We went to see Les Miserables last night*. I can't remember the last movie we've gone to a movie together. We didn't go to many movies in theatres before having a child and now it's even more of an anomaly. (As a bit of trivia, my father hasn't seen a movie in a theatre since Funny Girl in 1968.)

I have a hard time with my blood sugars during movies. Something about sitting in a theatre makes my blood sugar either crash to 30 or sky rocket to 300 (or both!) in a brief two hour period. Any snacks to correct it are approximately $58/ounce and I can't even easily check my blood sugar in the dark row because my meter doesn't have a back light (curses!). God forbid if I have to go to the bathroom.

As we sat there in the previews, though, I also realized I have a hard time with movies in general. We watched the preview for Oblivion and by the end of it I could feel my heart racing. I'm such a chicken the live action Scooby Doo movie scared me. I'm a sensitive soul and if the screen is 40 feet high and in surround sound, it's just a bit more than I can bear.

So of course we go to see this epic musical adaptation that is sure to evoke strong emotions. By the time Fontine sang "I Dreamed a Dream", I was a mess all the way up to Marius' "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables". It was not a perfect movie, but it was incredibly good and it was a wonderful way to introduce a favorite musical of mine to Rich.

Because we'd put Ian to bed right before leaving (no nap meant for early bedtime, or so we thought) I at least didn't have the distraction of being away from Ian for several hours. If we go during the day, I am always worried at being "out of touch" in the theatre and leaving the house is heartbreaking as Ian cries "don't leave me!" Of course, when we got home at almost midnight, our son was wide awake and running around playing trains. He'd slept only an hour before waking up crying for Mommy and not wanting to go back to sleep. So my parents just kept him happy and alive until we got home.

Our tickets were $20 for the two of us. Our drinks, popcorn, and red vines were $21. Parking was $1, gas probably $3. If we'd paid a sitter (versus the generous care of Mamaw and Pop), it would have been four hours of care for another $30 or more. Even the strictest paid sitter might have meant coming home to a wide awake child (Ian didn't go to bed until almost 1am and there were some gritted teeth to get to that point). For all the magic of the film, I just wonder if it's worth it. Granted, I've bought the Les Mis soundtrack and am listening to it as I type this, so it obviously had an effect on me.

Do you all go to movies in a theatre? Do you just wait for them to be On Demand or Red Box? What are some of your best or worst movie experiences? What movies should I put on my bucket list?

* Another bit of trivia is Rich didn't recognize Hugh Jackman at the beginning of the movie so couldn't figure out why he was freaking out when Javert showed up at his factory. He was all, "What's your deal, Mayor? He's looking for that Jena Valjean dude, not you."