple of months ago and a mom there started talking about Bzz Agent, a website she uses to get free stuff. She made the claim that this website had sent her all sorts of great stuff for free and that all she was obligated to do was to let people know what she thought about the products. She never had to return anything and it wasn’t even as though the website wanted her to be some sort of covert agent; she was supposed to tell people, “Hey, I got this for free, and this is what I thought of it.”

It sounded a bit too good to be true, but as an avid HouseParty member, I know that if you fall into whatever demographic a certain company is looking for they’ll be willing to send you a bunch of free stuff in the hopes that you’ll tell your friends and family about how much you love the product. I went to the Bzz Agent website and signed up.

In about a week I got an e-mail inviting me to join a Bzz Agent campaign. I answered a few questions about dishwashing detergent and was told a Bzz Kit would be sent to me soon.  I didn’t know what that meant but figured it would be a sample for me to try.  A few weeks later I received a package in the mail containing a full-sized bottle of Palmolive dishwashing detergent, a handful of single-use samples and a packet of $1 off coupons. All they wanted me to do was try the product, talk about it to people and hand out some samples. I also submitted a report on the website about what I thought of the product and about who I had told about it, but from what I can tell the reports are completely optional.

It didn’t stop there.  So far I’ve received a free Glad Sense & Spray, two cans of Diet Mountain Dew and a coupon for a free 12 pack (yes, they sent the two cans through the mail!) and now I’m waiting for the next product I’ve been promised, which is coupon for a free Taco Bell meal. All of this comes right to my mailbox and I don’t even have to pay shipping.

If you like free stuff like me – and you like to tell people what you think of products like I do – then join the Bzz Agent program.

A few weeks ago I was invited to a party by a friend of mine. She sent out invitations via e-mail and at first I was pretty apprehensive because it said something along the lines of “Come to my HouseParty!” which to me screamed of a home party where you have to sit through cheesy presentations and then tick off the hostess if you don’t buy something. Upon further investigation I found out that nothing is sold at the party, but you get to go home with a ton of free samples.

Apparently the hottest marketing scheme lately is to send people free stuff to host a party so folks can get their hands on products and think positively about the brand. The party I attended was awesome; we watched the season premier of Lipstick Jungle before it was on television while munching on flavored popcorn and then left with gift bags stuffed with microwave popcorn, makeup, coupons, and other goodies. Nothing was sold at the party and it was a lot of fun.

So of course I hopped onto HouseParty.com and signed up to host a party too. Soon I received an e-mail saying I was approved for a party and the next thing I knew there was a box at my door filled with pasta, coupons, timers, hacky sacks, and other fun stuff. I had a bunch of friends over for a party that was essentially catered for free by Barilla, and all my friends got to leave with gift bags filled with goodies. It didn’t cost me a thing.

If you’re like me you love free stuff, and it’s even better when you can share free stuff with your friends!

I’m not the kind of person who looks for things that are wrong with the merchandise I buy or the services I pay for, but I’m also not the kind of person who ignores things that are blatantly wrong. After all, when you have young children you’re probably already working hard to stretch your dollars, so when you pay for something naturally you’ll want to get what you pay for.

I wholeheartedly think that when you buy something and it isn’t what you paid for then you need to let someone know. Here is an example from today…I bought a 12 pack of soda from the local grocery store and when I got it home and started to unload it into the fridge I noticed something weird: one of the cans was completely empty, even though it was sealed.

At first I thought it was a quirky, fun thing, but then I started thinking to myself about how I paid for that soda, so I was entitled to the soda. I called up the toll-free phone number on the side of the can and talked to a very nice man who apologized profusely and explained the semantics behind how these things happen. Then he took my address down and told me he’s sending me a coupon for a free twelve pack.

I had a similar situation with a box of fruit chews. For one reason or another one of the packs only had three pieces in it, which resulted in a huge fit with my toddler. I called up the phone number on the box and they sent me a envelope stuffed with four coupons for free boxes. About two weeks later I got another envelope with four more coupons for free boxes.

You don’t want to be rude when you call these companies, but you should call them. You need to get what you paid for, and whether it’s one can of soda or a few fruit chews you shouldn’t feel apprehensive about calling and telling the company when there is a problem. You never know when you might get an envelope full of coupons as a result.

Below is list of freebies and samples that I thought Babies Online Blog Readers might enjoy. Have a look and feel free to add to the list by sharing your comments on any other freebies that you may be aware of.

