Behind the Scenes: Drive-In Movies

Here's a  "Behind the Scenes" Tuesday Linkup, over at Crystal Stine's blog.

WHAT IS THE "BEHIND THE SCENES" LINK UP? 

Social media and online relationships can make us feel like everyone else has it all together. We're edited, proof-read, Pinterest-perfect versions of ourselves  (or so some might think!) when - in reality? There is an unfinished pile of laundry around the corner. That cute toddler smiling for the camera just had a massive meltdown seconds ago. That yummy breakfast-for-dinner you just showed us on Instagram? It's because the cat licked the chicken that was supposed to be for dinner. 

"Behind the Scenes" is a fun link up where we show those photos - but tell the real story behind them. The sneak peek behind the scenes, a look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it. 

Just 20 minutes south of us is a Drive-In theater, and at only $7 a ticket, and always a double feature, it's a great deal. So, last week we decided to have a family night watching Monster's University, followed by The Lone Ranger. 

It's a tad crazy...you have to get in line early -- we got there at 6:40, gates open at 7:00 and the movie doesn't begin until 9:15 when the darkness overtakes the sky.  

See how cute they are waiting for the movies to begin? Soon, all four of us will be snuggled up in there together. (Thankfully we were experiencing below average temps in July! lower 80s is much better than upper 90s)

And I had this brilliant idea to bring our ice cream ball --  we hadn't used it yet this year and I thought it was the perfect thing to do while we wait. 

psst: More about ice cream making fun to appear on Thursday on the Good Stuff Guide. 

Looks fun, right? It was.  Except see that cutie on the right in the above picture? She didn't get to actually eat any of the ice cream.  And it kinda broke my momma heart. And kinda ruined a little bit of the fun memory I was trying to create.  

But you see consequences, are consequences. And sometimes being a parent means enforcing the consequences. Even if it's breaking your heart in the process.

You see she only ate poptarts for breakfast. And didn't drink her milk. 

She only ate cheez-its, cookies, half string cheese, and a few pieces of trail mix for lunch. Ignored her apples.

She did get a small milk-shake in the afternoon, after they took a core out of her finger at the dermatologist. 

For dinner, we had hot dogs. She refuses to eat hot dogs, so she always makes herself a sandwich, which is fine. But then she refused to eat her sandwich.  I warned her if she did not eat her sandwich, no snacks at the drive in, which included homemade icecream. 

Guess what, she didn't eat it. I told her she could put it in a sandwich bag and bring it along.  She forgot it. 

We told her she could spend her own money on something 'healthy' from snack bar.  They only had hot dogs and corn dogs. She said definitely no! 

So, in the end, no ice cream for her.  Sigh. Ugh.  

But she never wants to eat healthy. Ever. It's always a battle.  And I drew the line in the sand and we felt like we needed to stand behind it this time to hopefully teach her a bigger lesson.  But man, it hurt. 

(Oh, and I may or may not have let her at least lick the serving spoon. Is that bad? Is that good?)

And one more thing...shortly after we snapped the above photo...a storm rolled in. Glad we had an SUV to snuggle up in and not a pick-up truck, because the movie plays regardless of the weather. 

The girls and I made it through Monsters University, but we mostly slept (11pm-2am) through The Lone Ranger, but Mike said he enjoyed it. :) 

And one more tidbit...last time we went to the drive-in with the girls, two years ago...my same sweet daughter hid her hamburger (we grilled) in the car and pretended like she had eaten it.  Luckily we found it sooner than later! And also that same night, a storm rolled in then too!  

Maybe next time we go we'll have better luck with both the weather and the food!