Feb 8

Written by: brendan
2/8/2010 1:45 PM

Okay fellow mid-Michigan parents, tell me if you haven't had one of THESE moments. It's a Sunday in early February and the weather is cold enough out that it's no fun outside, but there is not enough snow to tough it out and bundle up for a decent winter outing. The kids, mine are boys 9 and 8, are bored and literally bouncing off the walls. Every two minutes they're breaking out into a wrestling match or running around the house like crazy people and despite the fact that you've yelled a hundred times to CALM DOWN - can you really blame them? Now a days kids get like 12 minutes for recess and the weather has been so crummy they haven't had a chance to burn off steam (and adults would be kind to remember kids, unlike a lot of us, actually still have steam...) or do any real playing at all. With the Superbowl hours away I knew I wanted to give them some fun and exercise before sitting in front of the TV for the big game for a few more hours. So what do you do in Greater Lansing when the kids are cooped up and driving you nuts because they're bouncing off the walls? The answer - go let them bounce off someone else's walls! The perfect place? Jumpin' Jax! Jumpin' Jax is a 10,000 square foot facility (its the old Lansing Ice and Gymnastics on Lake Lansing Road) with 7 full size inflatables that serve as obstacle courses, jumping areas and basically huge soft play areas where kids can jump, flop and flip to their hearts content. Of course parents are welcome to bounce too, but most tend to sit in the comfy chairs and talk with their spouse, read the paper, borrow from a huge bin of magazines or even sit in a massage chair while the kids play. It was a great time and the kids had a lot of fun. My wife and I were impressed with how clean it was considering all the kids running around with snacks and the staff did a great job of keeping things safe, but fun. After a few hours of bouncing around and acting crazy at Jumpin' Jax the kids came home and were more than content to rest a bit and watch the Saints beat the Colts - without running around and beating on each other. So if you are a Greater Lansing resident, or a lucky guest to the area, I highly recommend Jumpin' Jax for those days when the kids are nuts and Spring weather just can't come soon enough. Click here for their website to get hours, costs and more!

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