Thank you to P&G and Kroger stores for celebrating “Team Mom’s Everyday Victories”! Please visit the P&G’s event page to play games, win money off your next Kroger trip and more fun!

It all started last Fall, when I was given the chance to choose a costume to review with Shane for Halloween. I knew immediately what Shane would want to be- Buzz Lightyear. He had been obsessed with the Toy Story trilogy since March & a six month infatuation for a then-barely-two-year-old was astounding. I asked Shane what he wanted to dress up as & when he said Buzz, I ordered the costume.

I waited what felt like FOREVER for the costume to finally arrive, and for a week I ran to the mailbox the minute the mailman drove away to see if it had arrived. Finally, it did, and I practically skipped into the house and called for Shane to come downstairs & see what had come for him.

Before I could even get it out of the box, Shane recognized the green, purple and white of the costume as being that of his favorite hero. He didn’t remember what a costume was {he had been only 14 months old the Halloween before} and wanted me to show him RIGHTNOW. Luckily for him, I was even more excited than he was, and I opened the packages as quickly as I could. We had gone all-out, purchasing not only the jumpsuit but the gloves and even the inflatable jet pack, so by the time I started opening the last package, he was growing impatient. Finally, all three were open & ready for him to wear them.

I blew up the jetpack, which Shane was fascinated by, and then I started to put the costume on him. It was a bit tricky, since it was all one piece and had a head piece, but I worked it onto him & started to pull it up. Very quickly, he started crying. Apparently, there was a little piece of velcro on it that I hadn’t seen & it had scraped against him a bit as I tugged the costume up. It didn’t cut him, just left a spot a little red, but he was scared by it & wanted the costume off immediately. It was almost as hard to take off as it was to put on, so Shane started to get a little panicky when it didn’t come off quickly enough for him. As I struggled to get the costume off, Shane struggled to get away, and I took the hint that he was not a fan.

I left the costume in the play room, sitting out to peak his interest. My hope was that he’d grow used to it by late August, and hopefully ask to wear it again. When mid-September came, and he hadn’t said a word, I began asking him if he’d like to try it on. He wasn’t shy about letting me know how badly he didn’t want to wear it. But, with a deadline to review the costume quickly approaching, I thought that maybe trying one more time would make him realize that there was nothing to be afraid of.

That backfired.

He ended up going as an “Army man” for Halloween, with a last-minute costume I threw together for $8. It turned out cute, but it wasn’t Buzz.

The Buzz costume was retired to his closet, where it hung {with the jet pack still inflated} for months. Every few weeks, Shane would come & ask me if he could wear his Buzz costume. I would always say yes, and go to grab it, excited that he may actually want to wear it finally. &Every time, before I could even get it down, he would change his mind.

Until last week. Last week, Shane asked for his costume. Like I’ve been doing for eight months, I got up & went to get it for him- although not in such a rush anymore since I knew he’d just say never mind before I got it, anyway. But this time, he let me grab the costume, and get it down, and he helped me take off his t-shirt as I got the costume ready to put it on him. I was cautious of the velcro, and I pulled the costume on gently. He asked for the jet pack with wings & I put that on, too. &Instead of freaking out, he simply jumped.

“Why are you jumping?” I asked.

“I want to fly like Buzz,” he said, “but I can’t. My wings don’t work.”

So I picked him up, and spun him around & around the room, so he could finally fly like his hero. It took three seasons, and countless tries, but finally, I got the smile I was looking forward to in September. Victory was mine.

Hurry in to Kroger and Kroger Banner Stores for P&G’s big sale event, June 10–23!

At Kroger and its banner stores, look for tags with special prices on over 30 of your favorite P&G brands {like Tide, Charmin, Cascade, Pampers, Crest & Olay} throughout the household needs and health and beauty aisles, and be on the lookout for even bigger offers – like getting serious dollars off when you buy a bundle of products!

Before hitting the store, be sure to visit P&G’s event page on Kroger.com: http://bit.ly/KG6dw5 You can play games like basketball, track and gymnastics to win money off your next Kroger trip, download digital coupons, print a shopping list, and learn more about P&G products!

And as part of this event, consider trying one of these fab products from P&G: Vicks Nature Fusion, Charmin Basic, Downy Unstopables, and Swiffer Duster Extenders!

What is your Everyday Victory story?

Susie’s Note: I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective.