What a weekend, I’m sad to see it go! I’d love for all my weekends to involve eating gobs of sushi and peaceful shopping at the mall. I confess I was dreading some of the typical mothers-are-awesome! type of talks at church today, but a friend hit the ball out the park with an amazing, beautiful talk celebrating and recognizing women throughout history. Citing numerous heroines from the scriptures, she spoke of the divinity women possess and how we can use that divinity to do good. I’d love to quote more, but would have to wait until I get my hands on her talk.

There are many avenues, many ways to being a woman, and I am loathe to believe there is a singular, prescribed way of a fulfilling existence. The path I chose to embark on involves motherhood and I feel so humbled and grateful to be trusted with those three little souls above!

My mildly funny/mildly sad story from the weekend: I picked up a new top yesterday, only to realize (at home) there were some gems along the neckline that looked too ice-skater-outfit for my taste. So I cut them out, thinking nothing of the scissors I left in the boys’ bathroom. Fast-forward to Sunday morning, we realize Kai had cut out a sizable chunk from his bangs. Ryan did his best to fix it up, but Kai was now sporting forehead curtains. Or maybe forehead valance is a better descriptor. Anyways, during sacrament meeting, Kai was too embarrassed to get up and sing with the Primary kids. Inspired by big bro, Dax lost any little motivation to participate as well. So during the musical numbers, my boys were curled up on the ground, crying under our pew (poor boys) while Ryan paced the foyer, trying to get fussy Mara to fall asleep. Because I’m such a pro at being a mother (heavy on the sarcasm here), I had predicted this very scenario would play out. I knew it, I knew it. Anyways, the reason I share this story is because even though Kai had felt bad about not singing (yes, I was a little sad the boys didn’t go up), he pretty much got this mother’s day and all future ones covered because of this treasure of a book he made for me at school.

To all you mothers, I wish you a beautiful and happy mother’s day!

With school soon to be out, we’re looking forward to one of our favorite family activities of exploring museums in the state. Summer is right around the corner, so plan ahead to make sure you have everything you need for fun family adventures.

Now is the time to save! From April 25 – May 15, Carter’s is celebrating their Fun in the Sun Sale! Shopping for a girl? Select summer essentials including tees, shorts, rompers, bodysuits, pj’s, sets & swimsuits are $6 and up online and in-stores. Tees & shorts for your little boy are the perfect summer staples, and bodysuits featuring fun designs and slogans are essential for babies. Sets are the perfect pulled together looks that can be worn as an outfit or mix and match for variety.

Baby boy and girl sets make great gifts for expecting or new mothers and our summer PJs are nice and light for those warm summer nights. Visit Carter’s today to shop adorable prints and graphics that can make bed time so much fun!

A paper insect comes to life when it is attached to some flexible wire and bounces from a stick. This toy can be assembled in just a few steps and is made easy with a printable coloring page. My kids had a little too much fun “bugging” each other with their insects, so you may want to take the finished product outdoors.

You will need:
printout or drawing of insect
long wooden dowl
washi or other colored tape
copper jewelry wire, medium/light thickness
clear tape
popsicle stick
spray paint (optional)

Step 1: Draw a favorite insect (butterfly, dragonfly, ladybug, etc.) or print out from template. Click to download the Butterfly (PDF) or Dragonfly (PDF). Color and cut out. I like how Dax petered out halfway with his green dragonfly and called it quits to play with Legos instead.

Optional step: Spray paint dowl and let dry. I used a lime green color.

Step 2: Cut off an 18″ piece of wire.

Step 3: Poke a small hole about 1/4″ down from the top of the butterfly/dragonfly head. Thread wire through hole and tape down.

Step 4: Tape a popsicle stick to the backside of paper insect to weigh it down. The butterfly body is shorter, so using scissors, cut off a 1.5″ piece from a popsicle stick and tape to backside. Fold insect wings up along popsicle stick. Adjust the wire by bending it where it meets the top of insect.

Step 5: Wrap wire end near the end tip of dowl and secure with washi tape.

Our doctor predicted that she will be walking around 9 months. Not excited to have my baby become a child (or wannabe-child) in a matter of months but I can always get behind the idea of shoe shopping for her.

Carter’s, the most trusted brand in young children’s clothing, is featured in the movie What to Expect When You’re Expecting, due in theaters May 18! You can get two free tickets to the movie when you spend $60 or more in a Carter’s retail location between May 3 – 6, 2012. Find a Carter’s store near you – Carter’s Store Locator. Hurry – tickets are available while supplies last.

Who are/were the people you went to for advice and insight throughout your pregnancy’s thrills and surprises? You and they both will find plenty to relate to in this spring’s film What to Expect When You’re Expecting, due in theaters May 18! Keep an eye out for adorable baby clothing essentials from Carter’s, the premiere children’s clothing featured in the movie!

And congrats to Stephanie, comment #14 for being the winner of the $100 Carter’s gift card giveaway!

Carter’s partnered with bloggers such as me as an Official Carter’s Mommy Blogger.  As part of the program, I received product or gift cards. Carter’s believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words, and therefore did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products I used.  Carter’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. The winner of any giveaways in this program will be randomly chosen and gift card fulfillment will be handled by a third party.

