Can you believe it is already 2013? Time really does fly, and as we start a new year, many of us are left asking where the time went.

While you may not be able to account for all of your activities for the past year, a recent survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics did analyze how the average Americans spent a typical day.

Below is a breakdown of where our time really does go:
• Time spent sleeping: 8 hours, 42 minutes
• Those who were employed spent about 8 hours working (including commute time)
• Amount of time spent watching television: 2 hours, 45 minutes, which accounted for about half of our leisure time and was our third most time-consuming activity.
• Overall, men engaged in leisure activities, including sports, recreation, exercise, etc for 5 hours, 33 minutes, compared with 4 hours, 53 minutes for women.
• Women shopped 26 minutes, while men hit the stores for 22 minutes.

Parents are faced with the daily challenge of getting their kids out of bed and ready for school. If you are lucky enough to be the parent of a child who doesn’t object to rolling out of bed in the morning then count your blessings. Parents have been known to employ some rather sneaky tactics, including bribing, just to help the morning routine go as smoothly as possible.

Feather & Black, a children’s bedroom furniture designer based in the United Kingdom, recently shared the results of a survey of 2,000 parents who were asked to share their best practices for getting their kids to rise and shine.

• 41% said opening the curtains to let daylight in is the best way to wake kids
• 24% said they set an alarm
• 24% use breakfast to get children up and moving
• 7% confessed to using a splash of water
• 4% admitted to bribing their children

Were you surprised by any of Feather & Black’s findings? We know that everyone is different, and there is no one size fits all solution when it comes to rousing the children. So we want to know, what method works best for you?

Time spent traveling increases exponentially during the holidays, and often this travel includes hopping time zones. Unfortunately, the shift from one time zone to another can wreak havoc on your sleep schedule.

Whether your holiday travel plans include a trip across several continents or just across the country, we wanted to share these tips to help minimize your sleep disruptions.

• Plan your travel accordingly. Your body has a harder time adjusting to the time change when you fly from west to east. Don’t over schedule on the day you are planning to arrive. Instead, give yourself that day to get acclimated and you’ll be ready for a fresh start in the morning.

• Reset your internal clock. The easiest way to reset your body clock is to get outside. Exposure to sunlight or exercise will help you feel more awake when you arrive in a new time zone.

• Don’t forget to pack your sleep accessories. Bringing your favorite pillow will make unfamiliar surroundings feel like home. If you are a light sleeper, pack an eye mask and small sound machine in order to block out distractions that might keep you awake at night.

• Stick to your routine. This is an easy one to overlook, especially when you are on vacation. Often when we finally arrive at our destination, taking a nap might seem like a great idea. Unfortunately, it might hurt you more in the long run. Instead, stay awake during the day and go to bed at your normal time. This will not only help your body clock adjust to a new time zone but will also make it easier for you to recover once you return home.

Have a sleep tip that you swear by when traveling? Leave us a comment and tell us about it.

There’s always something in the air around the holidays that makes people want to do something good. Year round, Mattress Firm employees nationwide participate in local charity events and fundraisers. This holiday season, Phoenix was fortunate enough to experience the generosity of the human spirit.

One Saturday, a couple visited the Mattress Firm location at Queen Creek store in Phoenix. They noticed the donation boxes in the store for Toys for Tots donations. Once the couple realized how passionate our employees were about providing a great holiday to local children who would normally go without, they promised to return with a toy donation.

Later that afternoon, the couple kept their word and returned to the store. But they didn’t just bring a toy to donate, they brought ten bikes and five bags of toys! The generosity of the couple is truly one of those instances that you only read about, but this time it happened to our employees in Phoenix.

This holiday season, we hope you are inspired to do just one thing to make someone else smile. The power one individual can have on spreading compassion and hope is contagious!

Even though Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month is coming to an end, that doesn’t mean that the fight against this disease should. The Mattress Firm Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness of pancreatic cancer all year long and we are not alone. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is also encouraging each and every one of you to become a visionary in the fight against pancreatic cancer.

Watch this public service announcement from Mindy Kaling about heightening awareness of this disease. When it comes to pancreatic cancer, how will you help Know It, Fight It and End It?

November is an exciting month at Mattress Firm. Whether you visit one of our store locations or stop by our corporate office, you will see lots of purple. Even our signature delivery drivers are donning purple shirts in honor of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Because the Mattress Firm Foundation’s national focus is to raise money and awareness for pancreatic cancer research, this month offers us the perfect opportunity to spread the word about the work we are doing to fight this deadly disease.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Though other forms of cancer have seen improved survival rates, pancreatic cancer remains the only major cancer that still has a five-year survival rate in the single digits at 6 percent. The death rate for pancreatic cancer continues to rise and is expected to become the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. as early as 2015.

Those scary statistics, along with the feeling of hopelessness that many families feel when the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is determined, are the reason why the Mattress Firm Foundation has declared pancreatic cancer our national focus. In order to raise awareness during the month of November, we’ve been showing the Mattress Firm Foundation commercial across the nation. If you haven’t had a chance to see it, you can watch it here.

