speed dating, playgroup style

the kids enjoy the fountain and a pretzel after the Farmer's Market

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"Hi. I'm Cherl. This is Thomas, he'll be three in May. And this is Meredith, she'll be one later this month. We're new to the area..."

Did you know the kids and I are dating? Not really, but it feels like we are. We spent the first several weeks after the move getting settled and exploring the area on our own (not to mention getting over colds that have lasted weeks as we take turns!). But playgroups are great for a variety of reasons so the last few weeks we've been attending different playgroups - many, many different playgroups. Today was the busiest day yet with three different playgroups. Yes, three! It not only feels like we are dating, but today was like speed dating, playgroup style.

We began the day with a 3 mile walk at the lagoon, followed by a stroll through the Farmer's Market and finished the afternoon with two hours of play at a playground. Tomorrow we'll meet up with another playgroup in the morning and possibly another (yes, the fifth in two days!) in the late afternoon. There's also a mom's night out tomorrow evening with the late afternoon group of mamas. As much as dinner out to a Vietnamese restaurant without children sounds, this mama needs a break from all this playgroup dating. It's been great fun and we're seeing new things and meeting some interesting moms and children, but it's also exhausting!

Fortunately for us, there are a lot of playgroups in this area. It's just a matter of finding the right fit(s) and since I'm a strong believer of "three times before you decide", we'll be spending the next few weeks figuring out which one(s) work best for us. Until then, we'll continue the "dating" but not the "speed dating" we did today. The kids both do great - Thomas jumps right in these days which is fun to see and Meredith is a social butterfly - but I can't keep all the moms and children straight anymore. Was it Amy with daughter Grace this morning who runs or the other Amy with the Maclaren stroller? What is the name of that woman who is moving to Argentina for a year with sweet, little Nevada? What is my name...??

.Thomas feeds his sister -- so sweet!