I’m a mom to 3 kids, 2 of them are twins. I wasn’t one of those people who was afraid or panicked when I found out we were having twins, I was ecstatic. We had been going through fertility treatments for a couple of years and even lost a pregnancy, so the news that two babies were on the way was very very welcomed. I would never say that I always wanted a big family, but I would say that I knew that I wanted more than two kids. I think I instinctively knew that this was going to be my last pregnancy and 3 kids seemed like just the right number to me. The pregnancy was somewhat smooth, no huge problems, but not easy sailing either. The delivery was another story, I spent months recovering. During that time I found myself at home, alone, taking care of the 3 kids. I also had just transitioned from a full-time job so the whole thing was a bit of an adjustment for me. During that time I found a few things that helped get me through some of the rougher days. Although I admit, when I look back I have mostly all happy memories of that time. Those kids were a lot of fun.
For some reason, my kids were always very well-behaved in the car. I found that if we left the house every day, things seemed to run smoother. My oldest daughter loved this, as she wasn’t stuck at home all day with screaming babies (she was 6 at the time). Many days we’d load the babies up in a stroller and walk around the mall or a store. Most of the time we didn’t buy anything we just enjoyed getting out and walking around.
As they got older I found that we spent more and more time in the car so I started to use that time as a little bit of “decompression” time for myself. I’d usually load up my purse with a bunch of magazines, a soda and a treat. Then I’d spend my time flipping through magazines and enjoying a snack as I waited for soccer practice to end, or dance or whatever it was that day. My oldest is now 19 and those babies are about to turn 14!!! I find that I need those quiet moments just as much as ever.
Since I work at home (this blog) and the kids are gone all day, quiet is not the problem nowadays, the problem is walking away from work and taking a minute to pause.
I find sewing very relaxing… the problem is, when it’s your JOB sometimes it’s not relaxing. The busier I get, the more I find that I still need a sewing project as a coping mechanism. The problem is that it gets muddled in with all of my deadlines. I decided a while ago that I need to keep some of those sewing projects just for myself. Things that I sit down and sew with NO intention of ever blogging about it.
Right now I’m playing around with English paper piecing and smocking. I try a few days a week to pause from what I’m working on and sit and work on what I call a “slow sewing” project. I’ll turn on the TV, pour myself a soda, and grab a treat. 
One of my favorite treats are the Pepperidge Farm® Milano® cookies… For me they are the perfect combination of crunch and dark chocolate. I just have to make sure that I only take two out of the package and put the package right back in the cupboard, otherwise I’ll eat the entire bag!
To help us all remember to pause for a moment (myself included) I’ve made a free printable for you that you can download over on the templates page. It’s one of my favorite quotes: 
“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy”… Wise words, even though they are sometimes hard to follow.
As a way to help you find a moment for yourself, today one lucky reader has a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!
You can use it to indulge yourself a bit. Whether it’s a spa treatment, a fun night out with your family or a magazine and a bag of cookies, you decide! To enter for a chance to win, just leave a comment below… Tell me: “What are some of your favorite ways to pause and take a moment?” I can’t wait to read all of your ideas, I may even need to adopt some for myself!
Entry Instructions:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
- Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
- Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
- Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
- For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the [email protected] email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 5/4/15 – 6/30/15.
Be sure to visit the Pepperidge Farm® Milano® Cookies brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!
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I love those cookies!! my guilty pleasure!
I love to unwind watching a good show on tv, or sewing. :)
I love to unwind with some handwork, embroidery or knitting and a good movie on the tv.
My favorite way to unwind is a long hot bath while reading a book.
reading a good book outside
https://twitter.com/sweetums82/status/595298054837776384
I enjoy going on a nature walk or enjoying a cup of coffee.
tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydpa/status/595341247994290176
My favorite way to get me time is to make healthy smoothies, and spending time doing my yoga and meditation. It really helps me stay focused!
I spend “me” moments early in the morning before everyone wakes up. I catch up on emails and just enjoy the silence.
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/595362587535122432
I love to have a cup of tea, some cookies & curl up with a good book!