So far, the feedback we’ve received has been amazing. So amazing in fact that we wanted to share some of it with you:

“I have not been a customer in the past but will be in the future because of your support to find a cure for pancreatic cancer. Thank you so much for your companies support!” – Steve C.

“I just saw your commercial advising you were supporting a cause that means a lot to me – Pancreatic Cancer. As a survivor of pancreatic cancer I just wanted to say “Thank You for helping spread the word about it!!!” I still have issues with my pancreas and digestive tract, but I am very thankful to be alive!!!! I wear my pancreatic cancer survivor hat as my badge of honor because I know I’m in an elite class! Once again, thank you! I wish more companies would do what you are doing!!!! I will be sure to recommend your company to my family and friends when they need a new mattress!!!!” – Brenda B.

We will continue to raise funds and awareness for this disease even after November is over. We hope you will join us in our fight by supporting a local pancreatic cancer awareness event or simply by making a donation. To find out more about the Mattress Firm Foundation or to donate to our fight against pancreatic cancer, visit our Facebook page.

The Mattress Firm team in Atlanta has been busy giving back to their community lately. Whether they are collecting food for the local food bank or making sure families have a place to sleep, our Atlanta team is making sure to Give Big! We received this amazing email from one of our Atlanta store managers today and just had to share it with you.

Yesterday we had another successful community outreach project. Mattress Firm donated 67 Tempur-Pedic mattresses to the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta. This donation is valued at approximately $80,000!

Founded in 1988, the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta provides essential household furniture to individuals and families moving out of homelessness, battling HIV/AIDS, and fleeing domestic violence. They service approximately 40 families a month and have a rather extensive waiting list.

The donation event was terrific and everyone was in good spirits and seemed to have a good time. We cannot thank Ryan Ireland, Jeremy Matthews and our warehouse team enough for making this event as efficient and easy for us as possible. We were told our donation allowed the Furniture Bank to help 16 more families who were on their waiting list!

A mattress is a big investment and must be properly cared for to ensure lasting comfort. In order to help you receive the optimal return on your investment, we’ve compiled a few easy to follow mattress care tips.

Rotate Your Mattress
It’s not a myth. If you own a single-sided mattress, it should be rotated at least once a year. If you own a double-sided mattress, you should flip and rotate it every six months. Don’t forget about your box spring; it should be rotated yearly also.

Protect Your Investment
A mattress protector is a great choice for several reasons. First, it will protect your warranty. Stains on the mattress will void the warranty based on manufacturer’s warranty guidelines. Second, a mattress protector will keep your mattress clean and dry which helps create an allergy-free sleep environment.

Use the Proper Support
Queen and King size mattresses require a frame or furniture with a center support in order to perform properly. If you are using bed slats with a mattress and box spring, make sure you use at least three rigid, no-sag slats.

Keep it Fresh
Allow for good air circulation both around and under your mattress set. It’s helpful to let your mattress air out occasionally by removing all bedding. You can also vacuum the top panel of your mattress to remove dust.

Mattress Firm locations in Houston, Texas are doing their part to help the homeless this upcoming holiday season. This past weekend they kicked off their Coat and Blanket Drive to benefit Star of Hope, an organization dedicated to meeting the needs of homeless men, women and their children in the Houston area.

From now through November 2nd, you can help give hope by donating new or gently used winter coats, sweaters, jackets or blankets at one of the 96 Houston Mattress Firm locations. Click here to find the location nearest you.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the odds of experiencing homelessness for a person in the general US population are 1 in 194. It’s not a problem only in Houston either. While the Star of Hope assists nearly 1,100 homeless men, women and children every day, there’s a need to assist the homeless population in almost every community.

Every donation of a coat or blanket is a gesture of hope to one of the homeless residents of the Houston area. Where ever you live, why not start your holiday giving today by giving the gift of hope?

After almost of a month of fried food and carnival rides, the State Fair of Texas came to an end this past weekend. Unfortunately, the final weekend of the event was marked by the destruction of a State Fair mascot. Big Tex, the 60-year old iconic statue, caught fire on Friday morning and was destroyed.

Photo from American Live Wire

Once the news got out, Mattress Firm was quick to find a way to pay tribute to Big Tex. Within a few hours, we had pledged to donate a portion of the proceeds from the remainder of the State Fair toward the restoration of Big Tex. Donations are also being accepted online and were collected at our State Fair booths throughout the weekend to go to the State Fair Scholarship Fund in honor of Big Tex.

Mattress Firm had planned to reclaim the Guinness World Record for tallest mattress stack on Saturday and had even brought in 60 twin mattresses that were to be used to build the stack. However, the event was cancelled due to the Big Tex tragedy. Instead the mattresses were donated to six non-profit organizations in the Dallas area.

While the burning of Big Tex is an event that is sure to go down in State Fair of Texas history, it also highlighted the giving spirit and culture of Mattress Firm. For the last six years, we have been honored to be part of the State Fair and the local community. This year we were presented with an opportunity to give back and we were happy to do it.