Roobear, those mini trampolines are indeed great exercise and very enjoyable. Just a cautionary word though: Be alert at all times when you're using yours. I used to have one several years ago, and one evening I was on it, listening to music and just kinda "zoned out". The next thing I knew, I was on the floor and my ankle was twisted up underneath me at a very awkward angle ... I had come down on it wrong, my foot turned, I fell off (on the hard tile floor, no less) and given myself a very nasty sprained ankle that took a long time to heal. I'm a little too afraid to get back on one now, and I always have to turn mama bearish and warn others who use them to be careful! :-) I applaud each and every one of you who are endeavoring to be healthy and fit. On Thursday of this week it will be one month since DH and I joined a gym together (we've gone daily - haven't missed a workout) and while my weight hasn't dropped, I can see a difference in my body's shape. My arms aren't as flabby as they were before I started this, and my legs have tightened and toned a bit. I want to incorporate more weight training into my routine, but for now I'm enjoying the cardio and interval training.

I found this topic a few weeks ago while searching for a trampoline to do some exercise while I'm at home. Because I had no examples of what to look for, I did some research and found out what's the best to start with. I purchased one from JumpSport which does the job. I hope this info/example will help others in their search. Here is a link that might be useful: fitness trampoline

When I was young they didn't have the orange road cones used today, to alert one to construction or a roadside emergency. They used little cast iron 'smudge pots' that were lit with kerosene. The cross street at the end of our road had some construction going on, so it was lined with many of them, that were just too tempting to some of the neighbourhood boys. One time two brothers kicked them all over, so the kerosene inside them spilled onto the road. Imagine what could have happened if a car had driven by and one little spark ignited the road under it! If I recall, the boys' sister tattled on them and sand was soon poured over the spills to prevent them from igniting. The boys were rightfully grounded from playing outside for two weeks. The only dangerous thing I can recall personally was walking across a trestle bridge that connected two neighbourhoods, because there didn't seem to be any particular train schedule. One kid would rest their cheek on the rail and feel for vibrations, while everyone else looked down the tracks in both directions. If no vibrations were felt, we'd happily scamper across the trestle bridge, assuming we'd have time to complete our crossing if we suddenly heard the train whistle! One thing that happened in our area during my childhood, was the Detroit race riots. Our family left on the morning of Sat. July 22, 1967 for a cottage on Lake Erie that we'd rented for a week. That night (actually early Sun. morning) the Detroit Police raided an unlicensed bar, which led to a public disturbance that ended up turning into the Detroit race riots. I lived in Ontario, right across from Detroit, and some personnel from our Police and Fire Departments were sent over to assist in Detroit. My father was a police officer, but we had coincidentally gone away during the exact time that the rioting took place. When we returned the following Saturday, we learned that the skies over Detroit had been filled with smoke from fires and the sound of sirens and gunfire, until the rioting was finally brought under control. It was the worst of times for our neighbours to the north. http://mashable.com/2014/11/26/detroit-riots-1967/#B5PyEFmc8kqF

Think of the WHOLE.............and how you want the WHOLE to feel. Then what do you already own? I doubt you are sitting on a floor. Don't get so hung up on the kids, that you forget about you Honestly, the LEAST important purchase is a couple chairs in the play area. The storage is vital, a rug is as well, If the chairs swivel? You can afford to do them ? Great Two couches...its a better and much more versatile purchase than a sectional, even allowing the occasional reverse to which takes the most/least beating as far as USE. You can't do that, with any sectional. You have to light the space, .....and over time, you want this entire living space to feel good , however you define that. ( I have a tufted pouf, at that playroom hearth, ........as the open un ruggable area will drive you mad. ) A 54 inch diameter breakfast table.... That's how you plan. You don't just guess . Right? Right!!!!! At 1/4 inch to a foot, this is your house......... Often the slightly more expensive thing, is the same thing that saves you a lot of heartache and landfill results. The pottery barn unit in the play area? a good example. It's right sized for your space! Nice swivel on Wayfai, with a lot of fabrics to choose from It's 659.00 in the blue pattern Could you find a junk chair for three hundred? Probably. Add it to the landfill in a year. : ( Baskets at the wall.... Watch the Home Goods. Are the PB great? yes. But you can cheat on those. https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/bayou-breeze-kraft-355-w-swivel-armchair-w001193699.html?categoryid=416225&placement=1&slot=1&sponsoredid=8eee841dfc31f44ad93813a86fe81c686c5119d7bd66073927ceb9625266cdba&_txid=I%2FWEwmAf0v5mMxCczkBMAg%3D%3D&isB2b=0&auctionId=7dc73ca0-58dc-416a-8127-2857d59f02c5&piid=550563547 IIf you MUST cheat the chairs? Go to the outdoor category and half the price https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/aerin-east-hampton-outdoor-club-chair/?catalogId=79&sku=8909981&cm_ven=PLA&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Outdoor%20%3E%20Lounge%20Furniture&region_id=669950&cm_ite=8909981&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvP6ABhCjARIsAH37rbSGggqFWD_wIwOVfTzTByknKxGwQ514_P7cHqna6gbx2G1PX1sIZuUaAu82EALw_wcB https://casaza.com/product/aura-rattan-outdoor-patio-armchair-3/?utm_campaign=9829698938&utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvP6ABhCjARIsAH37rbR4op8ekV3C1R1_HeYPbjjmAjYtgSu0bIt04o5TjX1ZP1Xt6eBZF5UaAul5EALw_wcB At 159.00 in 8 x 10? buy a second. It WILL get trashed......Wayfair https://www.wayfair.com/rugs/pdp/17-stories-mindi-abstract-graycream-area-rug-w000807284.html?piid=879470340 These are half the price of above, and yes, pottery barn x large Ibiza tote. 129.00 Add art........ PUT A COUPLE LAMPS ON THE CONSOLE.......... it's a room : ) Just as it is on the scaled plan / 2 chairs and all. Realistically and allowing NO crap except the rug? and allowing you want shades? Give yourself 5 K. Or you will have a room FULL of junk that will get beat to hell, and fall apart before you get out of the toy phase, The "crap trap" can be tempting, Try not to fall into it. THE GREAT ROOM IS empty so far.........: ) Yeah..... But Diana will tell you there are not five pros on this site, who would do what I just did...... With that, you adjust and make your spaces............YOU. Sunday am laundry awaits ME. Along with a pile of the real work $$$