One of the things I have been missing dearly since Ronan became a toddler was the Cedar Hills Parks and Recreation Center in Beaverton, OR. Cedar Hills was a family haven full of wonderful activities for little ones and welcoming, patient, and friendly staff. When Connor was Ronan's age, we were going to the Indoor Playground twice a week, a 30 minute music "class," and I was dropping him off for a few hours for their Mom's Morning Off program. I could also drop off Connor in the television-free day care room while I took an exercise class. The Tualitin Hills Parks and Recreation organization is stellar, and one of the main reasons we bought our Beaverton house where we did.
Anyhow, I've digressed severely.
Well, right when we were in limbo about moving back to Oregon or staying here, we found a few activities and centers that made us feel like we were connecting to North Dublin's version of Cedar Hills Recreation Center. And most of the activities were based in a neighborhood called Clontarf.
Clontarf is a well-heeled area of town, truth be told. Why it is that those areas have more creative places for kids and families is the topic of a different kind of blog. But suffice it to say, once I found out about my options in Clontarf, I was so happy. (Just today, I ran into a bunch of moms with toddlers who were wearing paper crowns with leaves pasted all over them. When I asked about it, I was told that a local mom named May led a nature walk every Tuesday morning through St. Anne's park. And the cost? It is only €1, to cover art supplies.)
So, I went into one of the church halls in Clontarf to see what was on, and lo and behold, I found out about St. Gabriel's Drop In Playschool. Two ladies who each run different Montessori schools in the church hall (yes, it's a large building with several classroom-sized rooms and a gym) decided to jointly open a playschool. It's open to children ages 2 and older. They do not have to be potty trained. Sessions officially start at 9:30am but staff are there at 8am, so in case I'm ever stuck, I can bring Ronan early. They also run yoga/dance classes for kids in the afternoon and have an after school program. So again, officially, the morning session ends at 1pm, but if I'm ever stuck, I can come later.
Needless to say, I was delighted! They let me bring Ronan for 30 minutes every day, for free, until he was happy to say goodbye to me.
It took a few weeks to get him adjusted. He was a little fussy. Turned out, it was because he was getting the chicken pox. (They don't have a vaccine for it over here.) But the day finally came when he was comfortable going in. The best day, though, was the first day he had his own little backpack, just like his brother. He loves his little truck bag, and was so happy to wear it. He was full of confidence and waltzed on in like he owned the place. :)
Ronan is also now able to join in one of Connor's toy games called Beyblades. It's basically a competition between two miniature spinning tops. Of course, Ronan needs my help to load the Bey onto a launcher, but after that, he could do it by himself. It's great fun listening to him. He's picked up on all the expressions Connor and I use when we're playing each other. "Oh no," being the primary one. And it's marvelous now that he's at the point developmentally that he knows to wait until the tops stop spinning before he reaches in and grabs them away.
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