Adventure Travel with Family?

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

What do you do when you want a complete change in your life? Many people today are talking about a midlife crisis, or even a quarter life crisis. Our current economic recession has many people thinking twice about where they are and where they would like to be. It can take courage to explore unconventional options. But one of the important ways to stay healthy is to not give up on your dreams. When you are busy with job and spouse and kids you may think that other adventures you dream about will never come. But opportunities can come in good time if you don’t give up on your dreams.

My guest this week on Family First made a courageous change in her life when she sold her house and decided to trek from Rome to Istanbul with her grown son. Stephanie Dale is an Australian journalist and is the author My Pilgrim’s Heart: A Woman’s Journey Through Marriage and Other Foreign Lands, which is a travel memoir of their walk through the Balkans and the Middle East.

To listen in this Friday at 4 PM ET, 3 PM CT, 2 PM MT, 1 PM PT, or any time afterwards on demand or podcast, go to http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first.  Or click on the link above.

 In 2007, at the age of 48, award-winning Australian journalist Stephanie Dale woke up one day and sold everything she owned – including her house – so that she was free to travel and write. Stephanie joined her son Ben for a walkabout journey, all on foot for Ben, mostly on foot for Dale, walking through ancient and war-torn countries. My Pilgrim’s Heart is an intimate account of the myriad landscapes, people, and cultures they encountered.

 Meanwhile her physical journey reflects her inner one of finding her place as a middle-aged woman baffled by the demands of her new marriage. Stephanie Dale earned her BA degree in journalism from South Australian College of Advanced Education. She has been awarded the Australian Journalist Association Prodi award for best feature in 1990, the Sir Harry Budd Memorial Award in 1992, and a gold medal IPPY award for Hymn for the Wounded Man for best fiction in 2011. She currently resides in Mullumbimby, Australia.

To hear Stephanie’s fascinating story, tune in this Friday at 4 PM ET, 3 PM CT, 2 PM Mt, 1 PM PT, or any time afterwards, by going to:  http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first. Or click on the link above.

Take home Tips from Randy Rolfe: Once when traveling with our three year old son and one year old daughter, our son seemed to be getting more and more anxious. We couldn't figure it out until I thought perhaps he was losing patience with all the different places we were going. So I explained to him that we would be back at our house in 8 days and counted them out for him to make sure he understood the concept. He immediately became his happy relaxed self. Keep your kids in the loop about your plans. They will go along with just about anything as long as they know you know what you are doing and you help them frame the experience with experiences they are familiar with.

How to comfort a dying loved one

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

Click on the link above to learn a powerful way to comfort someone who is leaving this life. My new book Mothers Losing Moithers: Comfort and Reassurance in Your Time of Loss has just come out in eBook format. I am honored to have as my guest an expert on how to comfort the person who is dying. Read on please.

The largest generation ever is now in middle age and many of them are caring for elderly parents who are in their final transition. When your loved one asks, “What’s going to happen to me when I die?” How do you answer? And how do you deal with your own feelings as your loved one leaves this life? Often families are so caught up in making arrangements, giving care, and trying to comfort a dying loved one that they don’t know where to turn to get the support and answers they need.

My guest this week is Penelope Mont, who has extensive experience helping families weather this difficult time. Mont has worked for decades in the assisted living and hospice care fields, also caring for Alzheimer’s patients and training others to help families at this time. Mont has created useful tools to help. To celebrate the publication this week of my new book Mothers Losing Mothers: Comfort and Reassurance in Your Time of Loss, I am happy to welcome Penelope Mont, expert in end of life transition.  

To listen to Family First, click on this link and choose June 1. The show is live June 1 at 1 PM PT/2 PM MT/3 PM CT/4 PM PT. You can also hear it on demand and as a podcast any time afterwards. Just go to http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first. Share it with a friend who is losing a loved one.

Penelope Mont's work experience over the past forty years includes special education teaching; geriatric recreation therapy in a large nursing home; Director of an Alzheimer's day center program; and Director of Sales and Marketing in an assisted living community. Now in retirement, she pursues her passion for writing and speaking.  

