Last week, we were up in the Jemez Mountains, celebrating a friend’s birthday. A group of us hiked along the trail at Las Conchas, settling down about a half-mile in, on the banks of the stream. Between the six families, there were TWENTY-ONE kids 12 and under. A handful of them were babes-in-arms, but it was a wild crowd. The kids had so much fun jumping and splashing in the shallow water. Every once in a while, one of them took an unplanned swim, emerging wide-eyed and dripping wet. My friend Casey graciously offered up a fleece blanket to wrap around the child. After the blanket had made a few rounds, it landed on one of our boys, who was also fairly muddy. I glanced at Casey and gestured towards the mud and the blanket, questioning. She laughed and waved her hand, “Whatever.” And I recognized her brilliance.
We have been doing a varied form of the “whatever” blanket for years now. We have an old canvas picnic blanket and another hand-me-down mexican blanket that we always take camping with us. We sit on them, put them in front of the tents as door mats, bring them along to outdoor concerts, the sand dunes, etc.
But, Casey took this wisdom even further. With their blanket being a soft fleece, it can also serve as pure warmth or a towel to dry off a dripping kid. Their family had made several fleece no-sew tie blankets {DIY shown here; kit available here}, and now Casey leaves 2 or 3 in the car at all times to take on fun outdoor adventures like this hike. Granted, they are a bit bulky and dense to carry any distance, but for activities where you’re close to home-base, they’re great.
So many times, I prevent the kids from having maximum fun because I don’t want them to get dirty or messy or we don’t have anything to sit on or clean them up with… The Whatever Blanket is the perfect solution: a blanket that is practical and cozy, but that you don’t really care about. If it gets stained or wet or caked with dirt or ripped… whatever! Shake it out, throw it in the wash, and put it back in the car for the next adventure. I love the idea of using a fleece-tie blanket in this role, and am going to donate ours to the cause. An old sheet or comforter could work just as well, or you could splurge on something double-duty like this blanket with a waterproof back and fleece upside. No matter the choice, keeping some Whatever Blankets in my car will definitely make it a bit easier to say YES – or “sure, whatever!” – to more adventures.
Great article!