1. Free Toy Train – Just Print the coupon and go to Toys R Us
2. Free Sample – Free Organic Dryer Sheet Sample
3. 2 Free Tacos – At Jack in the Box (6-26-08)
4. Free Recipe Book – With two proofs of purchase of Lawry?s Spice Blends, Marinades or Seasoning Mixes
5. 2Free Samples – Energy saving Light Bulbs from GreenEnergy

As always, Babies Online has an impressive list of freebies for you to choose from as well. Click here to see these exclusive offers.

Below is list of freebies and samples that I thought Babies Online Blog Readers might enjoy. Have a look and feel free to add to the list by sharing your comments on any other freebies that you may be aware of.

• Free CD – Find out how to “Beat the Odds” of heart Disease (60 sec Survey required)
• Free Jockey Underwear – Redeemable at Macy’s (Expires June 6th)
• Free Sample Pak – assortment of Kotex (4 in all)
• Free Kit – Important information about Breast Cancer and toold to prevent and detect it.

As always, Babies Online has an impressive list of freebies for you to choose from as well. Click here to see these exclusive offers.

Below is list of freebies and samples that I thought Babies Online Blog Readers might enjoy. Have a look and feel free to add to the list by sharing your comments on any other freebies that you may be aware of.

• Free Fragrance Sample – Deseo, by Jennifer Lopez (survey required)
• Free Cookies Sample – Teddy Grahams Honey Variety Cookies
• Free sample – Snuggle Fresh Release Fabric Softener
• Free Kotex Sample – Ultra thin Ultra Compact
• Free sample of UnderJams – Bedwetting Undergarments for Children
• Free Paper Towels – Try a Sample from Viva
• Free Magazine Issue – Christian Magazine for kids

As always, Babies Online has an impressive list of freebies for you to choose from as well. Click here to see these exclusive offers.

Below is list of freebies and samples that I thought Babies Online Blog Readers might enjoy. Have a look and feel free to add to the list by sharing your comments on any other freebies that you may be aware of.

• Free sample – Moisture Block by Sabino Hair Solutions.
• Free Sample and Mixing Cup – Fiber Supplement by Konsyl
• Free DVD Rental – From MovieCube. Use Code: TYT08
• Free CFL Light Bulb – Energy Efficient from Accent Energy
• Free Iced Coffee – From Dunkin’ Donuts (9 different flavors)

As always, Babies Online has an impressive list of freebies for you to choose from as well. Click here to see these exclusive offers.

Babies Online is chock full of information, it may be hard for you to keep up with all of the newest additions. So, we have made it easy for you! Each week we will place the newest links right here for you to enjoy and not miss a thing. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to have great information, deals, and relevant links sent right to your inbox.

• Creative Baby Nursery Rooms
  Decorating your baby nursery is fun and easy to do with this step-by-step guide. Here you?ll find detailed information on planning your baby room, choosing baby furniture and decorating in a variety of nursery themes and color schemes with easy, DIY techniques.
• My Toy Pianos
  We specialize in providing Schoenhut toy pianos for kids of all ages.
• Baby be Blessed
  We carry a fabulous and always growing collection of stylish, unique, handcrafted and simply ORIGINAL products that you are sure to love!
• Born Gifted
  Offers loads of great baby gifts and Christening gift ideas
• CKL Keepsakes
  Hand Made Personalized Baby Bibs, Baby Gifts, New Baby Gifts, Burp Clothes by CKL Keepsakes. Register for your free account and enter to win a free baby bib!
• Baby Bump And Me
  Parenting and pregnancy advice.Tips on how your body changed, the pregnancy, advice on pain relief and bringing up your baby
• Foster Care
  Fostering Solutions is an independent foster care agency who are passionate about ensuring positive outcomes for children and young people in foster care
• InfantSEE
  Get a free vision screening for your 6 to 12 month old baby. Don’t let unforeseen vision troubles sneak up on you…get a free vision screening in your area.
• Gerber Baby Food
  Learn about Gerber(R) Baby Food For All Your Baby’s Phases
• Namely Newborns
  A fabulous collection of personalized baby blankets, handmade quilts, stuffed animals, nursery accessories, and more.

Below is list of freebies and samples that I thought Babies Online Members might enjoy. Have a look and feel free to share your comments on any other freebies that you may be aware of.

