Since little GD was a few months old, I have driven her and DDIL to the local family centre for baby time. This is a huge room with two helpers who put loads of toys and activities around plus a sensory room with lights and mirrors. GD loved it and it gave me a regular weekly time with her. Also DDIL hasn't driven since she's been in this country. She did drive an automatic in Canada where there are very wide roads and little traffic so our roads horrify her.
Anyway once GD was one year she was too old for baby time which was a shame as she loved it but I think it would have got too crowded without the restriction. We do take her to another play centre which has a soft play area open from 8am to 4pm week days and free. She loves that but DDIL wanted something a bit more structured so we found Melody Monkeys and Thursday was her first session. She absolutely loved it as she always jigs up and down to any music. There were shakers to shake and sticks and blocks to bang together plus dancing up and down and some other fun activities.
I was speaking to an old friend in her 80's and she marveled at facilities available for children now and said there were none when hers were young. I don't even remember them 40 odd years ago when my children were small. Ours had lots of fun outdoors rolling down grassy hills etc but when the weather was too bad, apart from the swimming pool, I can't remember any indoor activities for babies and tots. Perhaps it was just our location as we lived in a small village.
I'm so pleased I can enjoy GD while she is tiny and making lots of happy memories. I'm looking forward to having her on Saturday while mummy and daddy have a date night. I will enjoy it but be exhausted and happy to hand her back!
I'm curious to know where in Canada your DIL is from. I live in a city that has 1.3 million people and the traffic is horrendous. It seems that rush hour is all day long!! Sounds like your GD is having so much fun!
ReplyDeleteHi Janice, thank you for your comment. My DIL grew up on a farm in Alberta near a small town St. Paul. The nearest city is Edmonton where she lived for a while as a teenager while at college. Her last few years in Canada she lived in Yellow Knife and worked in catering in a diamond mine in the Northern Territories 2 weeks on and 2 off. So she flew back and forward and didn't have a car. She has driven on the ice road which we think is more terrifying! She is a country girl!
DeleteYes, St Paul is pretty small, only about 6,000 people. Edmonton is the Capital of Alberta and I live in Calgary, the other big city in the province. Living in Yellowknife in the NWT is really cold. If she drove on the ice roads up there she could drive anywhere!! Is she still living in Yellowknife?
DeleteNo she left over 4 years ago to come to the UK. I think her aunt lives in Calgary. We have a lot of traffic here although it is only a small town but we are near London and also Stansted Airport and this town was built when very few people had cars. It was all bikes and buses. Now parking is a nightmare and lots of narrow roads with cars parked everywhere. I have never been to Canada but it looks so beautiful.
DeleteHow lovely to have quality time with your GD, so much fun.
ReplyDeleteThat does sound nice that you can do that together. Have been offline for a while, so no Internet.
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