Life Lesson: Movies, Popcorn and Scofflaws

So I know as a parent I'm supposed to be teaching my kids to be honest. To follow rules. But today I made my 4-year-old into a smuggler by teaching him how to sneak snacks and drinks into a movie.

Let me try to justify. First of all, we have approximately 725 pounds of Halloween candy in our pantry. Slight exaggeration maybe. But let's just say spending $6 on a giant box of sugar, chocolate and various gooey filling when we already have a pantry full is just crazy talk.

I planned on throwing a few mini candy bars in my purse and buying Nate's weight in popcorn but when I asked if he wanted to get popcorn there he announced that he doesn't like their popcorn, only ours.

Quick flashback: about a week ago I decided to stop buying microwave popcorn for a few reasons.  One of which was to know what goes into what my kids are eating. We started making the following and we are in love:

1/2 cup popcorn kernels (i don't recommend making less)
1 tsp oil
Brown paper lunch bag
Salt and butter to taste

Mix kernels and oil in a bowl and pour into paper bag. Salt if desired and shake to coat. Fold bag over several times.  Microwave for about 3 minutes or until there is more than 2 seconds between pops. Carefully remove bag and open to release steam. Add melted butter and salt to taste.

So when my child wants popcorn free of random plastic-y butter flavor, why wouldn't I encourage that?

We giggled as we made it (down with the man!), put it into quart size zip bags and buried in my biggest purse. And Nate was almost as excited for that popcorn as the movie. This will come back to haunt me someday...