I Got Too Excited About Perler Beads*

It’s Nintendo time.

I like schedules. My kids like schedules. I used to think this was some kind of a problem… like it was a negative thing that I am not a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants person. But you know what? I’ve accepted that this is just who I am, and we like it. We are people who just like to know what’s coming next through the course of a day.

That being said, I’m not rigid with it. There’s always room for flexibility, but generally we have our summer days divided into “blocks”. There’s a block in the morning where I exercise and the kids play freely / reign terror over the rest of my house while I pretend not to notice and stay in my zone. We have a block of time where we go do something outside, and another where we have a picnic lunch in the living room and watch a TV show or part of a movie. They have some quiet time, and usually some creative time where they like to craft–usually with perler beads. H is OBSESSED. (More on this in a minute.)

Their favourite time of day (and mine, if I’m being honest) is Nintendo Time. My kids LOVE to play Nintendo… and it’s cute because they will often play games together which I totally support. Mario Party and Super Smash are big hits in our house. They get about an hour to play whatever they want, then it’s done.

Every day at 3:30, I tell them that it’s almost Nintento time… but there is one rule: all the toys, stuffies, lego MUST be cleaned up before they get to play. Lemme tell you, my children have never been so motivated to clean up before. They blitz the main floor and basement, and these children that once complained and whined about tidying up are suddenly clean-up wizards.

By 3:45 it’s usually done and they get their Nintendo time… and I get a tidy house and an uninterrupted hour to prep and start dinner. IT IS MAGICAL.

Back to perler beads.

All three kids love to make perler creations. Even little P will sit quietly and bead his little heart out–today he literally made me a pink heart. H loves to make Mario characters and S made a cute little princess today. It’s seriously the best quiet time activity and they all really enjoy it.

That being said, I am seriously running low on beads. The ones we had were a birthday gift, and many of the colours are now gone or are too low to have enough to make something with. I’ve been shopping around, but the refills are so dang expensive so I’ve been watching for a sale. I decided to try looking on Facebook Marketplace, and was SO EXCITED to find four unopened perler bead sets not far from me for an absolute steal. I contacted the woman immediately and said I’d be there the next morning (today).

I drove over with the kids and pumped them up about all the new colours we were getting. I did a “socially distanced” pickup, then looked a little more closely…

Did you know that perler beads also come in a mini size?

(I did not.)

So I rushed out and bought all these beads but they are MINI. They are so small you actually need tweezers to make patterns. haha!! S & H tried so hard to use them, but it was way too difficult. We’re going to keep practicing, but I think these will be “Mommy’s Crafting Beads” now.

Either that or my kids will have AMAZING dexterity by the end of summer.

So, now it’s back to shopping again. I might just have to bite the bullet and go into Michael’s–I tried to look at their curbside pickup but they didn’t have much available where I am. I must get more beads for my perler addicted children!

(Because it is also SUCH lovely quiet time for meeeeee. haha)

Well, I had best get dinner going—Nintendo time is almost done and I haven’t even started dinner. (Oops!)