talking with your kids about difficult subjects: illness, death, and more…

talking to children about difficult topics is a hard, yet crucial, part of parenting. in the past i’ve discussed the “birds and the bees” talk on seejaneblog. that is just one of many difficult subjects to discuss with children. today, i am sharing ten recommendations for having similar conversations with your kids. i would really like to hear what you have to say on the subject. head over to Boston Mamas right here to read the post!

good luck parenting, friends.  i’m having my roughest year yet – darn teenagers.

* picture taken via instagram @see_jane this past fall while visiting the schoolhouse that inspired the nursery rhyme mary had a little lamb. it’s located in sudbury, massachusetts and you can read more about it, here and here.

Posted in boston, boston mamas, massachusetts, thyroid cancer | 4 Comments »

be creative: with wine corks!

good morning! i am writing from my hotel room, and getting ready for the first day of Alt. Summit! it feels like a bestie reunion, and i can’t wait to see everyone today. before i jump in to the world of bloggers, i wanted to share a fun craft idea with you…

if you are anything like me, you tend to collect things that look like they might be useful later: glass jars, buttons, pine cones, cool sticks, and wine corks! however, i would never drink enough wine in my lifetime to supply my children with hoards of wine corks to craft with…

to read about how we collected a bajillion wine corks + what we created… click here to head over to Boston Mamas for all the details! this could be one of the most affordable crafts you ever make! xoxo.

***

i am posting daily on instagram @see_jane if you’d like to follow behind the scenes of Alt. Summit this week.

{all photos by me, Jane Rhodes.}

Posted in boston mamas, create something, sela | 4 Comments »

how to help our kids enjoy the holly jolly season… sans stress.

tis the season to be jolly… fa la la la la la la la la! ahhhh, to be a child or teen during the holidays. it’s the most wonderful time of year, right? parties, gift-giving, shopping, seasonal traditions, traveling, special holiday shows on TV and in theaters. so many opportunities for fun!

today at Boston Mamas i am talking about tips to help our kids stay cheery during the holidays when ill moods arise. you can read more here.

what do you think? stress can be a grinch during the holidays, do you have any parenting advice for these type of situations?

be merry! xo.

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX

{holiday round-up by me, you can find more inspiring ideas on my winter :: christmas pinterest board}

Posted in boston mamas, parenting, pinterest | 2 Comments »

oh, how pinteresting!

over at boston mamas today i am talking about 4 ideas for using pinterest other than your own self-interests!  click here to read the full article.

during our trip to nevada {last May!}, i spent a few hours on flights organizing my pinterest boards. it felt good to re-organize pins, and establish a better base for how i categorize all those beautiful images. I downsized from 39 to 29 boards. and, did you know you can customize your board covers now? read here to learn more.Have you used Pinterest in a unique way? I would love to hear other ideas for one of the greatest online tools of this generation! If you are a pinner – i challenge you to change your pace this week, use pinterest for selfless reasons – something other than finding your next craft project, your next outfit, or meal. make it pinteresting!

fyi: you can find my pinterest boards here, see jane on Facebook here, and daily i can be spotted on instagram as @see_jane.

happy friday! – see you here Monday – i have LOTS of fun posts in store for next week. in fact, for the rest of the year! until then – enjoy your weekend m’friends! xo.

{image source.}

Posted in boston mamas, pinterest | No Comments »

Hobbies with kids.

Do you have hobbies or activities you enjoy doing with your kids? Share the same interests? or, do you struggle to find a common interest with your kiddos? Yesterday at Boston Mama’s, I talked about this topic – visit me there – and tell me what you think! xo.

{photo by me. this is sela, our little yogi doing what she calls her “starfish” pose, ::smiles::}

Posted in boston mamas, family life, sela, yoga | 3 Comments »

summer activity ideas for kids…

i am writing this as our family is en route from vegas to boston. husband let me have his first class seat and he is sitting with all four kiddos in coach – sigh. he is the best! so, with laptop out – i am switching from travel/vacation mode to serious-momma’s-got-a-lot to do mode! our kids will be out of school in a couple of weeks and i must finalize our summer plans.

today at boston mama’s i am discussing 8 summer activity ideas for kids – check it out here. {please share other ideas you have at Boston Mama’s – i’d love to hear your advice!} Are you ready for summer? kids or no kids, summer is a season of rejuvenation – a great time to motivate yourself to do things you maybe skipped in the colder months.

there are also a few extra fun things i am preparing for…

first, if you went to the utah bloggers meet’n greet in february — we are planning the next event! Mark Tuesday, June 26th on your calendars – for a fun evening at Soel Boutique in Provo, Utah. If you were a blog sponsor in february and you are interested in being a sponsor again – or, if you missed the event in february and would like to be a sponsor this time or participate hands-on, please send me an email jane@prolook.com – we are accepting sponsors + looking for an ambitious, positive team to help with the next event!

second, we are moving! {deja-vu, right?} the home we’ve been renting for almost a year in boston, has been for sale while we have been occupying it. well, it sold a couple of weeks ago – and we are set to move the end of June/early July. perfect timing with the kids being out of school.  between husbands work/travel schedule, my moms visit, and our unexpected trip to nevada we squeezed in house-searching and by the end of this week we should know if we will be set on a new home. we will remain in the same suburb we are living in, and we’ll still have space for guests! most people would be dreading to move a family of six again, but i’m actually excited about the move. if we get the home we are hoping for – we will have A/C + a garage for the next phase of this adventure. woo*hoo! plus, i thrive on having a new canvas to decorate.  my mind is already making plans for the new space.

third, i have some fun party-posts coming up in the next couple of weeks. i’ll be sharing ideas about how to plan fun-affordable details for a birthday party + barbecue, hopefully something you can implement this summer!

that’s all for now – come back soon – i’ll have more to share! xo.

{the images are from our time in vegas, see more on my instagram feed, @see_jane summer officially started for us this week in the hot desert sun!}

Posted in boston mamas, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

simplify.

Today at Boston Mama’s I am talking about ways to simplify your summer plans as a family. This post is the beginning of a series this week to help parents prepare for your kids summer vacations. Are your kids out of school already? Are you prepared for summer? Our munchkins still have three weeks till the vacation starts, so I am finalizing our family summer calendar. To read more, visit me here! xo.

{photos by me. i have a real fetish with fresh flowers & had a little play date with ranunculus last week. i believe ranunculus to be the perfect flower. are you a fan?}

Posted in boston mamas, plants | 1 Comment »