Category: Giveaway

Plan the Perfect Picnic + GIVEAWAY

Only 1 more day to enter! Giveaway ends March 29th!

Spring is here! And for my mountain family that means picnics. I’m not sure why eating outdoors is more fun than eating indoors but with the warm sun and a place to play, it’s a great way to spend time outside with the tots.

A picnic can be as simple as sitting on the grass, eating a sandwich, but I’ve found that the right gear can make the experience SO much better. This is especially true with a son with food allergies. Since Big E is allergic to wheat, eggs and nuts we always bring our own food. And sometimes that requires good planning and good gear.

This week I have challenged myself to plan the Perfect Picnic. I figure I’ll need a few practice runs so for the next three days I will be eating outdoors and posting about it on instagram, twitter and the Mountain Mom and Tots Facebook Page. I invite you join me. Tag @mountainmomtots in a photo of your perfect picnic so we can share the outdoor dining love.

As part of the Perfect Picnic challenge I will also be reviewing some of our favorite picnic gear and hosting GIVEAWAYS! I contacted all of the companies featured here to request items to review and giveaway. I’ll tell you why in the pages that follow.

What makes a good picnic? Sunny weather. Tasty food. Good company. I can’t help you with the weather or company but perhaps some of the reviews these next three days will help with keeping your food tasty. What will your next outdoor eating adventure be?

Monkey Mat

This portable floor folds up small so it’s easy to take anywhere. We used it all last fall and have already put it to good use this spring. And now there’s a quilted version that’s included in the giveaway below! Woohoo!

Read my full review here. You have until March 29th to enter.

To- Go Ware

What better way to pack a picnic than to stack your food all together? To-Go Wareis a great eco-conscious brand offering renewable bamboo utensils and food grade stainless steel to promote Zero Waste habits. I was inspired to incorporate more reuseables in my life recently and these To Go Ware Utensils and 2-Tier Stainless Lunch Boxare the perfect way to pack a picnic. Follow them on instagram at @togoware!

Now’s your chance to win the perfect Picnic Package. Be sure to scroll to both screens and come back tomorrow for another Perfect Picnic Post and GIVEAWAY!

You have until March 29, 2016 to enter. Be sure to enter Day Two and Day Three Perfect Picnic Giveaway too!

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Birthday Month Giveaway!

January is great for many reasons.

  • New Years Resolutions
  • Learn to Ski or Snowboard Month
  • My Birthday
  • Big E’s Birthday
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder (just kidding)
The best thing about January is Birthday Month! Both Big E and I have birthdays in the first (and best) month of the year and a few years ago I decided that one day of celebration is just not enough. 
How could I have lunch with my girlfriends, go snowboarding all day, have a romantic date with Mountain Dad and a birthday party with extended family all in one day? There’s just too much to celebrate. So January has become the month to give myself permission to buy books, get a massage, and splurge on a homemade croquembouche just because it’s my birthday. It only comes once a year so I’ve got to stretch it out to enjoy it.

This year I convinced some friends to try a new sport with me. Curling! The Utah Olympic Oval has a Learn to Curl program every Monday and Friday night all winter long. This Olympic sport well loved by Canadians is a cross between bowling and housecleaning ON ICE. 
I wish I could say I’m now an expert curler with a killer delivery and mad sweeping skills. I’m not, but I had a lot of fun and encourage anyone with the opportunity to try it.
The final celebration of this celebratory month is with you dear blog readers. It starts today, the last day of January and will run until February 7, 2016. You have a chance to win two great prizes! Make sure to hit the left and right arrow to enter for each prize.

Signed copy of Fresh Snow by Natasha Wing Illustrated by Shaundra Schultz

A while ago I got an email from author Natasha Wing asking me to review this cute picture book about a snowboarding rabbit. In the email she mentioned some other books she had written including her popular “The Night Before” series. What would you know, I have her book on my kids’ shelf! It’s not everyday I get emailed by a published author I have read so I was pretty stoked.

The story is a clever introduction to snowboarding terminology. As a wanna-be-pro snowboarder myself I’m always glad to support the sport in the next generation.

Velobling Recycled Bicycle Chain Necklace
Last year I discovered Velo Bling Designs, a company that uses recycled bicycle parts to create unique and beautiful jewelry and gifts. I have blogged about them before and even included one of their pieces in an Instagram giveaway last Thanksgiving. They are my favorite.

