Preschooler flips for My Gym

Who says birthday parties have to be all about empty calories -- as tasty as those empty calories are?

A couple weeks ago, CC and I visited My Gym children's fitness center on La Cienega Blvd. for a birthday party, and man, did we put those calories to work.

And by "we," I mean "she."

I've never taken CC to a My Gym location before, but I *have* been eyeing their classes for my little "Baby Taz." Besides hosting birthday parties for little ones, they also offer age-appropriate gymnastics classes to help the little tykes burn off some of that endless energy as well as improve coordination.

The birthday party was a little taste of that.

At first, I thought it would just be a free-play extravaganza for the 15 or so preschoolers running around like over-caffeinated wild chipmunks, but the two-hour event was structured and supervised.

Don't get me wrong. There was some free play, during which time CC dove into a plastic ball pit, slid down slides, swung on baby swings and bounced on a trampoline. But there was also singing and circle time and a safely supervised zip-cord run (right) that delighted the kiddos.

And, of course, there were cupcakes. But, for the first time in the history of my child's young life, those came second to the unfettered joy of belly flopping into a sea of colorful plastic balls.