• GoodNites? Sleep Pants for Boys and Girls – Help your little one stay dry through the night
• Register to win a FREE Totyota Prius. – Just fill out a short form to enter
• Free Scotch Bright Disposable toilet scrubber – Just print this coupon!
• Body Eclipse Aromatherapy Shampoo - Just fill out a short form for a full-sized bottle (8oz)
• Organic foot cream by Gilden Tree- Try a free sample
• Dove Cream Oil Body Lotion – Click for a free sample

I finally found someone to take my son’s crib. It’s been sitting in our garage since last summer, collecting dust and waiting for a new owner. Most of our hand-me-downs go to our church because they have a babysitting service offered throughout the week, so they were delighted to get all our baby toys and furniture. They didn’t need a crib though, so I put out the word that we had a free crib and waited.

The other day I was at a playgroup and a friend of mine mentioned that her brother-in-law was looking for a crib for an upcoming baby. I told her that he could come and take ours and she said she would let him know. The other day I got an e-mail from her saying he’s interested, so they’re going to come by and pick it up.

It was then that I started to worry: would the crib be nice enough for them? I’m notoriously frugal, so the crib – although new when we bought it (on sale, of course) – is just a basic crib. There’s no attached drawers, no fancy woodwork, and there are marks from where my son gnawed on the side when he was teething. In other words, if they’re looking for Pottery Barn Kids, it ain’t happening here.

I’ve decided to not concern myself with this because, after all, it’s a free crib. A new coat of paint will make it look as good as new, and it’s probably durable enough to last through a few more babies. When I was pregnant I eagerly accepted all the hand-me-downs I could get my hands on. The question now is this: Why am I so concerned about what these people will think of the crib I’m giving them for free? I guess I just know that not everyone looks for bargains and freebies like I do, and I know there are people in this world who might actually turn their noses up to a free crib if it isn’t to their liking. I’m assuming this won’t be the case because I don’t think my friend would send her brother-in-law over if he was a snob, but I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

Scholastic is offering a free children’s book to mom’s and dad’s of children with Asthma. Just take a brief survey and they will send you a free copy of the Little Snowflake’s Big Adventure…while supplies last.

Get a FREE sample of All Natural Lavera skincare products.

Just call the number below to request a sample.

1-877-LAVERAS

?(Available to U.S. and Canada residents only)

I bet you didn’t know that about one in 25 births in the United States is a multiple birth. Did you also know that your risk of having a multiple birth goes up significantly after age 30. Yea, I know. Can you believe it? Well, I can. It happened to me.

I got pregnant with twins when I was 31. And I already had two single births at home already. We were alittle scared, but we thought, “What could possibly happen?” We already had two. How much work can two more be?

Let me tell you, one baby is alot of work. Any parent out there will attest to that. But twins, man-o-man, they are some serious baby work. But it can be done. And if you prepare for two, you will be ahead of the game when you bring them home and find out they are the work of 4 babies.

Before you even have those little blessings, there are some things you should do to make the first week home alittle easier.

• Get support. Family, friends, neighbors, everyone who offers help–take them up on it.
• Buy 4 of all clothes and bedding so you won’t run out. (laundry might get away from you the first week or two so just buy extra in the beginning)
• Stock up on diapers and wipes. You can never have enough, right?
• Have plenty of formula and bottles. You really don’t want to be going to the store at 4 o’clock in the morning. Click here for some places that will help with free stuff. Who can resist free stuff? No one!

If you have these things when you come home with the twins, it will be easier. Here are some things you can expect the first week home:

• No sleep. Now there is 2 crying babies. This is where the support comes in. Have them babysit your other kids so the twins are not so overwhelming. Have a few people come in and babysit the twins so you can take a nap. Work on getting them on a eating/sleeping schedule. It will be a lifesaver in the future.
• Bottles, pooping, more bottles and more dirty diapers. This is where the stocking up of diapers, wipes, and even clothing comes in. If you thought one new born pooped & ate all the time, just wait until you have two. You can do it, just be prepared to take your garbage out everyday.
• Second thoughts. I know you probably don’t want to hear about any second thoughts that you and your hubby have about bringing the twins home, but you will have them. It might be just for a second, but it will come. Just take it one day at a time, call all your loved ones to help, and get sleep whenever possible.

Just remember, you can do this. Yes, it is alot of work. Yes, it takes up most of your time the first week or so. But that is why I am telling you what to expect. That is why you prepared for bringing them home. Babies are always alot of work. But the payoff is amazing. But now you have a double payoff…it is almost like the lottery—except with more poop.