Mont authored a booklet called “When Your Loved One Asks...What's Going To Happen  To Me When I Die?” from Premium Book Company; which  is used as hospice educational material, information for caregivers, families and clients, handouts at health fairs, and an addition to the office libraries of hospice satellites and supportive agencies across the USA. Her other publications include “Tips To Finding Alzheimer's Gift Ideas” from e-Books; and a novel called “Then What Happens?” from Infinity Publishing. Mont lives by the water in Beaufort, SC with her big dog, Bart. She likes kayaking, shrimping and especially visits from her two daughters and grandchildren. 

To hear Penelope Mont’s important insights, listen to Family First. The program airs live June 1 at 1 PM PT/2 PM MT/3 PM CT/4 PM PT. You can also hear it on demand and as a podcast any time afterwards. Just go to http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first.

Randy Rolfe's Take Home Tips: When you are speaking to loved ones about difficult sujbects it helps a lot if you have articulated your thoughts for yourself ahead of time. Don't shy away from difficult questions which you children or your parents may ask. If you are not ready to talk about it, ask them to give you some time to think. But then be sure to get back to them, whether it is minutes or days later.

Help for Special Needs Kids

Please join me, Randy Rolfe, for Family First on Voice America, tomorrow, 1 PM PT, 4 PM ET, or later in archive or download, for a great discussion of how to get the educational assistance a child with special needs deserves. Many parents today find that there children need special attention because of various disabilities which make it harder for them to benefit from conventional school programs. With all the cuts in school budgets today and classroom size increasing, special education seems even harder to arrange. Yet autism and related disorders is on the increase, and we have children with hearing and visual impairment, as well as slowed development in various areas, and other health and learning impairments. There are federal and state laws that require special education programs for these children, but obtaining appropriate help can seem overwhelming. Today I am pleased to welcome a true expert in this field, Attorney Tanya Alvarado, who will help us understand what resources are available under the law, what the process looks like, and when to seek an experienced attorney to help with the process. Just about everyone knows someone who has a child who needs extra help, so do listen in. Here's the link:

http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/55094/when-your-child-needs-more-special-education

Great news! I just got the first copy of the new edition of my book - The seven Secrets of Successful Parents. I have had so many parents tell me it was one of the best books they ever read on how to really tap into their own wisdom and give the best of themselves to their children. Please share this book with all the parents you know! more to come.

Take Home Tip from Randy Rolfe: The home environment is as important if not more so for kids who are finding schooling challenging. Let your child see you reading, doing figures, interacting with others. speak in normal tones and sentences, so they can pick up easily the sounds and structures of our language. Kids learn best by imitation and example by people they can trust.

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

Family First VoiceAmerica™

I'm so excited about my new net radio show on Voice America, "Family First!" My guests have such wonderful insights and after over 25 years as World Ambassador for Family, I know so many experts who can really enrich your life with their wisdom and experience. Do tune in at your desk or on the go, on your PC or your handheld, and enjoy a great interview. It's live at 4 PM ET and 1 PM PT, or go to the archives. This week I have the honor of speaking with Sharon Weinstein, RN, and international nurse educator, who has still managed to keep family first. Here's the link:
http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/54025/creative-tips-for-finding-life-balance

Friday at 1 PM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Health & Wellness Channel

Family First, with host Randy Rolfe

Creative Tips for Finding Life Balance!
May 27, 2011
How often do we hear about the challenges modern families face with both parents working outside the home and still trying to maintain a close-knit and happy family life? Finding a balance between your roles as parent and active participant in the workplace is one of the greatest sources of everyday stress for families today. My guest this week is not only an expert on the subject but is a personal example of how to manage this balancing act. A health educator for over 30 years, Sharon Weinstein is an energetic, motivating and highly skilled nurse, nurse educator and consultant specializing in workplace wellness, corporate training programs and motivational speaking presentations. Among many other roles, she also was advisor to Central Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia for twelve years while raising her family and oversaw the building of a western-style International Patient Department. Among her many writings, Sharon’s book B Is for Balance is all about this issue. Listen in! Learn More »

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Take Home Tip from Randy Rolfe: It is never too late to let your children and spouse know that they are top priority in your life! Say it out loud and be sure to give extra hugs.