Not too bad

I had steal myself that there would be hourly meltdowns during our family vacation to Philadelphia by each of us during waking hours (and a few when everyone should be asleep). Much to my surprise, there were only a few (by each of us) during the entire trip. That includes the two 6+ hour train rides. Let that be a lesson. Set the bar incredibly low and voila you'll be pleasantly surprised. Kind of like me envisioning the flower girl picking her nose during the ceremony. She didn't and therefore my wedding was a smashing success.

The primary reason to go to Philadelphia was for the King Tut exhibit at the Ben Franklin Institute. I was not disappointed. Even though we had a timed ticket, they further controlled the crowd by grouping people into smaller groups. We stood in a holding area and watched a 90-second video showing the Nile basin, pyramids and 1920's archaeologists. Then, a curtain rose to an illuminated statue of Tut's head. It was just thrilling.

My 43 pound daughter spent the bulk of the exhibit on my shoulders. While at times very painful, it kept her in one place and also gave her a vantage point to see the artifacts. She loved pointing out all the scarabs. However there were some patrons that didn't appreciate the constant "LOOK MOMMY ANOTHER BUTTERFLY!!!"

My sons went through the exhibit with my husband in record time. (My honey's text message read: We are in the gift shop at the end of the exhibit. They just gave us an award for the fastest tour. We beat the 130 folks. Our tickets were for 3:30.) One little guy was particularly impressed with the CT-Scan of Tut's mummy. The other thought the little kid chair was cool. They both will tell anyone who listens that intestines look like sausages and were put into a special jar for the afterlife.

Other highlights include the huge Games Pieces spread all over a plaza near City Hall, the giant heart my kids ran inside at the Franklin, and the war ship from the Spanish American War.

Oh, and the hotel pool, constant junk food and the little guys having their own television. Unlimited Cartoon Network. They thought they had gone to heaven.