Bouncy house keeps kids off the couch

Today I'm so excited and feeling a tad genius because of the spectacular new gift I bought for my daughter's fourth birthday and son's second. A bounce house. My kids have always loved to bounce, jump and flip. They've both grown up in my gym and have spent countless hours on BOSUs and mini-trampolines. They've also spent hours each week playing at the local gymnastics school, so purchasing this bounce house seemed like a great idea. It only cost $200 to own, and the one day rental on the huge bouncers was $150.

Here's my genius move though. I made my husband blow it up inside our home! Sadly enough, we don't actually own official dining room furniture yet. It's only been four years since we built this house, and all of our money has been poured into these two little people since. Fancy dinner furniture has not yet made its way. Nonetheless! The 9 X 12 X 6 foot bounce house fit perfectly! They love it, and they use it all day. The benefits are endless. They leave me alone for a while. They get plenty of exercise. They leave me alone. They don't fight over toys. They leave me alone. They screech and laugh a ton. They leave me alone. They conk out for naps and night time easily and sleep like logs. And did I mention they leave me alone? Kids adore these things, and they make much better babysitters than any DVD. :) For more ideas on keeping kids fit visit KidsHealth.Org.