We're getting into our routine again here in Kiev. That includes at least one trip a week to a park or playground. We went to Marinsky Park on Saturday, which was really beautiful. But it did make me miss London a bit.
One of the very, very best things about London is that they have amazing parks. Beautiful gardens, paths, fountains, ponds and lakes. Green. Clean. Perfect. We spent a lot of time in Regent's Park and some in Hyde Park, St. James, and Kensington Gardens. I love not only being outside and strolling through the parks, but I love the atmosphere, the people, the feeling that is there. The boys loved feeding the huge variety of birds (although Charlie did equal parts feeding and chasing) and discovering the playgrounds, which were safe and clean. It's the little things, you know. So nice.
But almost every time we left a playground or park in London, Charlie would start a steady repetition: "Ah wanna doe on moonbouse...Ah wanna doe on moonbouse..." It took me a while to figure out what he was saying and why it always came up when we were leaving a park. Then I realized it was: "I wanna go on the moonbounce."
(We call them moonbounces - I'm not sure what they're called in general. In Northern Virginia, people not in our socioeconomic bracket rent them for backyard birthday parties and they usually are just a contained place to jump like mad inside a huge air-filled cube. The ones here are the same huge inflated things, but they are slides instead of air-trampolines, and they usually have some kind of chicken/barnyard theme to them. Do you call them moonbounces, too?)
Yeah, they don't have moonbounces in every (or any?) park in London. But they do in Kiev. For less than $1, your child can climb, bounce and slide like crazy for ten whole minutes. Charlie loves the moonbounce and apparently considers it an integral part of his going-to-the-park experience. The other boys were discerning enough to appreciate London's parks for what they were, but Charlie felt they were distinctly lacking.
But now all the boys are thrilled to be back in the land of the moonbounce parks. Considering the state of the playgrounds and the broken-glass-strewn paths in a lot of the parks here, the moonbounce is heaven.
10.05.2009
You Should Live Here: Moonbounces
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6 comments:
Last week our school rented a moon bounce which was to be operated by two local men from the rental company. When we arrived, it was pure mayhem. The kind of mayhem where children could literally break their necks. It turns out that the company policy allowed for 30 children on a time. Did I mention it really shouldn't have exceeded ten, and that would be pushing its limit? Just.Say.No. to moonbounces here.
We called the one by our house the chicken slide. And we were just talking about it this weekend. They miss it!
We went to a party this weekend with a moonbounce and they couldn't understand why there was no slide to it.
=}
I'm glad your family is all back together again. My kids them giant bounce places. I guess that works, right?
I love the pictures. Your boys are so very cute. :)
bouncehouse is the general term we use. i love action pics on these things.
We call them astrojumps. Although maybe that's just the company name? But we don't have them at parks- that is so cool!
We have boring slides and swings here.
I'm not sure what we've been calling them. Lol! But how fun for your boys to be back inside one!
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