The Mentality of Soaping

[Shalisk]

Or: What the heck happened?!


So I like to make soap, I really do!

I have my tank, I have lots of scents (NEED MORE SCENTS!) and I am getting awful close to my basic 'go to recipe' being completed. (Everyone likes it, and its 'good' all the way around) so that I can start working on the elusives (A good salt bar, a good scrub, etc)

But I have noticed, that I havent made soap in almost three weeks. That is a LONG time for me. I was making 2 batches a week before I had a friend come visit. I took a week break for him and havent soaped since.

I have had a couple life changes, but I dont know if they are part of the cause. The husband is coming off deployment 'soon' (best I can say, Military families will understand) and my husbands and I's 'kiddo' for lack of a better word, who lives with us has found a job, and works full time.

Part of me wonders if I have 'lost it' or if I am just trying to adjust to all the changes going on, because now instead of bastion being here all the time, I get up, and he is gone, he comes home 2-4 hours after I get up (thusly .5-2 hours after I /wake/ up enough to do anything) so not much time to soap there, he comes hoem, we do things, and when he goes to bed its midnight!

Maybe I need to set aside a day or two a week, at a spacific time TO soap, but then its a job, not a joy, right?

What do you guys and gals do when life gets in the way of soaping?
Have any of you gone through this yourself?
I need to be in a 'happy mood' to soap, do you?

 

[CanaDawn]

It's ok to take a break from anything, even what you love. I would say just take some time now that you're noticing it, and see what you are feeling and/or what problems need solutions to be found, and on finding the solutions (thinking outside the box and all that)

If your soaping is dependent on your mood, I suppose the first place to start will be with yourself, and your mood/frame of mind/outlook. Lots of changes mean lots of adjusting, and adjusting/making choices is very very tiring. Our brains actually can only do so much decision making before they tire.

If you aren't soaping for a particular deadline - maybe you need a mental health vacation for bit of time....if you didn't notice for three weeks, but now you are noticing the lack - maybe you're coming to the end of the break, and you can set a specific point at which you will be ready to "get back to work" as it were.

Maybe do something inspiring that isnt' making soap? Spend some time choosing new scents you can be excited to try, or finding a fancy new spatula, or dropping in on some crafter's guilds or shows or markets to browse and absorb the inspirations?

(Just flinging some ideas out there - it's not soaping for me, but I think I recognise the feelings you're describing - I find it kind of like "suspended animation")

 

[Cindy2428]

If your soaping wasn't affected, then there really would be a problem. Hobbies are joys we learn from, distract us, let us express ourselves - unlike golf which just makes a fool out of all of us Your family is your life, a great deal of change is going on for you. Some of these changes you can control, some you can't. While you put it all into perspective and work things out, take that escape time, "Shalisk Time" which is exclusively for you. If you feel like you have some level of control, it will help you with the rest of it. Bless you and your family for your sacrifices to this Country. My DH was 1st Persian Gulf Special Forces and my 2 "Adoptive ones" - my husband's employees at our avionics shop- One is almost home- 3 week Guard assignment and the other is retired Army. Keep Strong, Cindy

 

[Relle]

What do you guys and gals do when life gets in the way of soaping?
Have any of you gone through this yourself?
I need to be in a 'happy mood' to soap, do you?

1 - Don't soap, you can't do everything.
2 - Yes
3 - Yes, I don't soap when in a bad frame of mind because that's when things go wrong through lack of concentration and you won't get the outcome you want.

 

[Shalisk]

Thank you very much everyone. And yeah, this is the husbands second deployment, and its been a bit rough, especially with the auto insurance because of the whole gay marrage not legal everywhere thing. But thats fine we went to a place that didnt care where we lived, 10 bucks more a month but worth it.

He is done 'soon' and for 3 years he will be shore bound. BUUUUT likely in japan, and odds are I wont be there either, it sucks but what can I do?

I made him 20 bars of beer soap for him and ship mates when they get back he is excited

Maybe ill make some 'shalisk time' when my new order comes in, I promised the girls at the metaphyscal shop some Amber soap

 

[scotsman]

I normally do two to three batches a week but lately I've been slacking. I just started a new job where they almost immediately advanced me from running the kitchen straight into an upper management position which has eaten up most of my free time as I'm furiously trying to get a new restaurant ready to open on Friday and then have to immediately turn around and open another location from start to finish a couple towns over. Also, my son is 900 miles away in Philadelphia spending the majority of his summer vacation visiting his sister and her husband, so I don't have my little soap making helper. My gf got moved onto day shifts so we are both home from work at roughly the same time which heretofore has been rare so I've been trying to take advantage of this to actually spend some time with her. All this hasn't really left much time to make soap, which I need to do because I need product on hand to fill orders from a new commercial client. Gotta find the time somewhere though, right? Maybe lots more coffee will help, lol!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I find that I go through fits and starts. I make it when I can AND when I want to - the two aren't always the same, though.........

 

[shunt2011]

I too go through cycles where I go foot the the floor with making soap and then take a breather because I just need it. I try to make sure I have enough soaps on the shelves to keep up with supply and demand but sometimes it doesn't work that way and I'll go in a slump. I too work full-time on top of my B&B and doing markets, shows and my website. Sometimes we just need to take care of ourselves.