Sandboxes to Conquer, Parks to Explore

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Updated January 19: Dodo O who commented, “I would use it to sit down in the park, the beach, or just out on the porch in the summertime,” is the winner! Thanks everyone and don’t forget to check out the new Friday Snowy Days Giveaways posts.

Today’s Snowy Days giveaway is for a hip, and useful, outdoor mat from GoBaby, founded by New York City designer moms Robin Shane and Gina Fabiano.

blue_mat_lg.jpg

The OutMat rolls into a yoga-mat-style bag, is washable, and has a pocket for those little items a mama needs, such as car keys, a cell phone, and sunscreen. Adjustable straps make it easy to hang on the back of a stroller. It’s a perfect size for parent and child (50″ X 50″) and weighs less than 3 pounds. If you’re headed for the beach this spring break, the terry cloth side of the OutMat can double as a towel poolside and for beach trips it’s perfect as sand shakes off of it with ease. Consider this a stylish alternative to the old quilt tossed in your car for impromptu picnics, trips to the park, or soccer practice. I love well-designed baby and children’s products with mileage and I can definitely see using the OutMat beyond the Elmo years.

GoBaby also sent me muffatees, cute handknit fingerless gloves, to try. I don’t know about you, but wrangling gloves or mittens on a toddler is enough to send me to the liquor store. They also sell beautiful nursing bracelets, which are a stylish way to stay on top of your baby’s feeding schedule (beats the heck out of the safety pin I’d attach to my nursing bra.)

To be entered in the drawing for this beautiful orange and blue OutMat (the photo above makes it look pink, but it is a pale orange), just leave a comment here telling how you would use the OutMat. For one additional entry, post and link to this giveaway on your blog (e-mail me if you’d also like the Snowy Days Giveaways pink snowman graphic.)

Entries for this drawing will be accepted until midnight CST Friday, January 18, and then I’ll draw a winner’s name from all qualifying entries. You don’t need a blog or website to enter, but you do need a valid e-mail address. Thanks and good luck!

p.s. My Spam Karma program can be a real you know what, so e-mail me if your comment does not go through.

About the author

Jamie Reeves
I'm Jamie, a 51-year-old Nashville working mom desperately seeking a few moments of Zen and zinfandel. I love to travel, find great deals, and talk with my hands. My husband and I have two daughters, three dogs, one cat and too much laundry. Email me at blondemomblog @ gmail.com.

70 comments

  2. brandy w says:

    would love this. my kids love to play out doors but our patio is always covered in dust. put this down and let them play.

  5. mama4jc says:

    Besides using it at the beach all year long (we’re in FL), we plan on using it indoors to let them play legos on so it would catch all the pieces and make for a quick cleanup! 🙂

    mama4jc’s last blog post..Some book reviews 🙂

  6. Tara says:

    Our MOPS group meets two mornings a month all summer just to hang out, chat and picnic. I’m sure I’d get TONS of use out of this mat all summer long! And, sometimes I even like to let the kids have a picnic in the living room. They’d love the novelty of having a new picnic blanket! Thanks for the entry!

    Tara’s last blog post..Another Contest!

  9. AnneJ says:

    I’d love to have this. We’d take it along to the park in the summer since the park bench near the playground isn’t in the shade. And we’d use it for movie nights so all the popcorn didn’t end up in the couch cushions. 🙂

    AnneJ’s last blog post..Win a Hamilton Beach Stand Mixer

  11. Nicole says:

    PICK ME! PICK ME!

    I would use this gorgeous, portable blanket at the sunny beaches of Charleston. My infant son would happily wiggle away while listening to the sounds of the surf, my preschool daughter would dance circles around him giggling happily, and a cabana boy would make sure that my margarita glass was always full while I watched my kickass husband surf the waves.

    Something like that, anyway.

    (Maybe the cabana boy was too much?!)

    Nicole’s last blog post..this is the way we feed our babies

  12. sara says:

    Wow, this thang looks GREAT! We would definitely use this for picnics, the park, the lake, the local amusement park…Oh, the possibilities are endless!LOL! Thanks for the chance to win!

  13. emily says:

    I know exactly how I would use this mat. We live in a big city and are what you would call “festival people”. If there is an outdoor festival going on, you can find us there. I would use the mat to plop down and enjoy the festivities! Thanks for a great contest!

    emily’s last blog post..comfort…

  14. Shannon B. says:

    This would be great to use at the beach since we live near Lake Michigan or at the park where my daughter practically lives in the summer!

  16. supermama says:

    Me me, I want to sign up, how cool. Further more, I am signing up for gravatar so I can have a cool picture to go with my comment. 🙂 Thanks!

  17. Blonde Mom says:

    Supermama:

    Something is wrong with my Gravatar code. I did sign up for one recently…too bad it doesn’t work on my OWN site!

    I had some help getting a few things tweaked out on my blog before the holidays. If anyone knows how to fix my wonky Gravatar comment code, I’d really appreciate it!

    Jamie

  19. Christine says:

    This would be perfect for those trips to the beach, the park, or even for picnics in the yard…. I love that’s it’s so nice and compact.

  20. Lisa says:

    Just incase I don’t win last weeks contest, I’ll enter this drawing (Ha!) Seriously, I could see the little ladies & I getting a good amount of mileage out of this blanket 🙂

    Lisa’s last blog post..Doctor Debacle

  22. Dodo O says:

    I would use it to sit down in the park, the beach, or just out on the porch in the summertime.

