A New Season at The Hampel House

Life has changed quite a bit for our family this year! We are now a family of five, with two sweet, spunky boys and our precious little girl, and I’m learning every day just how quickly these seasons of life pass us by.

In February, just before our daughter was born, I stepped away from the workforce to become a stay-at-home mom. After working throughout my entire adult life, making that transition felt like such a breath of fresh air. For the first time, I could focus fully on my family without the constant stress and demands of work pulling me in different directions. Motherhood has always been the most important job to me, and being home with my babies has been one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve made.

And now, I’m making another change — one that has brought me more peace than I ever expected.

As of September 28, 2026, I’ve decided to step away from social media. If you’ve followed along with my little corner of the internet, you may have noticed that I’ve come and gone a few times over the years. 😂 I’ve always been drawn to the creative side of social media and the idea of sharing our journey, but I eventually had to be honest with myself about what it was costing me.

Too much of my precious time was disappearing into a screen. Time that could have been spent soaking up the little moments with my babies, enjoying my home, or simply being present with my family. I only get to have my children this little once, and I don’t want to look back and realize I spent too much of it watching everyone else’s life instead of living my own.

Beyond the time spent scrolling, I found myself constantly comparing my home, my motherhood journey, my body, and so many other parts of my life to the carefully curated highlight reels of strangers. Without even realizing it, I was allowing comparison to steal my joy and pull me into a mindset that wasn’t healthy for me or the people I love most.

It was affecting my peace, my marriage, and the way I experienced motherhood. And I knew something needed to change.

So I let it go.

And honestly? I feel so, so free.

I feel more present, more peaceful, and more content with the life right in front of me. I’m learning to appreciate our home as it is, embrace the beautiful chaos of raising three little ones, and stop measuring my life against someone else’s version of perfection.

Social media certainly has its benefits, and I know it can be a wonderful tool for connection and creativity. But for me, in this season of life, the cost was becoming greater than the good. I needed my peace back, and stepping away has helped me find it.

This season is teaching me that intentional living isn’t just about the products we bring into our homes, the food we make from scratch, or the skills we learn along the way. It’s also about protecting our time, being mindful of what we allow into our minds, and making room for the things that matter most.

For me, that means choosing my family, my faith, my home, and the little moments that make up this beautiful, ordinary life.

I don’t want to be so busy documenting my life that I forget to live it.

And that’s where I am right now — embracing a slower, simpler, more intentional way of living, one day at a time. 🤎

With love,
Olivia Hampel