BODIES the Exhibition & A Toddler Tantrum of TITANIC Proportions!

     Thanks to a wonderful event called "Educator's Day," we as homeschoolers were able to plan a field trip to BODIES the Exhibition and TITANIC the Experience in Buena Park, CA...free of charge!  I had been wanting to visit this place for years, so I was very excited about the opportunity to take my family.

     BODIES
     The BODIES exhibit was very cool! Real body parts dissected and preserved for study, are placed on display.  My daughter Marley (4 years old) said the faces were "gross and creepy" but she liked seeing the muscles and brains. This photo, to the right, of the skeleton was taken just before I was informed that no photography is allowed in the exhibit. Oops.
     All the body parts were quite fascinating and we allowed our kids to look around and ask questions as they desired.  One of my favorite moments was when Marley noticed the male genital part and said, "Oh look mom! This one is a boy." I replied, "You are correct. That is a boy."  My toddler Dylan liked seeing the heart parts and whenever she saw what looked like blood, she said "Eww! Gross!" Haha. My silly Dyl-ee.

     TITANIC
     After we were finished with the BODIES portion of the walkthrough, we went through the TITANIC experience where we were given boarding passes (of real people) as if we were passengers.  I was particularly interested in this part.  We watched a video and heard historical accounts of what it was like to be on the Titanic back in 1912.  The tour guides were dressed in authentic looking costumes and spoke with European accents.  We were able to sit in a room that replicated the lifeboats on the ocean, and we watched a CGI Titanic sink while sitting there.  It was a fun theatrical experience.  Both my girls were pretty attentive most of the time. But their favorite part was a room where there was a giant ice block made to look like an iceberg.  It was the one thing we were allowed to touch, and the girls kept running their hands across the ice for a long time.   Here is Marley posing as if she is about to walk up the Titanic staircase (on the right: she froze in that position just to take a picture), haha. She had a great time!

     TANTRUMS
     Now...what I didn't mention before is that in between the BODIES and TITANIC sections, Dylan had a major meltdown out of nowhere!  I knew before we arrived at the location that we were treading on thin ice since she had skipped her nap that day.  I was hoping she wouldn't get cranky until after we left around dinner time...WRONG!  I was also hoping that if she started to get cranky at the museum, she could be consoled with snacks or being carried...WRONG AGAIN!
     It was one of those times when you don't remember how it started.

• What set her off? I don't know. 
• How did we get to this point?  Again clueless.  
• How was I able to keep my composure and not toss the little monster in my minivan and take off?  I have no earthly idea!  

     I only remember the screaming and the faces of nearby people.  Luckily, I had my calm, collected husband with me.  He is always a good influence on me, because he is able to laugh at crazy stressful situations and just enjoy the moment.  Thats right! I said enjoy the moment.  Sounds strange, but we let her do her worst and we filmed some of it, while we smiled at people and employees walking by.  A few people looked shocked and uncomfortable, but most people would either walk over her flailing body and ignore her, or they would walk around her and laugh.  I really appreciated the empathy most people showed.  It was an amusing and adventurous little moment.  Wait, did I just say little? Well, Tantrum Part One lasted about 15 mins.  Tantrum Part Two, which took place in the car ride on the way home, lasted about 35 mins.  So we are looking at almost AN HOUR of kicking and screaming.  Thank heaven for parental sense of humors. ;) Care to see about 50 seconds of emotional chaos?  Check out our video...

 
     Ah, memories. LOL.  Funny thing: Dylan calmed down so quickly in the car when we played back the video for her.  She watched herself kick and scream and cause a ruckus.  She was completely captivated and silent while she watched the video over and over again.  I told her, "Oh that is so sad! Isn't that sad that Dylan is crying?"  She replied "So sad."  I believe it provided a learning opportunity for my toddler.  Stepping outside of your situation and observing your actions is often a valuable life lesson.  I wonder how we would react if we were able to playback some of our frantic moments. Ugh. That does NOT sound pleasant, does it? Haha.