the "jumpoline" places

With three children under five I rely on having a plethora of things to do should I need a break from the house. In Richmond there are quite a few indoor playspaces most of which are open to the public and consist of many jumpolines (inflatables). We go to the two south of the James most often, Itz Party Time and Inflation Nation. There is also Kangaroo Jacs north of the river.

Itz a party is open duirng the day for open gym and anyone can go. It has about 5 or 6 inflatables of different size and style inside and also has some video games, and a play area for children under 3 or 4. (Everyone must have socks)That area has some little tikes stuff, an outdoor swing set but inside, etc. it is nice to have that area when you have older ones that love to jump around as well as littles.

Itz Party Time used to let youbring you rown food in which I loved but now they have a snack bar which serves popcorn, soda, chips etc. but thye allow no outside food or drink in which i think is pretty silly. I used to be able to grab sandwiches and go there for the afternoon but now I end up eating before or afer because the food choices are not really healthy or abundant. I still like the little kid area and my childrenlove burning off dome energy when the weather is not so agreeable so I will continue to be a fan. www.itzpartytime.com

Inflation Nation is about 5 minutes away from Itz Party Time and is also pretty awesome. It does not have the same dedicated little kid area but has two smaller inflataables for children 2-5 and 6 or 7 larger ones. They have a huge mac truck one which I have never seen anywhere else an dsome pretty tough obstacle courses. For a few extra dollars you can also climb the volcano/rock wall inflatabl which id mcuh taller and scarier then it fist seems. Ther are a few couches with magazines and a big TV for the parents anlong with a snackbar. Pizza, icecream, etc. is served and you may not bring in food or drink. (Everyone needs socks). www.inflationnationparty.com


Kangaroo Jacs I have only been to once. It follows the same idea with inflatables, a snack bar and a parent area (and socks). The strange thing is the design. The parent lounge is cut off from both the larger kid are and the toddler inflatable area. So you can not sit and relax and have visual contact with either area. The toddler area is up front which is nice if you just have young ones but if you have children in both areas you have to choose which one to be in. I like it better when it is one giant room so I can keep an eye on everyone at once. My children are all still to young to be completely separated from me. It is is north of the James off of Broad Street. www.kangaroojacs.com

why i'm here

My first blog was a reflection of the day but my main goal in blogging is to get parents to spend quality time with their children and to make visitng new places easier for families. I live outside Richmond, VA now and enjoy going lots of places with my three children. We not only love the more obvious choices such as the childrens museum and science museum but more secret gems that one may not find by just doing a google search for kids activities in Richmond. This includes such indoor playspots as inflation nation, kangaroo jacks and its a party. It also includes outdoor activites like the canal river boat ride, the pony pastures, pocahontas state park, the zoo etc. I realized in my searches of richmond that there was no one central place to get all of the fun stuff to do with kids around the country and so I decided to start a blog about what I have done and recommend in the city and other citys which I have traveled to. Hopefully this may help someone visiting here or newly relocated to get aquainted with all that there is to do and tips about the city. I think I am going to start with the childrens museum and the zoo because they are to things in richmond one should not miss if you have kids.



Children's Museum- Cmor is a great place to spend the afternoon, morning or anytime. Last year they added a new outside section with sand and water play. I recommend parents bring extra changes of clothes or a bathing suit because it is frustrating to see children not able to enjoy the water and sand because "they might get dirty." I now pack a towel and bathing suit for my children and sit back and enjoy the chairs and shade while the kids have a blast in the water. Also, there is a wonderful art area always stocked with paint and projects to make. I go to this area first so their creations have time to dry before it is time to leave. No one enjoys wet paint in the car. There are vending amchines there and picnic tables inside to eat but across the street is Mcdonalds and further down broad street is our favorite chinese/sushi buffet called Super King. It is located at Parham and Broad right next door to Books a Million which of course is a bonus treat because of the train table for the kids. The website for Cmor is www.c-mor.org



The Richmond Metro Zoo- I have to admit when I first moved down here my sister took me to this small privately owned zoo and my question to her was is this zoo just being built or really old. In the last four years of being here I have grown to love this zoo and am continually renewing my memebership because of its awesomeness. I have to start with my favorite thing about the zoo and that is the giraffes. For two bucks you can buy a large cup of food and feed the giraffes. And when I say feed the griaffes I mean literally they are in your face with their giant tongues trying to steal all the food. I can not tell you how many pics I have of my childrens hand being swallowed by a giant giraffe mouth while they giggle and howl with glee. It is priceless. Also, the Zoo is constantly expanding and now offers a carousel, skyride, zoo safari train ride, petting zoo and does have food available and many picnic tables. You can do the zoo in as little as 1 1/2 hours or make a day of it. www.metrorichmondzoo.com

I will add more sights later an hope that as I travle around I can siggest more fun stuff to do with your kid.

I am officially a computer game idiot

This week a thought I have always known about myself has been confirmed. I am a computer game idiot. My son, who is five, is discovering the world of computer games. My husband and I have always kept him slighlty shelterd from video games. Last year though he got a wii for a present from his grandpa and so opened the flood gates. I have to admit that even though we have owned the wii for a year the only game we own is the sports one that comes with it, so I guess it is more like the floodgates are leaking rather than completely crumbling. Anyway, my husband has always been into computer games and once in awhile a free demo cd will come in the mail along with his magazines. Asher, my son, saw the Lego Indiana Jones demo cd and he has now played it over and over again. He has asked me repeatedly for help but after five minutes of swimming around in an alligator filled lake without any clue how to get or stay out I realized that my days of being all knowing are over. My son, with some sadness, finally relented and said that it was ok for me not to "help him." I was happy to be off the hook, but it was with some sadness to admit that mommy is now not able to fix all. I have alway been the mender of books, the repairer of broken toys and the magical center of all things in my kids life. Now, I suck. This was reaffirmed today when I bought a new computer game and had to call my husband at work to help me to install the game. I then had to call him again because for the life of me I could not get the rat to climb the net. The game actually just sat there frozen in time, abandoned by the kids and myself until dad came home to save us all from our own cluelessness. Now, I know that it is great that dad gets to be the hero but honestly I do not like failing or my kids seeing me give up, but I think I just have to let it go. I guess in the end it is ok for them to see me as human, as someone who can get mad, frustrated and eventually give up at something. It did make me feel better though, that later when I checked my email on the computer I saw that my husband had actually looked up the controls for the game online. I think I will stick to board games.