Why I Hate Perler Beads

Do you know what Perler beads are?  They are teeny tiny little plastic beads that you place on a little pegboard.  Then you cover them with either Perler's special paper or waxed paper and melt the beads with a warm iron.  The beads then stick together and the design can be removed from the pegboard. 

Don't get me wrong.  Perler beads have provided my children with hours of crafting fun over the years.  They develop eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills.  They also help with following patterns and encourage creativity.  The Perler website has hundreds of free patterns for endless projects.  They are also made in the USA.  But, all of these fine attributes come at a price.   So here is my top 3 list of why I hate perler beads

3.  Anything that comes in quantities of 5,000 up to 17,000 and is marketed to children has to be trouble. 
The great bead spill of 2008 comes to mind.

2.  Easy to lose.  No matter how well you clean up, there are always a few that escape.  It really hurts when you step on one of those little beads in the middle of the night.

1.  They fit very neatly up three-year old noses.  Yep, you guessed it, Sweetie put a green Perler bead up her nose.  We tried making her sneeze with pepper.  That method worked on the Crafter when she stuck a button up her nose at age three.  It did not work on Sweetie.  I called the doctor.  He suggested pinching the nostril without the bead and blowing in Sweetie's mouth the same way you would give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation .  He said that it had worked when his son put a bead up his nose.  I had the Crafter hold Sweetie's arms and attempted the procedure.  Blow #1 had no effect.  Blow #2 pushed the bead to where it was visible.  Blow #3 pushed the bead to the nostril opening.  Blow #4 blew the bead out.  It worked thank God!!  I called the doctor to thank him.  I am grateful that the bead is out.  I am grateful that the doctor gave us a suggestion to try at home before going in.

And that's why I hate Perler beads.

Eek! A Mouse!

And another and another! 

Three blind mice?  I don't think so.  I think at least one of these mice had super senses.  We are usually visited by a rodent or two over the course of the year, but last week's events were a bit out of the ordinary.

It all started while the children were watching their bedtime show.  I had just finished taking a shower when I heard meowing and banging in the kitchen.  Stripes the cat had cornered a mouse, and she was playing with it.  It was a gruesome battle.  I quickly tossed the dog outside, and pondered how to best get rid of Micky's relative.  Meanwhile, Sweetie decided that she needed to be in the kitchen.   Here is her version of what happened.  "Stripes got a mouse.  Blood.  It was yuck.  Stripes ate the mouse. (Chemist note:  Stripes ate part of the mouse.)  Don't touch the mouse.  It bleed.  It has germs.  Mama clean up with spray."

That about sums up mouse #1.  Shudder.

Of course if you see one mouse, there are probably more.   The Historian found a mouse trap and baited it with peanut butter and a Cheerio.  The next morning, mouse #2 had met his demise.   I felt that I had already done my mouse disposal duty and begged the Historian to remove the remains. 

The mouse trap was rebaited with peanut butter and a Cheerio.  The next morning the trap was empty.   Hmm....interesting.  Another Cheerio with peanut butter went into the trap.  The next morning the trap was once again empty.   Apparently, we had a very intelligent mouse living under the sink.   More drastic measures were needed.   The Historian wanted to give the Cheerio another shot, but I used a bit of moldy cheese instead.  The next morning the trap was not empty.  We had caught the fattest mouse I had ever seen.  The Historian thought that it should be my turn to remove the remains, but I acted like a girl and made him do it.   After all, the mouse I had to dispose of was no longer in one piece.

The mouse trap was baited once again, but there have been no more mice.