  24. Jenny M says:

    For picnics=), for our hotel when we travel to korea to bring home our newest little one, and for outside . Thanks for hte chance!

  26. JewelsHud says:

    Hmmm – so many uses – I like having something even indoors to use as a picnic blanket – my two year old son really likes it when we have picnics especially on rainy days.

  27. Kalani says:

    We’d love to win a great mat like that! Take it to the park and have a picnic.. Or use it inside for a megablock building session! Great giveaway!

  28. Cindi Hoppes says:

    What a wonderful item! A playmat, a sleep mat and in warmer weather an outdoor mat. Please put me in the drawing for your great giveaway. Cindi

  35. Sheena says:

    I’d just about use this mat anywhere outdoors whether it be in backyards or parks. It’s perfect for picture taking! My son is due in May, so we’d have lots of fun with this!

    Sheena’s last blog post..I

  36. Donna says:

    I’d use it in my backyard for picnics with my children and to let the baby sit on and play. I’d probably take it to the beach, too.

  37. Noreen says:

    My girls love going to the park but the grass itches theirs leg (they get a rash). The mat would be perfect for them to sit ob 🙂

  38. Southern Mom says:

    Well…I thought I left my comment yesterday, but it’s not here. Weird.
    ANYWAY…

    I would use the OutMat for picnics and the summer symphonies we go to (hooks on the stroller…BONUS!)…It’s a great place for the baby to lay while the two hoodlums run around him and I try to prevent them from squishing him! Isn’t that how all picnics go? No? Hmmmmm…

  40. Danielle S says:

    We would use it out in theyard, at the park, and it would be great to take to the beach for our annual trip to the beach to watch the fireworks!
    dansan826 at yahoo dot com

  41. Jennifer says:

    Count me in:) So great for our backyard which is a 1/2 sand. Yup we’re those types of crazy parents who purposly bring in 10 dump truck loads of sand in their back yard.

    Jennifer’s last blog post..Tip of the Week

  42. workout mommy says:

    I love this! I would use it for my little one at the park or even in my own backyard. (and sometimes I need it in my own house —when my floors are covered with hair from annoying-dog!) Thanks!

  43. Caryn B says:

    I would love to win this. We have a parents room at our church and I could lay this down and let my little one crawl and play! We love the beach! We could also use it there!

    Caryn B’s last blog post..First Book

  47. Carrie says:

    We go to the park often in the nice weather. I walk, because we live near, and always struggle with how to fit everything our stroller. THis would be perfect!

    Carrie’s last blog post..Eternal Cold, Drew Carey, No Brakes

  49. Tammy and Parker says:

    We spend a mind boggling amount of time in doctor’s offices. Unlike most kids the toys at these offices are off limits to a kid who tends to catch any and everything. But having to spend all this time on Mom’s lap is a total drag for a little guy wanting to be like all the other big guys.

    We’d use this mat to give Parker a ‘safe zone’ to play with his toys and make these hours pass by much more quickly.

    Then being able to attach it off of Parker’s beloved Big Bertha (his stroller) would just be icing on the cake.

    I’d love to snag that darling snowman button and add it to Parker’s blog too.

    Tammy and Parker’s last blog post..?This Little Piggie? A Story Of Sweet Success

  54. Jen says:

    We’d love this for picnics and at the park. It would be great Spring Training games in the grass ‘seating’ section, too!

  55. Taowyn says:

    I would give this to my sister. My nephew loves to play and sleep on the floor and this would come in handy.

  56. jenna says:

    Wow, this would be great for our upcoming trip to Hawaii. I also like your suggestion of picnics… We are forever looking for that “perfect quilt” and have never found one. Thanks for the giveaway!

  57. Beth K says:

    Sounds like a great mat! We’d use it at other people’s homes, at the park, at the beach, at church, and wherever else we might find ourselves. Thanks for the chance to win!

  58. Bren says:

    Oh, very nice!!

    We’d use it at our local splash park. The older two monkeys love to runa nd splash while Baby and I watch. With this mat, I wouldn’t have to lug the usual old quilt. Looking like a pack mule? Not so glamourous.

    Bren’s last blog post..Because I’m Your Mom

  59. Stephanie says:

    OMG – how cute! We would use this a LOT during the summer months for the park, pool, and soccer games/practices!

    Thanks for entering me! 🙂

  60. Shannon H says:

    We live in Phoenix so we spend a lot of time outside, especially at the park, so this blanket would be super! Thanks!

  61. Sarah VM says:

    My son is 9 and my daughter is 7 months. We live in NJ and go to the beach a lot. I would love to use the OutMat on the beach this summer.

    Thank you!

  65. killlashandra says:

    What a cool giveaway. I like how it rolls up like a yoga mat. I do some yoga at home and my two year old likes to follow along. He does the cutest downward facing dog ever. 🙂

    I would sure like to use it for both an indoor and outdoor playmat. We have hardwood floors that get kinda cold in the winter time and adding an extra layer would be great. Also, if we wants to sit and play with his cars and trucks outside it would work too.

    Thanks for hosting.

    killlashandra’s last blog post..Switching to LED Lights

  67. Brandy says:

    I would love to win this! I would give it to my sister-in-law for my newborn nephew. Thanks!

  68. Marla says:

    What a neat idea! We love to go to the park for lunches during the summer. This would be the perfect addition!

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