When you live in the Midwest we are all well aware that the summer weather can be a bit temperamental. One day we can have sun, blue skies and the most perfect temperatures. The next day it can be stormy or gloomy and in the 60s. Basically, Mother Nature is pretty unpredictable around here! My family is pretty active in the summer with sports and other outdoor activities. Most afternoons you can find us at our neighborhood pool or local park splash pad as we spend hours splashing around and eating snacks outside together. But lately the weather hasn’t wanted to cooperate, so we have been stuck inside trying to figure out things we can do to keep ourselves busy. My son mentioned how much he missed going to the movie theater because it was these rainy days in the past where we would spend our afternoons eating as much popcorn and sweet treats as our hearts desired. It has been almost two years since my family has been back to the movies, which is sad because these trips are some of our favorite summer memories togethers. So on a whim, I decided to plan a fun day where we could combine two of our favorite things – Hudsonville Ice Cream and movies!
If you know my family then you know that our freezer is always stocked with Hudsonville Ice Cream – especially in the summer. Because ice cream and those sweet summer memories just go hand-in-hand with one another! I made sure to grab our favorite Hudsonville Ice Cream flavors during our last grocery run. (Blue Moon and Mint Chocolate Chip are non-negotiables in our house.) I also wanted to stick as close to the movie theme as possible, so I searched the candy aisle and grabbed our favorite candies that screamed a trip to the movies. Basically anything sweet, chocolate, chewy and full of sugar! And there was no way I could forget the extra butter popcorn either. As I filled up my cart with all of our goodies, I knew my kids would be so excited for this afternoon together.
The set up was easy and fun to pull together. I was wishing I had some of those cute popcorn containers to put our popcorn in, but a big bowl to share did the trick too. While I poured the candy into bowls and got our favorite Hudsonville Ice Cream ready to serve, I told the kids they had an important job to do too. They had to create a comfy space for our movie afternoon that we could all share together. So while they searched for every pillow and blanket we owned, I rearranged the furniture to help them create our movie viewing area.
It was an afternoon that I didn’t know I needed. We laughed as we scooped the biggest bowls of Hudsonville Ice Cream you ever saw and there were zero limits on the amount of toppings we ate or put into our bowls. We tossed popcorn and counted how many pieces we could catch with our mouths and even tried to color coordinate the sweet treats to our Blue Moon ice cream. Together we snuggled, ate our ice cream and watched some of the movies we had been saving in our queue to watch. And for those few hours there was minimal fighting too – which is an absolute miracle to be had these days. (Parents, I KNOW you feel that one.) But it was a simple idea that created one of our favorite summer memories yet. I actually splurged and ordered a projector and screen that we can use outdoors once things dry up for outdoor movies. Ice cream and movies under the stars on a hot summer night – sounds like the perfect combination, doesn’t it?
About Hudsonville Ice Cream
Hudsonville Ice Cream is about more than just ice cream. For them, it’s all about making life a little sweeter. It’s about the feeling you get, the experience you have, and the people you share a scoop with. Their Midwest creamery has been perfecting the art of ice cream making for 95 years. While they enjoy creating creamy, delicious and exciting new flavors, many of their ice creams use a base recipe that was created back in 1926! With more than 50 flavors to choose from, including the world’s best French Vanilla and Dairy Free options, Hudsonville Ice Cream has options for everyone to enjoy.
Get $2 off your favorite Hudsonville Ice Cream flavor with this coupon here. Plus you can find Hudsonville at a store near you using their Scoop Locator tool.