I sit quietly and reflect on the blessings in my life. Even spending a few quiet “mindless” moments gives me a new focus…
I like to enjoy a cup of tea and read a book
tweet https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/595392106664960001
i like those Milano cookies also, they’re not too sweet and are just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.
i take a moment to relax first thing after getting my kids fed. I review my day with a cup of coffee and then read or check blogs for the next 15 minutes. I also use dr. Appts as time for me too.
I pamper myself with a bubble bath and Milano cookies.
My favorite moment of pausing is to just stop everything I’m doing at the moment, pay attention to my breathing and everything going on in my surroundings and to mentally list things I have in my life that I’m grateful for. And like others when I need a bit of time to myself I create things, quilts, embroidery, painting, etc. I also love to look at my garden and just sit in a chair as the sun goes down and breathe in how it smells. Thank You so much for your giveaway. [email protected]
I am lucky enough to live up in the mtns. away from the city lights and noises. I have a house full of 4 kids that I homeschool, so finding quiet time, a time to pause in my day, is pretty important. I love to just go outside and talk a walk by myself. Just sit under pine tree and listen to the wind blowing thru it. It also helps to get up before the sun, so that I can have some quiet all to myself :)
I like to unwind on my covered deck. In the evening I sit on my glider and gently rock, sipping on a glass of wine and watch the moon come up.
Sometimes I’ll take the long way home just to be alone with my thoughts. I’ve also just driven to one of the lakes in town and just sat looking at the water. No thoughts, no purpose, just being.
My favorite way to pause and take a moment is to sit out on the patio with a good book and a nice glass of wine.
I tweeted about this promotion. https://twitter.com/PJGurganus/status/595606309988388864
I love to read a book, paint my nails, or some of fun activity.
I tweeted too! https://twitter.com/jessrwarfield/status/595616100307468290
There was a time, a few years ago, when I was working part time, working on my MS, and had an infant. My job and my school were both 30-60+ minutes from my house in opposite directions, so my commutes were lengthy but I realized after finishing my MS, moving away from my job and being home with 2 kids that I missed that time in the car- it was quiet and it was mine! Now I sew and go out shopping/ browsing to decompress and have time to myself, or my husband takes the kids out so I can have quiet time at home.
My guilty pleasure is Tim Tams and sewing kids clothes :)
I like to unwind (more than once a day) playing Words With Friends on my iPad. I’ve made new friends in Colorado and Vegas just playing the game. Want to play? I’m pretty good! :)
I love to unwind with my wife in the evening – sometimes we have tea and cookies in the evening.
Thanks!
[email protected]
If I”m home…I love taking a hot shower. If I”m out and about…Iooking through the photos of my kids always makes me happy.
I love that print! Thanks for sharing it, and for the reminder! I love doing a craft project of some kind, or sitting outside in our deck and relaxing!
My favorite ways to pause and take a moment are reading and taking a long walk.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/596162326262218752
Oh darn, now I want a cookie.lol!
My favorite ways to pause and take a moment is with a good book or a movie.
tweeted https://twitter.com/mom22girlz/status/596205521880756224
I love to do yoga, that’s my chance to take time for me and reflect.
demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com
i enjoy coffee and a good book
https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/596325956848996354
I like to take a few minutes, have a cup of tea and read a good book.
I love to unwind with some good music and stiff drink.
tweet= https://twitter.com/groogruxking40/status/596401536969773056
I like savoring my breakfast by myself!
Not that special but, a cup of coffee and a treat of Chesapeake Dark Chocolate cookie..decadence and my escape. ..although the scenery is spectacular on my deck.
I sneak away when my family Is watching I lock the door and jhop in the bath tub with a good book :)
I get probably about 15 minutes if that but its worth it! !
tweet
https://twitter.com/MeandBells/status/596553181552738305
I would have to say my favorite way to unwind is to literally “pause” and reflect on what’s going on in my life at the moment. I am a teacher and I can always find work to be doing, whether it’s grading, planning, reading about ways to better myself as a teacher, reading about ways to better my students, or finding cool new ideas for our class projects (I teach 3 levels of Fashion in a high school). I’m also getting married at the end of the month, so I’ve been super busy lately. It’s really hard for me to just sit still and not “do.” So, my little ritual has become that no matter how long my to do list is, when I wake on Saturday morning I go sit in an old recliner on my sun porch with a cup of coffee and I watch the sunlight start to cover everything in my backyard, I appreciate all of the sounds around me, all of the green around me, and I just think about and remind myself how lucky I am to be sitting here, how lucky I am that I have so much to do and worry about. Those times that I pause my busy life for even just 15-20 minutes, are some of the happiest times of the week.