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It was an ambitious undertaking for me to develop five Mother’s Day crafts last month for SheKnows.com, but here they are and I’m so excited to share!

From top to bottom: photo balls to display photographs, paper floral crown (easy to do with kids), lucky number tote, watercolor paper orchid, and mod photo collage. Phew! Find instructions and downloads here!

With the weather perfect to get outside more (but still too early in the season for our local pools to open), I thought I’d look through my archives for creative outdoor activities I’ve done with the boys and share a couple of favorites.

A few years back, Kai and I (look how little he is!) put together an easy sculpture by rolling up newspaper sheets into tubes and piecing together with tape. Our sculpture has a definitive homespun look, so I’d love to make some new versions inspired by Eclectic Mom using colored tape.

While it requires a little more work, this homemade rocket and launcher project has to be one of the best we’ve ever done.

When it comes to being outdoors, my boys play hard and their clothes show it. Around this time, I find myself stocking up on essentials like shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops to carry us through the summer. Check out Carter’s new spring arrivals for baby girls and new spring arrivals for baby boys. For the girls, mix and match to create the perfect colorful spring outfits with new tunics and leggings (starting at $8 each), new tanks (starting at $6) and shorts (starting at $8) for baby girls.

Polos are the perfect essential for mix and match outfitting featuring fun matchback colors and patterns, and cargo shorts will be his favorites as the weather warms. Mix and match with tees and tops for easy outfits. Pick up new polos (starting at $10) and cargos (starting at $14) for baby boys. Dax is really into sharks right now — he’d love that marine-life shirt.

And lastly, the fun Little Safari collection features adventurous colors, animal prints and adorable details. For girls, shop Little Safari sets, dresses and accessories, and for boys, shop Little Safari sets, shortalls, rompers and accessories. Make sure to visit Carter’s for all your outdoor play clothing needs.

The giveaway for a Carter’s $100 gift card is still underway. Visit this post to enter.

Carter’s partnered with bloggers such as me as an Official Carter’s Mommy Blogger.  As part of the program, I received product or gift cards. Carter’s believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words, and therefore did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products I used.  Carter’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. The winner of any giveaways in this program will be randomly chosen and gift card fulfillment will be handled by a third party.

With just a flat-end toothpick and white acrylic paint, you can quickly add a swiss dot pattern to plain packaging. Dip the toothpick into paint and print, using your index finger as a spacer between dots. Lighter pressure will give you smaller dots.

For the months of April and May, I am partnering with Carter’s as an Official Carter’s Mommy Blogger. As part of this program, I will be sharing stories about my family and the things we enjoy together along with Carter’s products, promotions and events.

Having lived on the California coast for years, the beach holds special memories for our family. From Sunday walks to playdates with friends, the beach was a regular (sometimes daily!) jaunt.

Now living on the east coast, we’re looking forward to exploring the beaches (MUCH warmer than CA we hear) of North and South Carolina this summer.

Whether poolside, beachside or just backyard bound, it’s time to get swimming with Carter’s big selection of swimwear. Don’t forget any matching accessories including sunglasses, hats and shoes – to complete your little one’s sunny look. Made-for-summer rash guards, swimsuits, and swim trunks with UPF 40 offer protection from sun and sand. Grab some swimsuits and don’t forget the little extras like sandals that match back to swimwear and apparel, sunglasses, hats, towels and beach toys. All can be found at Carters.com.

Here are some of my favorite swim items:

1. Striped one-piece | 2.  Dot-print sunhat | 3. Lizard flip flops | 4. Shark trunks

Could your family use some new swim gear? Simply leave a comment to win a $100 gift card from Carter’s. For additional entries, 1) Tweet this giveaway and make sure to @ambrosiagirl, 2) Share on Facebook, and/or 3) Pin a favorite item from the Carter’s website. Make sure to leave an additional entry in the comments section for each extra step (maximum of four entries/comments per person). Giveaway ends April 30th at midnight EST and winner will be announced on Wednesday, May 2. Good luck!

Over the next couple of months, some posts around here are going to look different. It’s been my goal to be light on advertising, business mentions, and giveaways on this blog. But I’ve recently been approached with the opportunity to form a short-term partnership with a name brand and…I took it! Admittedly, there was very little hesitation. The idea of compensation and being able to cover hosting and overhead appealed the hell out of me. So I hope you stick around and won’t be deterred by a handful of “commercials.” Other than that, the blog will continue on as always with DIYs and fun projects I’m doing with the kids.

Since I’m on the topic of changes, I should add that MARA IS CRAWLING! CRAWLING! Sorry to yell at you, but I’ve been playing it cool and downplaying it at church today as people remarked on it. We’re so proud of our little girl, but no way did we expect her get mobile at only five months. Our oldest son Kai was an early crawler and walker, so baby-chasing is familiar territory. But I certainly wasn’t prepared for Mara to be scooting around Relief Society, licking peoples’ shoes and grabbing toys from kids older than her. Beware the shoe-licker and toy-eater!