Saturday, September 15, 2012

Trying a New View


Amelia in the hammock.
It's hard to take a photo of
yourself in a hammock!

I'm writing this post from a hammock in our backyard.

No, I didn’t lock myself out of the house.  And my husband didn’t lock me out either (yet!). I’m just seizing the moment.

It’s gorgeous out, perfect fall Charlotte weather – warm, breezy and dry. Blue skies behind just the right amount of clouds. I can see this because, as I mentioned, I’m in a hammock.

The last time I posted I wrote about slowing down. Not lazing about, that’s not really my style (hammock notwithstanding). But recognizing the opportunities in each day.  I’ve decided to (temporarily) stop worrying so much about my self-imposed and ongoing to-do list, and just enjoy the moment.

In part to prove I could relax, Amelia and I spent almost a week on Cape Cod with my mother, my sister and her family a few weeks ago. And guess what? Relaxation is awesome! Worth 8 hours of airports and driving with an impatient four-year-old. Truly, it was wonderful. My nephews are probably the closest thing Amelia will have to siblings, and giving them – and my brain! – unstructured time to really know each other and play in a sprawling old beach house was just what we all needed. 

This is NOT our project.
But possibly even more fun.
If you hope to be invited back to
a beach house, do not pour
shampoo into the Jacuzzi!
And of course there was a project. This one almost didn’t happen, thanks to a little mishap in the Jacuzzi. A tip: never pour shampoo into a Jacuzzi with the jets running. Completely unrelated to our project, but I was nearly banned from all soap in the beach house.

And this project required soap. You may have seen a photo circulating on Pinterest lately of a kid holding a mound of foam, with a caption about what happens when you put Ivory soap in the microwave.  I’ve seen it enough times that I was curious. So, with three kids fresh from the beach and needing a bath, we figured why not? We had a microwave. In went a bar of Ivory soap.  On a protective paper towel, since the house was a rental.


Woah.
Two cousins and their grandmother,
watching the microwave.
Within 20 seconds, the soap began to expand, growing in every direction into a billowy cloud. At the end of a minute, it had nearly filled the microwave. We were in awe.


We carefully removed the foamy blob, which was pretty hot (I’m not sure why were were surprised by this - we’d just microwaved it!). It cooled quickly then hardened, and then flaked apart into delicate soapflakes. With wet hands, we were able to tear off chunks and mold it like slimy playdough, and then, well, soap made a triumphant and bubble-free return to the Jacuzzi!

One bar of Ivory soap,
60 seconds later.
The project was simple, and surprisingly delightful. Just like so many things we’ve done since my relaxation resolution kicked in. There will be time for work, time for chores, and plenty of time to worry. For now, I’m going to enjoy what I have – a playful and happy family, ideas to pursue, and at last, time for both.

I could get used to the view from this hammock.

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