My favorite is chocolate & coffee! a good book or magazine and sit in the backyard and enjoy the sunshine… or in the living room by the fire if it’s cold.
Walking is a great daytime relaxer but at night, it’s a glass of wine!
hello sure enjoy your web page for it has helped me with so many great ideas…..cookies are great and i agree we do need a time out for us ….would love to win but that is okay if i don’t for i still get to look at your great web pages and get to learn new projects weather it is for the kids, grandkids and the guys …ahhahahah..love the sewing thing for sure it is a good medicine for what ever ails a person …so that is truly my hide out …
watching prime time
I love to take a hot bath and get a pedicure.
tweet
https://twitter.com/1amypugmire/status/596899738395348992
Some of my personal favorite ways to pause and take a moment always involve chocolate. Weather it is my favorite Milano cookie, or chocolate pieces it always helps me unwind.
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/lil_lady_dz/status/597269878249160707
“What are some of your favorite ways to pause and take a moment?” I relax by doing my prayers in a rocker chair in front of our huge patio door while enjoying the peace and quiet…and birds and animals on our 45 acres of God’s country!
I like to take a coffee break in the afternoon.
I like to take 5 minutes to do some deep, slow breathing. It relaxes me and clears my head. Then I drink a glass of water and go on with my day.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/amylou61/status/598545637206925312
i like to sit on my patio with a cup of iced coffee.
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 AT gmail DOT com
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/600316713406734336
My favorite way to pause and take a moment is to grab a cup of coffee and run to my computer and catch up on the latest post on my bogs or to enter a few giveaways! :)
I find a moment to myself in the morning. I love to sit on my deck overlooking the backyard, have a cup of hot coffee vs. lukewarm reheated, and enjoy the morning sun as my dogs take their morning stroll around the yard!
tweeted: https://twitter.com/mhelming/status/603616222295543809
I love to take a break and walk outside and sit on the deck for a little while. It helps relax me/
[email protected]
I tweeted
https://twitter.com/ncjeepster/status/604471489597972481
[email protected]
My fave way to make me time is to just sit on the porch & watch the hummingbirds.
My favorite way to take a moment is to grab a cup of tea with some treats, anything with chocolate will do…and watch my favorite TV show. :)
amy [at] utry [dot] it
I unwind with a long spin class session all by myself. It feels great to work out and refresh my body!
My favorite way to take time for myself is a cup of tea, a cookie and a nice magazine
When I need to pause and take a minute I automatically switch on the kettle!!
Well, to be honest I like to put my kids in the bathtub where they will play for a while and I can lie down on one of their beds!
I love to go out running. It helps me clear my mind and I like getting lost in the music.
I love to curl up with a treat, something to drink and catch up on the tv shows or movies I’ve been wanting to watch :)
Tweeted :) – https://twitter.com/Enter_Now/status/610351552230895616
I like to grab a cup of tea and a good book.
I like to walk on the beach to unwind.
https://twitter.com/Attea2d/status/610449257305350144
I like to take time out to take a hot bath and relax afterwards with hot chocolate and cookies.
One of my favorite ways is to read a good book. Thanks so much.
I love taking time for myself by going hiking. It’s my favorite way of getting in touch with nature. :)
I enjoy watching Netflix favorites and having an iced coffee to take a moment.
thank you
Tweet https://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/610487219145580544
I like to take time for myself with a good book and a glass of wine, or a cup of hot cocoa.
Sometimes in the afternoon I make myself a cup of coffee and enjoy it while reading a magazine.
I like to take a moment with a cold glass of iced tea, a good book, and maybe a cookie!
tweet https://twitter.com/suburbsanity/status/610555475361406977
I love this printable! I too find it relaxing to go walking around places, often stores, even if I am not shopping for anything at all. Reading, cooking, and crafting are other ways I take breaks from the busy-ness of life.
