Since I’m a mom, it’s tough to get a good night’s sleep. Let’s be honest, when you have kids sleep tends to be the last priority on your list.  But when I use Ultra Downy April Fresh I know I can count on that scent to help lull me into a great sleep.

Downy recently teamed up with the National Sleep Foundation for a Bedroom Poll which examined how different elements of the bedroom affect sleep.  Here are some of the most interesting statistics:

• 7 out of 10 people claim they get a more comfortable night’s sleep on sheets with a fresh scent.
• 85% of people claim they are more excited to go to bed on sheets with a fresh scent.
• The majority of people claim sheets with a fresh scent is important in creating a romantic environment.
• Men rank “sheets with a fresh” scent higher than a “dark room” in creating a romantic environment.
• 8 out of 10 people wash their sheets after purchasing them.

• Women are significantly more likely to claim they need 8 or more hours of sleep a night to function at their best compared to men.

Have you noticed a pattern here?

Since Downy gives sheets that fresh scent, they’re spreading the love and helping people get a more comfortable night’s sleep!

So the GREAT folks at Downy are helping me by helping YOU get a year of great nights- by allowing me to give away a year (that’s 8 bottles!) of  Downy!

All you have to do is one or all of the following below (and make sure you leave them in separate comments to make them count!):

• Tell me what your favorite Downy scent is!

• “Like” Downy on Facebook
• “Like” Domestic Debacle on Facebook
• Follow Downy on Twitter
• Follow Domestic Debacle on Twitter
• Post on Twitter: “I’ve entered to win 365 days of @Downy from @DomesticDebacle! Want a chance? Click here: http://tinyurl.com/44xy24j” For multiple entries, you may tweet this once a day, just make sure you come back here and leave a comment with the link.

This giveaway will end on Friday, April 15th at 10:00am. Winner will be chosen by Random.org and will have 24 hours to respond.

Thanks for being a Domestic Debacle reader, and good luck!

Thank you to P&G’s Have You Tried This Yet? program and Kroger for sponsoring my writing about trying new things and breaking out of my everyday routine. Click here to find great savings on high-performing P&G products at a Kroger store near you. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

My everyday routine is pretty much the same.

Get up.

Get dressed.

Take child to school.

Avoid eye contact with other parents.

On days I don’t have to substitute (and even some that I do) I usually feel socially awkward. I have a hard time finding anything in common with people I don’t already know, and struggle to find the courage to begin a conversation.

This kind of phobia really kicks in when I attend blogging events if I don’t know anyone there already.

Last year, I was invited to an over-night blogging event in Cincinnati, Ohio.

When I got the invitation, it immediately made me panic and shake in my boots!

1) It was with a company I had never worked with before.

2) I didn’t know the guest list.

3) I was going through one of the toughest times of my life.

Casually, I brought up the invitation to a very good friend of mine, Jenny from Momminitup. Fortunately, she understands my neurosis, and talked me into attending (because, like the awesome person that she is, was invited as well).

Thankfully, she let me ride with her, and we picked up another good friend Andrea from SavingsLifestyle on the way.There we met up with two of other phenomenal friends, Emily also from Momminitup and Amy, from AmyInOhio.

We had a great time, chatting about all things, which really set the stage for an amazing weekend.

Another thing that I am, is brand loyal. Once I find a brand that I like I (for the most part) stick with it ’till the end.

At this event, I was introduced to another product that I had never used before, mostly because it wasn’t even on the market yet! But after seeing it in action, made me drop my everyday blah-brand for a new exciting home-run!

Then came in the big guns. There were bloggers present that I had admired for years, and a certain celebrity that had me sweating through my dress (Okay, not very lady like, but this person is the GO-TO for his expertise. People beg for his approval, mmmkay?). I literally had stars in my eyes, wondering how on earth little ‘ol me got on the invite list for such an elite event. But soon I realized what good, friendly and kind people these were.

I didn’t have to rely on my girlfriends to get me through. I actually did okay on my own when they weren’t around. I SURVIVED. I didn’t make a fool of myself (at least as far as I can tell) and I didn’t come out crying. I “made it work”.

This event is something I will never forget, and will cherish the memories for years. I’m so glad I switched brands from “blah” to “home-run”. It’s already proven it’s worth many times over.

I am also so thankful that Jenny talked me into going and stepping out of my “Get up, take child to school.” routine. It was a cornerstone of my getting through that period in my life, and I can’t thank her enough for it.

Emily, Myself, Amy, Jenny and Andrea.

Are you looking to save big? Shop at the Cart Buster Savings Event exclusively at Kroger and the Kroger Family of Stores. You’ll see Big Time Savings store wide!

From February 27th through March 12th- shop Kroger’s biggest-ever promotion and find the hottest prices around on more than 35 brands  from General Mills, P & G, Nestle, Pepsi and Kroger. During the Cart Buster Savings Event, you’ll find great savings in almost every department at the Kroger Family of Stores, which includes Kroger, Ralph’s, King Soopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith’s, Fry’s, QFC, Baker’s, Owen’s, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Pay Less Super Markets and Scott’s Food & Pharmacy.

Here are just a handful of the great brands participating in the event: Multigrain Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Hamburger Helper, Yoplait, Progresso, Totino’s, Green Giant, Cascadian Farm, Tide, Charmin, Bounty, Pampers, Pantene, Crest, Iams, Febreze, Old Spice, Bounce, DiGiorno’s, Nestle Toll House, Juicy Juice, Coffee-Mate, Edy’s, Stouffer’s, Lean Cuisine, Hot Pockets, Nestle Candy, Purina and many more!

