Maryland Science Center: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, and Titanic Are Responsible

When Crafty Daughter was 7 we started a new birthday tradition for our children. As if the birthday wasn’t complicated enough what with the friend birthday, the family birthday, the cupcakes to school, and the “you get to choose what we eat for dinner or where we eat dinner on your actual birthday,” we added a family outing of the birthday child’s choosing.

I’m not entirely sure why, but I think it started because my oldest was in a huge Titanic phase. When she would get in a phase she would totally get in to the subject matter. In this case, she read all about the Titanic from library books and the Magic Tree House book about Titanic. We let her watch parts of the Titanic with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Of course we did not let her see any of the romantic scenes or the nude drawing scene, but she saw people walking around on the deck and the actual sinking of the Titanic. She was completely hooked.

The Maryland Science (back in 2003) had a traveling exhibition on all things Titanic. It was interesting for kids as there were many hands on activities, including a large tank that kids could see what sank or floated. My daughter loved everything…she talked about it for months.

The part that I was most interested in was that we were each handed a card with the name of a Titanic passenger or crew member. The card looked like a ticket. We each held our card as we walked through the exhibit. At the end we looked for “our person’s” name on the board. All 4 of our passengers/crew members perished. I was moved. Can you imagine struggling to stay alive in frigid water or not even getting out of the ship?

Well, today was Crafty Daughter’s birthday outing. Now her 12th birthday was in January, so we are a little late. Our busy-ness has reached an all-time high. My son wasn’t even born when we went to the Maryland Science Center — I was pregnant with him. Now we have three children in school and activities. Three children to drive around. Literally every weekend we have thought about taking Crafty Daughter to her outing there has been a conflict or the roller skating rink has been closed.

So, today was the day Coach Dad took Crafty Daughter and Sporty Daughter to the roller skating rink. I took a pass since I landed on my @#$ the last time I took the girls for a Girl Scout outing. I was sore for weeks. My son is 5 and really I just wasn’t sure whether he would have fun or not, so he stayed home with me. By all accounts the girls had a great time. Their dad is a good skater and could help them. I am a nervous nelly and apparently not much fun to be around.

My son and I headed out on an adventure of our own. We had to hand in his coloring sheet — he entered a coloring contest for the Mount Airy Main Street Association Christmas Parade. He was super excited to do and really did a good job staying in the lines. I think he was interested since his sister won the coloring contest a few years ago. Sporty Daughter still talks about the gift certificate to Retro Metro on Main Street…a seriously cute, jammed to the gills tween/teen store, also with cool furniture.

I wanted to take him to the health club to play basketball…I know, I know what can I teach him, well the little dud needs practice dribbling. He’s in a weekly clinic and has no ball control whatsoever. But, Adventure Boy spotted the Firehouse Pottery Company. He has painted different items at birthday parties. I did not really want to spend the small fortune necessary to pay for two items and studio fees, but I felt guilty that he wasn’t roller skating.

We had a great time. He painted a robot and did a good job…I will have to take a pic once the pottery I fired. I mangled a mitten ornament…once again showing I have no painting skill whatsoever. A messed up ornament is cute when a kid does it…not so much when I do it.