Love something in quiet – like a facial, massage or steam. Been years but a tired, working mom can dream! tvollowitz at aol dot com
I love to get up before everyone in the mornings and go for a run!
I love to sit on the porch and watch the world go by.
I unwind by reading in bed in the evenings.
lazybones344 at gmail dot com
I love to lay around watching movies or TV with my favorite snack.
I like to take a cool drink and sit in my backyard watching the birds….lately there’s been a beautiful little woodpecker :)
tweeted
https://twitter.com/rubylorikeet/status/611333411236491265
I like to unwind by watching a little brainless television
I unwind with a long hot shower and a cup of tea.
kport207 at gmail dot com
A cup of coffee out on our porch watching the hummingbirds, because what’s better than caffeine and tiny birds? Have a great day!
https://mobile.twitter.com/dawnm1993/status/612274464626208768
I like to take a moment with a cup of tea and a good book. Today I was served tea in a restaurant with a tea cup and no saucer. Do we not know in America how to serve tea? We are a coffee nation it seems.
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/rosannepm/status/612808156419346432
I always have a variety of books available to escape with.
I like to read a book while drinking coffee.
A long, hot shower.
My favorite ways to pause and take a moment are with earl gray tea and cookies or a good glass of wine in the hot tub.
I like to have a glass of wine and a good book when I need a moment!!
Tweeted https://twitter.com/McKenna_1444/status/613361822876372992
My favorite way to pause and take a moment is to find a quiet space and just have a hot cup of tea.
I spend me time reading a good book!
I like to take a warm bubble bath and drink a glass of wine to unwind and relax.
“Me time” for me is in the morning and evening while I drink my coffee and go on the computer.
i take time everyday after work and enjoy watching my soaps or reading a book
i posted a tweet here:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/614591892206911488
My favorite would be from reading a good book and having a cup of green tea!
Tweeted! https://twitter.com/pixel_berry_pie/status/614617209294467072
My me time is on my balcony with a book and a glass of wine.
Running in the morning is my favorite way to take a break
I like to listen to music and sit by our firepit
I like me time that I can read a book – sometimes I play hide and seek with the kids and find a few moments of peace since I’m such a good hider.
I like having a coffee on my porch swing.
I like to have coffee and read a book.
A few minutes of yoga and meditation helps me recharge when things get crazy.
I love to sit outside and read a good book
I like to take a moment with a cup of tea and my Bible
tweet https://twitter.com/iamdadtastic/status/615252266266722304
I like to lay in the sun with a good book!
get up and get some exercise
I love to read to relax
I like to pause and enjoy singing a great song when it comes on the radio.
Sometimes grocery shopping ALONE is the best me time! I can read all the labels I want ;)
I enjoy bicycling.
I love to relax in bed with a good book. Even if it’s just for a few minutes.
Being my dad’s caretaker and my grandbaby’s part time babysitter, I’ll have a caramel latte when they are both napping.
I like to soak in the tub and read for a little while. Thank you!!
I enjoy a cup of coffee sitting out on our patio enjoying the birds in the mornings.
I like to read.
I like to do a crossword puzzle.
Need to go to gym and then hot coffee make me feel lot better
I love to truly savor things, be they a bite of tart apple or seeing a butterfly flutter by. I pay attention and that feeds my soul daily. :-D
After the kids are in bed I like to relax with a hot bath, a good book, and a glass of sweet iced tea.
I curl up on the couch once everyone is down for bed, read and enjoy mini snickers.
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I take a moment for myself when I go cycling solo.
https://twitter.com/ardy22/status/615978756910501888
Some of my favorite ways to pause and take a moment is to do some spinning. I love my wheel and it is so relaxing and soothing.
I take time for myself with a great Milano Cookie and enjoying the day.
my #SweepstakesEntry tweet:
https://twitter.com/thrincor/status/616031870313230336
KC
[email protected]
#SweepstakesEntry:
I like to create time for myself by relaxing on my sunny porch with a good book or some magazines, a hot beverage (tea) & some Milano cookies!
KC
[email protected]
I like to pause and take a moment to read a good book and have a great cup of tea!