The Movies

     This week is an adventure in film.  We started it off with an action-packed superhero experience, will end it with a musical and somewhere in the middle is a racially tense historical sports movie.  So how does one take five people (more if a lucky guest joins us) to the cinema with success?  I'm so glad you asked...

Rules:

1.  Please DO feed the animals.  I try to fill them up with a carb and protein laden meal before we
      leave.  We use coupons and cinemode as much as possible for things like free nachos and
      drinks or combo upgrades.  We get the giant bucket of popcorn (free refill comes with this
      bad boy) and I hand out tiny paper bags that need to be refilled constantly.  I pretend I am the
      zookeeper that I longed to be as a child and go to my happy place as I load up my fingers with
      grease and salt and a small hope that all will behave. 

2.  Seating is KEY!  I have tried to accomodate all wishes.  But after numerous attempts at the perfect
     arrangement I have finally found the secret code.  The two that share a pepsi sit together.  The
     other two who share an unsweetened tea sit together and children are far, far away from one
     another.  Adults can hold hands if not too greasy to grip tightly.  Pop is close to aisle for frequent
     trips to the bathroom.  Pop gets no drink which helps with the prior sentence issue.  I am also no
     longer above sneaking in the occasional bottle of water or box of Mike and Ikes for a crank.  

3.  Charge phone fully before start time.   When you need to get five people to sit still and be nice-
     a gadget can help with the wait.  We will have quality time on the way TO the theater as we argue
     about music selection and seating assignments and if the window is too much air and if the heat
     should be on and if the seat is too hard and the light was too yellow to go through and.....

4.  Sell the movie and the reaction to it.  If you want the little guy to sit through it...pretend it's too
     much for his little eyes to see.  He will sit through two hours of a zebra pooping if you tell him
     it's rated PG-13.  He can read now though so I have had to up my salesmanship.  Tell the old guy
     that it is about action, history or ladies.  Even if he hates it he's pretty mild in his response.  The
     tween girl is tricky.  She changes everyday so my skills have to be sharp with this one.  Just
     recently noticing that boys can be cute has helped.  Thanks to the hormones and hunky heroes for
     help on that one.  

5.  Find the best deal.  A half hour drive is worth it if the ticket is only $4 or $6 bucks for the early
     show.  A matinee at the mall is super cheap as well.  Get them to bed early...feed them a huge
     brunch...and you are all set.  Tell people that movie gift cards have single handedly saved your
     sanity the past few years and be grateful that the local art theater has a great membership deal
     complete with discounts, cheap revivals and freebies. 

All joking aside, movies have been a blessing to us all.  They teach history, they make us giggle and
they give us hope when days have been tough.  We all go.  We all have some common thing to discuss.  Sometimes we even find a new passion because we went on a journey together to some far off land or back in time.  Whether an Avenger came to save the day or a horse taught us about war we
have all loved many films together for one reason or another.  If I can get Pop to tap his feet because he approves of the music and a little guy grabs a mitt and ball and reenacts a baseball game and all five of us left the theater praising the movie that just ended...it was more than Jackie Robinson who hit a homer.  It has taken practice and I almost quit a few times with a declaration aloud and with witnesses that I would NEVER AGAIN TAKE US ALL TO THE MOVIES but I think I got it now! So....about those gift cards...