This Fall has been tough. Since the beginning of November, at least one of the seven of us, at any given point,  has had some sort of illness.

As a working mom, I am lucky to work from home, but I’ve missed deadlines and had to put off meetings and opportunities. It is all such a delicate balancing act, isn’t it?

When I ask the pediatricians they say some version of this, ‘You have a lot of kids and they are exposed to illnesses daily.The whole town is battling (strep/bad colds/etc).’

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Just today I am beginning to feel better (thanks antibiotics)  and I realize all our struggles this Fall have had a great benefit.

They made us slow down.
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I cleared by travel schedule after I returned home in the middle of November, and hopefully I will be home until it is time to throw some glitter around at BlissDom in February.

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We also were forced, as a family, to cancel most all Christmas cookie swaps/parties/gatherings for the past two weeks. We stayed home in our PJs.

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I set up my thrift store collections of Christmas villages.

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Did you know all of the village pieces were under $3 each? Beautiful doesn’t have to break the budget.

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Friends (who shared the same colds) came to help decorate move the decorations around.

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I highly recommend a tree for the kids to fill with their decorations with their special touch. Also, this helps keep 678 decorations made of recycled lids off the main tree filled with family heirlooms. Always smart.

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The villages are hours of play for the littles.

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Magical.

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Despite the tissues and sniffles, staying home more and saying no to spreading ourselves way too thin in the Christmas rush, has been an unexpected blessing.
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We needed a time to chill, to get our priorities straight, to enjoy the magic that twinkling lights bring, and to love on each other.

I hope you and your family has a chance to slow down this holiday season. You never know how much you need it until you realize how long it has been since life moved just a little slower.

Unexpected Blessings and Twinkling Lights