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April-June 2022 playgroup celebrates one year birthdays!

SMMC Community
APRIL-JUNE 2022 PLAYGROUP CELEBRATES ONE YEAR BIRTHDAYS!

By: Turner Varady | June 1, 2023

What is special about your playgroup?
This is the most proactive playgroup it seems! There are about 75 in our group. Every day there are WhatsApp posts about meeting up at a playground, going for a walk or organizing a trip to the Bay Area Discovery Museum! In addition to that, the group is special in its responsiveness when moms are questioning how to do something, needing a pep talk when navigating something new such as travel sans kids, weaning or sleep training and the positive "you got it mama" mantra that is repeated time and time again.

How does your playgroup benefit you as a mom?
Personally, this playgroup has given me so much peace of mind when I feel unsure about the next developmental step for my kiddo. In those early months, many mamas in the group would chat during midnight feeding sessions. It was nice to know that there was a community of us at 3am who could bond over that. Even though I have a toddler, this group has taught me how to let go of mom guilt, has been a middle-of-the-night advice group, lender of baby items when in need and overall a great little community of love. One time I needed to borrow a pack ‘n play when we had to move out of our house that was under construction, and half a dozen moms responded to my ask within minutes -- it was amazing and so gracious.

Where do you meet and how often?
It seems as though each week there are a couple of meet ups, which could be small with just a couple moms meeting up for coffee or larger gatherings such as playground meetups with bubbles and treats.

This month we are holding our joint first birthday celebration. We are meeting in the late morning for a park playdate at Hal Brown Playground. It will be so fun to see all the babies grown up since we haven't done a big event in a long time!

Turner Varady has been an active member of Jul-Sept 2020 playgroup with her firstborn daughter and serves as leader of the April-June 2022 playgroup with Palmer, her second baby. She and her husband Drew have loved meeting other Marin parents at various events and activities through the club. New to the stay at home mom life, she’s enjoying it to the fullest! She enjoys taking her kids to story time at the library, playgrounds, and parks and music at Marin Mart. She loves to go on runs, family hikes and try new coffee shops in town. She recently served on the SMMC Board as the Director of Activities.