Bounce U is Open in Fishers {with Giveaway}

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Last week we had a giveaway for grown ups to kick off summer- this week, there’s one that ‘s more for the kids!

Bounce U has reopened in Fishers, and their open bounce sessions are out of this world!

The kids and I stopped in afterschool for an open bounce session, and bounce we did. Yes- I said we! They hooked me up with some happy socks (available for purchase if you forget yours at home), and all three of us had a blast. Kids need to be 34″ to bounce, but there’s no upper limit, meaning the whole family can bounce together. If you have small-fry with you, there are soft-mat areas for mobile babies and toddlers in both stadiums.

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Bounce U’s open bounce sessions run for two hours each, and the kids did not stop moving the entire time. Their energetic staff not only supervises the open bounce, they also interact with the kids. By rotating through the two stadiums, the kids were happy and on the move  for 120 minutes straight. I bounced along with them for awhile, and then had a seat in their parent’s area.

This summer, Bounce U not only offers multiple open bounce sessions each week, they are also offering a summer camp called “Create and Bounce”, that will appeal to the active and artistic. They also offer the occasional Parents Night Out, which lets the kids bounce for four hours on a Saturday night (how brilliant is that? seriously!).

They are also offering a Summer Bounce Passport, which grants admission to one child for unlimited open bounce sessions now through Labor Day. The pass is $79, and will ensure a summer full of active fun.

Have a birthday party coming up? Bounce U offers private parties (your party doesn’t share the inflatables with any other group during your bounce time) and takes care of all of the details, down to keeping track of the birthday child’s presents.

 

THE GIVEAWAY

Want to win a Summer Bounce Passport, good for one admission to open bounce sessions all summer long? Leave a comment below, telling me something about your summer plans. I will pick a winner on Friday, May 24th, around 9pm. The winner will have 24 hours to get back to me, after which I will pick a new winner if there’s no response.

There are 3 additional ways to enter:

1) Follow me (@gotchababy) on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you did.

2) Follow Bounce U (@bounceufishers) on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you did

3) Like the Bounce U of Fishers facebook page  and leave a comment telling me you did

Good luck, and keep bouncing!

And Suddenly, He’s Done with Preschool

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Tomorrow is the boy’s last day of preschool. While I’ve been focusing on how great it will be to have both of them on the same school campus next year, it hit me yesterday.

Tomorrow our family is done with preschool. After five continuous years of being Montessori preschool parents, we are done. No more shopping for snacks for 24, doing random loads of classroom laundry or taking care of Freckles the Wonder Rabbit.

We’re done with half-day school and writing monthly tuition checks (score!).

Meg still remembers a little about her Montessori experience, and I’m sure Andrew will remember bits and pieces as well. What I might remember more though, is the time he spent outside of preschool. Every day, we had about an hour and half together before we had to pick up Megan.

Sometimes, I begrudged it. I couldn’t get things done. It wasn’t enough time to be really productive. Just as I would get into the groove of a task at home, it was time to leave. I had to pack a ridiculous snack bag everyday, because we should not eat at the Costco snack bar everyday. My list of grievances went on an on.

Sometime this winter though, I stopped. I started enjoying it for what it was- uninterrupted time with him. We started playing Mario Kart, just the two of us. We played outside and he called the shots. We went to the park, he took a gymnastics class and we just were. Looking back, I can’t imagine my time being better spent.

He’s now almost ready to take on the world, as he counts down to his fifth birthday. I just hope his fashion sense doesn’t change anytime soon.

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Dirty Girl Mud Run 2013: We Got REALLY Dirty

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Saturday morning it was finally time to hit the 2013 Dirty Girl Mud Run in Indianapolis. I had everything you’d usually need for a 5k- shoes, socks, sports bra…and my senior prom dress.

Emily and I were on my friend’s team, “Cathy’s Bachelorette Brigade”, and you guessed it, we were instructed to look like bridesmaids. Most of the team went thrifting. Cathy pulled out her gown from her first wedding in 1987. I pulled out my senior prom dress from 1991.

prom dress The most puzzling thing about this dress was the sleeves. They look reasonably sized in the front, but in the back, they were frilly, frilly, frilly. WOW. 1991, you were something.

I wore my dress to the race, I figured it would just be easier that way. We meet up just past registration, and we were a SIGHT to behold. (Can you spot Emily in the maroon loveliness on the right?)

teampanoramic We trekked through the course, hitting the obstacles one by one. There were walls, there were mud pits, there were FOUR creek crossings and one trek across a pond. The most challenging thing for me was the rope wall- climbing has never been a strength. Sure enough though, with the momentum and some adrenaline, I made it up and over.

PicMonkey CollageWe laughed and splashed and slipped and slid all 5 kilometers. Do you see the lady in the yellow? She’s 80 years old and did a good portion of the race with us. She’s nothing short of amazing. I felt good when we were done- accomplished and ready for the free beer that came with my race bib.

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When we were done, we hit the rinse off tent. I decided to pitch my dress- it was obviously too far gone to use for anything in the future. It goes without saying that a lot has changed in my life since 1991. The dress still fit, but I think I’m in better shape now than the first time I wore it. I don’t know that I would have done something like the Dirty Girl in 1991. I may in fact be game for more fun as I approach my fortieth birthday. There’s certainly no way I could have anticipated where I’d be in five years, never mind 22 years the first time I wore that dress. Putting it through the Dirty Girl seemed appropriate, and I was good with saying goodbye to it. Cathy had no qualms about throwing her dress out either- she’s getting married (in new dress) on June 15th!

 

4afterThanks to the Dirty Girl run series for inviting me to participate in this fantastic event!