The last 2 weeks have been pretty awesome. Now that the kids are  big enough that they can walk, run, and swim on their own – it opens up a whole new world of summer possibilities. The days are warm, and I try to strike a balance between directed activities and unstructured time where I hope they can just play or rest.

But the nights can be fun, too. And last night was a first for us: a drive-in movie.

I’ve been to drive-ins before, but not for at least a decade, and not with kids. Dear Hubby had never been to one. We chose to see Monsters University to ensure that the kids would be entertained just in case the whole idea was a FAIL. Gladly, it wasn’t.

We went to the Swap Shop — a local, um…destination… in Broward County. If you want it, they’ve got it. As described, you can find any number of vendors of any day. They have 14 screens at their drive-in. I really wanted to see Man of Steel, but I didn’t want to risk having everyone be miserable if this didn’t work out.

We pulled in and tickets were only $7 for adults, $2 for kids — and Lane was free since he was under 5. SCORE. Now we can afford to see more than movie the entire summer. We packed a cooler full of watermelon, cookies, and juice boxes. Dear Hubby visited the concession stand on a potty-recon-mission with Lane, and came back with popcorn and a Bud Light. Movie with a Beer??? DOUBLE SCORE.

We parked backward and used the back of the Mom-wagon to stretch out. We improvised with some blankets and moving the carseats back there for a little added comfort. There was enough room for all 4 of us, but next time we’re packing some folding chairs too. Luckily there was a light breeze – south Florida summers are an acquired taste. The temperature over 24-hours rarely dips below 80 degrees, and the humidity is non-negotiable. But it’s only late June, so its’s still pretty manageable.

When the movie was over and we packed up, the kids didn’t want to leave. In fact, they saw all the other screens and kept asking why we couldn’t go see THAT movie…or THAT movie…or THAT one!  I asked them if they wanted to come back another night and see the Superman movie. It was a resounding YES, so maybe I will get to see Man of Steel after all.