Moms Council: Seen Any Good Movies Lately?

Moms Talk is part of a North Andover Patch initiative to reach out to moms and families.

North Andover Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in North Andover.

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions.

This week's question: Have you seen any movies lately (with or without the kids)? Which ones, and what did you think of them? Also, if you watched any with your kids, which ones did they like/dislike?

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Michele Gorham: We actually hit a movie this past Saturday, "Kung Fu Panda 2." Cute movie, not as good as the first but still waaaay better than "Where The Wild Things Are." Did anyone else make the mistake of bringing their kids to that? It should of had a disclaimer on it, my kids wont even read the book now :( 

Other than that we don't really go to the movies much. After tickets, food and drinks you're dropping a solid $80 (and that's when I don't bring my candy/icee addicted husband). That's almost as much as our grocery bill for the week! And for what? To watch a movie that you can rent On Demand in a few months for five bucks. Did I mention I'm frugal?  Alright, flat-out cheap.

You know, what I would like to do is go to a drive-in movie. Does anyone know of one remotely close to here?

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Wendy Bulawa Agudelo: My husband and I were at a movie theater enjoying "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" when my water broke with my first child. Needless to say, that was the last time we enjoyed a movie date out (just the two of us). What’s worse is that we didn’t even get to see the end of that one—thanks to our first-born baby girl who just decided she couldn’t wait.

Alas, we have since rented it via NetFlix (so we could see how the movie ended, of course) as well as many others since NetFlix seems the only way we can catch a movie these days. What’s more, we often have to pause a selected movie and watch it over a few nights since we tire soon after we put our little ones to bed. It is truly a sad state of affairs, but we encourage one another often that it won’t stay like this forever.

A little local gem we uncovered in the past year opened up the world of movies to us (and our kids) again and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Thank you, Chunky’s.  One of our first family movie excursions was last year, to see "Toy Story 3." What a fantastic time we all had! While our three little ones are still a little tiny for the big seats at the theater, we’ve frequented Chunky’s a few times to enjoy dinner and a show with our crew. Granted, we’re watching G-rated kid flicks, but at least it is a movie—outside our home! The most recent movie we saw was "Rio," and the kids were fascinated with the talking macaw. However, the previews of "Mr. Poppers Penguins" has set one of our twins aflame with the request to see “poppers penguins” in a shrill whine at least twice a day. I assume that means we’ll be scouting out this movie after it opens next week. Let’s hope Chunky’s will feature it!

For families of children with special needs (of which I am one), I highly recommend Chunky’s. The cinema features "sensory friendly" screenings often (at least once a month). During sensory-friendly screenings, the lights are kept on (dim), sounds are turned low and kids are able to run around and talk. The difference allows children with special needs, such as Autism or Down syndrome, to attend the movies without experiencing sensory overload, and parents can avoid getting "shushed" or glared at if their children are more active during the movie. Chunky’s also introduced super-lovely "Little Lunch Dates" so that families with younger children can enjoy lunch and catch a movie during the week when the cinema isn’t overly busy and the kids (and moms/dads) are looking for something fun to do. Chunky’s is owned by very savvy businesspeople who understand their clientele. If you’ve not yet frequented one of their three theater locations, definitely give them a try!

Finally, thanks to the mass marketing and unabashed merchandising powerhouse (the hallmark of Disney), our kids are also asking to see "Cars 2," set for release later this summer. However, we’re planning on seeing it at one of the area drive-ins (Milford, NH ; Mendon, MA)  so that we can introduce yet another exciting movie-watching avenue to our kids. What better way to see a movie during summer?

Pass the chips and bug spray, please.

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OUR MOMS COUNCIL

Wendy Bulawa Agudelo -- Wendy is the mother to three young children (5 and under) — including a set of twin boys. In her spare time, she is an avid features writer covering a broad array of parenting topics from special needs to travel with infants. During the day, she earns her stripes as an entrepreneur, operating both a public relations consultancy as well as a targeted theme gift basket business, Period Packs, which celebrates a young girl's foray into womanhood.

Michele Gorham -- Michele is the wife of a Methuen firefighter and mother of two little girls. As the owner of Cookie Central, she is an avid supporter of Share Our Strength and a community leader for MerchantCircle. 

Darcy Rubino -- Darcy is a mom to three kids, ages 5, 7 and 15. She has lived in North Andover for 10 years with her husband, Mike. She is an active volunteer in the community and is co-chair of North Andover Parents Advisory Council for Children with Special Needs (NAPAC).

Diane Kiladis -- Diane is a local mom of two kids and runs the newspaper at Franklin Elementary School, the Franklin Flyer.