Live Simply

Live Simply…

Growing up, we lived what I would consider a fairly simple life.  I never remember hating it or even, disliking it, at all. Living in a one red light town where my family had deep roots, never bothered me.  Everyone knowing everything- was never an issue. Sharing friends with my sister and being in church with all of my teachers was a positive.  Small town, small school, small businesses were what I knew, and I loved it.  Everyone in town and in school, was required to stay busy and to wear lots of hats in order to keep things going.  We valued our families, our friends, and our relationships.

Church, school, band, cheerleading, ballgames, movies, game nights, youth group, friends, family, and home.  As busy as we seemed with all of the things that were going on, Things were simple.  I never thought I would leave.  God had a different plan.  When I was a young adult I ended up in school and living in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.  WOW!! I couldn’t have made a bigger change.  I was learning a lot, experiencing a lot, and trying my best to keep up.  Things were big, busy and super FAST.  Nothing about me was big, busy, or FAST…I even talk slowly.

I started my marriage and my family while living in the Northern Virginia region, and it was beyond overwhelming.  The differences were vast and no matter what, I could not envision raising my family in an area that was so VERY different than the small town that I still considered Home.  So, we began to look into the option of relocating…and we did.  We moved to Greenville, SC- WE LOVED IT!! It was closer geographically to my hometown (and our families), we weren’t overwhelmed by living there, and things definitely moved at a slower pace.  Things felt right until they didn’t, and after 5 years, we ended up back in the DC Area.

After moving back to Virginia, we realized it felt different this time.  God had definitely brought us back- we landed in the same town, at the same jobs, and in the same church, as we had lived in before.  We were content and imagined ourselves staying right there, until the kids finished school, and were able to retire.  5 years in, and just after I lost my mom, we began feeling an urge to make a change, and honestly, we thought that we were moving home.   I mean, my husband was traveling nonstop for work, I was managing a very successful Salon and Spa in northern Virginia, both kids were in school, horseback riding, hockey, baseball, youth group, we were volunteering at church.  While we were loving all of these obligations, things had certainly gotten very busy and out of control, and those feelings of contentment had started to pass.  We were longing for a simpler life….

Now we are almost 2 years into that simpler life.  We made a decision to relocate, yet again, but this time, we stayed within the same state.  Located in the central part of Virginia, where things move slowly and everyone is connected, we feel like we are exactly where we are supposed to be for this season.   We were used to living attached to our neighbor in Northern Virginia and now we can’t even see them.  Before… I would pass several restaurants, coffee shops, and stores on my way home from work (all of this in my 4 minute commute), and my kiddos would send a list of requests to me, so that I could stop and grab what they “needed” on my way home.  Living where we do now, this is not an option.  We have to drive 45 minutes to get to a Starbucks or a Chick fil A.  But the point is that now these things have become treats again and I love that!!  We definitely have to be more intentional about our outings.  We make lists upon lists.  But we do this so that we don’t run out of things.  I keep an inventory of our pantry and refrigerator needs.  I keep a running list of things that we are need of.  We do more stock piling and Amazon has become a regular shopping source, for all things, things I never would have thought to order from Amazon, just because it’s simpler.  I started ordering from a company called Grove Collaborative.  I can choose the shipping date, receive discounts and free gifts for committing to ordering regularly, and shopping for a good bit of my household cleaning  and laundry products, beauty products and pet products from an amazing selection of natural, chemical and fragrance free items.  And somehow this feels like simple living.

When the pandemic hit and no stores had toilet paper, Clorox wipes, or hand sanitizer (which are daily staples in my home), I had to come up with something different.  I of course had to stock up on TP whenever and wherever I could, the hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes, still haven’t come back, 6 months later.  So, I began making our own hand sanitizer, using Young Living Thieves Essential Oil blend, and I started using Young Living Thieves All Purpose Cleaning Concentrate.  These two small changes alone, have been life changing for me.  I always have them onhand and they are so effective.  I love for my home to smell nice, but I am very particular as to what scents I am willing to allow to be the signature scent of the Hayden Home.  And my son has been struggling with migraine headaches off and on for the last few years, and he is sensitive to artificial fragrance because of his asthma.  Since we couldn’t go to the stores to smell the candles, air fresheners, reed diffusers, and room sprays-a thought crossed my mind- go back to what you know.  Essential oils are what God gave to us to use for so many things.  These other changes that we had started making, by implementing the use of the oils had been working really well- Cue the diffusers…

I began diffusing Young Living Essential Oils, in both of my family living areas, all bedrooms, and the kitchen- and my son has not had a single headache since.

Slowly but surely my home is transitioning to the use of natural, essential, simple products.  Products that no longer have the harsh chemicals or artificial fragrances, but get the job done.  Moving to an area that is more like the one we grew up knowing, slowing down our pace and beginning use of these types of products have given me a huge helping hand in allowing our family to Live Simply, once again.