Trying Water Beads

I first came across water beads in a viral facebook video. It involved a fully grown man frolicking in a bathroom full of these yummy looking gummy beads & making an utter mess. It looked like absolute madness. The majority of the comments involved people tagging their friends & saying something to the tune of, “Look, the kids would love these !” The response to nearly each of these tags was something along the lines of, “HELL NO”, and, “Who’s gonna clean all that up!?” Naturally, I knew I had to try it.

I turned to ever-trusty Amazon for my water beads & was surprised at how small the package was. “Don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t fill the whole tub”, I warned my oldest kiddo. SPOILER: It did. You can purchase this exact package HERE.

The directions on the packaging say to let the beads soak for 6-10 hours, but let’s be honest, NO ONE in this house has that kind of patience. Besides, after just 15 minutes, the beads had already doubled in size. We left the house for dinner & decided we’d check on our little experiment upon our return.

_DSC1353Baby approved: 20 minutes in, they developed a faceted, jewel-like texture

The moment we got home, my oldest sprinted to the bathroom to see our “magic beans” & was literally hopping with excitement by the time I’d made my way to that end of the house. I thought he might have been tentative about touching them, but there he was, already pulling his shirt off & calling his brother into the bath.

_DSC1378He was SO PUMPED, you guys

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These beads were worth every penny of the $7.49 price tag & the tiny package was MORE than enough for an over the top memorable & fun sensory experience. The tub was nearly filled & the beads had more than quadrupled in size. Below is a size comparison; before & after a water soaking.

_DSC1474Custom gold name bracelet from Mya Bay

They’re supposed to be reusable, which sounds great because my kiddos are already asking to do it again & it hasn’t even been 24 hours. However, unless they shrink back to the size they were before, I’m not sure how I’m going to store these things. For now, they live in the boys’ bathtub.

_DSC1772-sm

This was a great little experiment & a fun way to break the monotony of our evening routine. Seeing the wonder in their eyes was such a joy & they both had a ton of fun. Best of all – and contrary to what I had anticipated – there was no giant mess. Mom win !

Author: Rebecca Hardy

A native New Yorker, Reby Sky took a deep interest in the arts from an early age. Classically trained in ballet & theatre, she began her career in dance, performing in off-broadway venues & competing in dance competitions throughout the United States. Reby has also been featured in numerous instructional dance videos, including "Bellydance Your Way to Cardio" & "Bellydance for Mothers & Daughters".  Also formally trained in classical piano under master-pianist Rosario Garriga, Reby has performed in concert halls throughout the East coast, and attended the LaGuardia School of Music & Art & the Performing Arts - The "FAME" school - as a major in music.  In addition to dance, theatre, & music, Reby added professional football player to her repertoire in 2008; She signed with the LFL (Lingerie Football League) for a brief period of time before resigning for personal reasons.  Working as a successful model, Reby Sky has appeared in numerous national & international publications including, but not limited to Esquire, STUFF Magazine, Supermodels Unlimited, & PLAYBOY. Also making the jump into live media, Reby has appeared on television shows such as SPIKE-TV's "Midnight Spike" as a guest host & on TLC-TV's "Date Patrol" as a guest dance instructor. She has been featured in dozens of print ads and in numerous television advertisements, as well as internationally aired music videos. In 2009, Reby was named Miss Howard TV of the Year by the Howard Stern Show. She is also known within the sports world as the "NY Giants Girl".    Also working in broadcast media, Reby performed as an on-air talent for Sirius/XM Radio on the pro-wrestling show, "Busted Open”. Previous radio experience includes work as a sports correspondent for Clear Channel radio station, 98 Rock in Tampa, FL. Reby was also the host of her own radio show, "Digital Photography on the Radio", on 1010am Sports Radio (CBS) in 2008. In the world of professional wrestling, Reby is best known for her work on TNA Impact Wrestling, where she performed as a wrestler & recurring character from 2014-2017. Sky previously worked as a backstage interviewer, color commentator & professional wrestler for Lucha Libre USA Masked Warriors on MTV2. Reby currently lives in Cameron, North Carolina with her husband & two beautiful boys & is the owner/operator of HardyShoots.com.

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