Looking for even more ways to add money to your pocket? Visit Kroger.com/CartBuster to participate in their “Deal of the Day” promotion! During each day of Kroger’s Cart Buster Savings Event, be one of the first 1000 people to click on the deal link and receive a free load-to-card coupon for the featured daily item. A few of my friends have tried this, and actually won free toilet paper!

Also- make sure to also channel your inner superstar and break out the video camera to “Show Us Your Deals!” Post an original video on YouTube letting the YouTube universe know about your saving tips and which “Deal of the Day” you loved!

To win a $25 Kroger Gift Card, all you need to one (or all!) of the following. Just be sure to leave all entries as separate comments!

• Tell me how you plan on saving big at the Kroger Cart Buster event.
• Tweet about this giveaway: “I’ve entered to win a $25 Kroger GC from @DomesticDebacle! http://tinyurl.com/5w5suhv“
• Follow @DomesticDebacle on Twitter
• Like Domestic Debacle on Facebook

Giveaway ends on Friday, March 11th at 10:00am. The winner has 24 hours to respond. Good luck!

Dear FTC: Kroger Family of Stores gift card, information, and giveaway were all provided by the Kroger Family of Stores and General Mills/Nestle/Proctor & Gamble through MyBlogSpark.

Ladies and Gentleman, the Greatest Show On Earth, just got a whole lot GREATER!

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents Barnum’s Funundrum, celebrating the 200th birthday of P.T. Barnum, the Greatest Showman Who Ever Lived!

This performance will be headed by the amazing Ringmaster Jonathan Lee Iverson, the first African American Ringmaster (not to mention the youngest!).

With 130 performers from 6 continents, and almost 100,000 pounds of pachyderms, they’re coming to the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati this weekend(and beyond!) ! What’s even more exciting, for the first time it’s being produced by two WOMEN, sisters Nicole and Alana Feld!

Dates and times are:

Friday, March 11 7pm
Saturday, March 12 11am, 3pm & 7pm
Sunday, March 13 1pm & 5pm
Wednesday, March 16 7pm
Thursday, March 17 7pm
Friday, March 18 7pm
Saturday, March 19 11am, 3pm & 7pm
Sunday, March 20 1pm

There’s literally a time and date for everyone!

All Access Pre-Showbegins 1 Hour Prior to Listed Show Time and is FREE with your ticket!

This is a huge value, and in my opinion worth the ticket price alone. We were fortunate enough to experience this at Zing, Zang, Zoom and the interaction was INCREDIBLE!

Tickets prices are:
$85 (Circus Celebrity)
$60 (Front Row)
$40 (VIP)
$19.50
$14.50

You can use code NHJ34 to save $4 per ticket! Just make sure you put the code in the “promotions” box when ordering (not valid on Front row or VIP seating, and you can’t get greedy and combine it with other offers). There are special offers available, so head to their site to catch them!

Hope to see you there!

Thank you to TurboTax for sponsoring my writing about household finances.Learn more about how TurboTax can help you find every tax deduction you deserve. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

In my end-of-year post, I mentioned that I took over our family finances in early 2010.

I also mentioned that it was a real eye-opener, and somewhat of a wake-up call.

That, was putting it lightly.

Every year, my family and I write a “wish-list” of big items we would like to purchase or do. 2011′s list has been made, and has grown (and grown, and grown…).Keep in mind, anything that makes this list MUST be paid with CASH ONLY. That’s right folks: COLD. HARD. CASH. Plastic need not apply.

At the top of our list is our final blow-out Disney trip for the next few years. With all the construction and M beginning Kindergarten, we know that Disney just won’t be in the cards for us (during September as normal) the way that we normally do it. So this year’s trip is top-dollar deluxe. I’ve budgeted, scrimped and saved all my pennies for this trip! It’s taking the biggest chunk out of our budget this year, but totally worth it in our opinion to have an amazing vacation memory. Besides, how can you resist this face when she steps into the Magic Kingdom to meet her Fairy Godmother?

I know I can’t.

So while we have this trip in our financial que, M’s also getting a set of drums delivered early next month.

These beauties will be taking up 25% of my living room:

She’s been playing since October, and has done so well that her drum instructor thought she needed a professional set. As you expected, my jaw dropped to the floor.

We purchased the low-end of professional sets, the Pearl Drums Vision series. While I say it’s the low-end, the price isn’t (in my frugal opinion). That was another big purchase crossed off the list at $1200. I know, you’re thinking I’m an idiot to buy a set of drums that expensive for a 5 year-old. But I won’t have to upgrade for years, and Pearl Drums really hold their value (much like a Honda).

Both of these purchases really set me back for a new living room set (and I’m not even mentioning J’s new guitar) until…

We did our taxes using Turbo Tax!

Normally, we get pennies back from our tax return. But, oh no. Not this time baby!

Thank you IRS for the HSA deductions*!

*This is the time during my post that I’m totally fist pumping!

Our tax return (that we did through Turbo Tax, which was in our bank account electronically within a week!!) was the exact amount I needed to buy my new living room set!

So not only am I saving monthly, but because of our tax return through Turbo Tax, I’m able to cross off every big purchase off my list (except for one, that perfect new mattress keeps eluding us).

So as you could probably tell, I am the perfect person to be singing Turbo Tax’s praises. We use them every year, and this year, got a HUGE bonus from them!

I would love to hear from YOU! Have you done your taxes yet? What’s on your list for big purchases or must-dos’ this year?

You can see other posts about this subject by searching the #CleverFinance hashtag on Twitter!