So please enter below and enjoy a special birthday gift from me. And have a happy birthday, whenever yours is!

Win a Beach Vacation from Outdoor Families Online

One year ago I posted about the launch of a new online magazine that I love. OutdoorFamiliesOnline.com.  The magazine is written by outdoor lovers for outdoor lovers, specifically those with little tots in tow.

Outdoor Families Online has become a big part of my online life. I wrote an article for them in December about living at Sundance Mountain Resort. Every photo I post on instagram has the #outdoorfamilies tag. I’ve met some of the brains behind the magazine both online and in person and think they’re amazing.

Mostly I love being connected to a larger group of outdoor parents. I like the ideas of places to go and the tips for how to make outdoor adventures successful with kids. I would also like to win a beach vacation.



For their one year anniversary Outdoor Families Online teamed up with Thomson Family Adventures to offer a 7 day/6 night Sand and Surf vacation! The package includes accomodations in Baja, Mexico, surfing lessons, horseback riding, swimming with sea lions, yoga, and more. Talk about a trip of a lifetime!

If you haven’t entered yet, do it now! Let’s spread the Outdoor Families Online love and grow the community of outdoor family adventurers!

#ThankfulforFamilies #OutdoorFamilies Giveaway!

I feel so blessed looking back on all the outdoor fun my mountain family had this year. This Thanksgiving I’m teaming up with 20 awesome outdoor family bloggers to share the gratitude love. You know what that means! Giveaways!


We want to flood the internet with our #OutdoorFamilies and #ThankfulforFamilies Instagram photos. Share your favorites on Instagram for a chance to win some great prizes.

Enter to win the #ThankfulForFamilies #OutdoorFamilies giveaway!


Steps  to Enter:
  1. Post a NEW photo of your outdoor family on Instagram making sure to include both #ThankfulForFamilies AND #OutdoorFamilies and tell us why you love your family!
  2. Follow ALL of our awesome participating hosts to win! Tap on MY photo(@YOURINSTAGRAMNAME)  to see where to go next. Follow that host, and find THEIR awesome prize in their feed. Tap on their photo to see where to go next. Repeat until you have come full circle.
  3. Check out ALL the awesome giveaways and make a comment (one per photo) on the prize(s) you want to win!

Giveaway entry rules:
  • Contest will run from November 19-30, 2015.
  • Entrants must be a resident of US or Canada
  • Entrants’ Instagram account must be a public account.
  • Entrants must post a new, original, and taken by you photo (a re-posted photo or tagging an old photo will disqualify you) to Instagam of their family, or members of their family, outdoors.
  • All photos entered in the contest must be tagged with BOTH #OutdoorFamilies AND #ThankfulForFamilies.
  • Entrants must comment on Instagram on the specific prize they are entering to win. Photographs of prizes will be distributed among all the hosts’ Instagram feeds. Entrants need to only comment ONCE per prize. Additional comments DO NOT equal additional entries.
  • Entrants may post a photo once per day to their Instagram feeds for additional entries, up to  12 entries total. All photos must use the two contest hashtags.
  • All photo entries must be submitted by 10 pm MST on November 30th.
  • All winners will be chosen randomly from all submitted entries at the end of the week and announced on each of the blogs after December 1st. Notifying comments will also be left on the winning photos on Instagram.
  • Hosts will do their best to contact winners. If prizes are not claimed within 48 hours of notification, the prize will go to the next winner.
What you can win:
**PLEASE note prizes have various shipping capabilities which are described below**
Participating Bloggers (who worked hard to round up these great prizes!):
*Make sure you check out all of these great blogs!*

  2. The Adventures in Parenthood Project: http://www.AdventurousParents.com
  5. Outdoor Families Magazine: http://www.OutdoorFamiliesOnline.com
  7. The Mommy Hiker: http://www.MommyHiker.com
  8. Rockies Family Adventures: http://www.RockiesFamilyAdventures.com
  9. The Kid Project: http://www.KidProject.org
  10. Rockieschick’s Adventures: http://www.Rockies-Chick.com
  11. Play Outside Guide: http://www.PlayOutsideGuide.com
  13. Tales of a Mountain Mama: http://www.TalesOfaMountainMama.com
  16. Colorado Mountain Mom: http://www.ColoradoMountainMom.com
  18. Mountain Mom and Tots: http://www.MountainMomAndTots.com
  20. Colorado Mountain Mom: http://coloradomountainmom.com/