Have you been struggling with this question? If you already do give them a weekly stipend, how did you come to that amount? Should we give kids an allowance at all? This debate has gone on and on over the years and now that Laura and I are parents and our oldest is 7, we need to start thinking about this.

I get the feeling Laura and I will have different opinions and this could lead to a very fun conversation. Honestly, if you are going to give them something, should you have the right to take it away?

Now that our kids are going back to school, we have to keep them healthy right? We talk 1 on 1 with Naturopath Juniper Martin and give you the secrets to keeping everyone in your family healthy. Catch it LIVE at 2pm. Send in questions to us on our Facebook page.

Kimberley Carson is a Mind, Body and Health Educator and through her experience with Duke University Medical Center and OHSU and Yoga she has come to an understanding that few of us may comprehend.

Start Being. Stop Doing.

What does that mean? What does that do? Why don’t we make that shift? Laura gets a real lesson in how to be, while Todd gets a couple of clues that will help him out. Find out how to not get caught in the loop anymore and live the life you have been looking for.

Join us at 2pm on Weds at Pagatim.fm

Mike Purdy has seen his fair share of ups and downs, but it appears the survivor and overcome any obstacle attitude that prevails at Oregon State University has helped him become one of the Big 3 in Macadamia Nuts in Hawaii with Island Princess. Find out his story and how it led him back to Oregon and the Salem area with another business that should not be missed. catch it LIVE, Weds @ 2pm PST or download it later from iTunes, Stitcher or our website.

Charles Charbonneau, the Executive Chef of the Hilton Waikoloa Village, joins us to talk about how this resort is looking out for the welfare of their guests when it comes to eating. Whether it’s a Lu’au, a Wedding, a convention of just a family vacation, they will go to no expense to make sure you have options, no allegic reactions and a memorable meal.

Along the road from Kona to Hilo there are numerous places to stop and see the beautiful changing scenery from dry(Kona) to lush green(Hilo). There are waterfalls that will leave you breathless but sometimes even when you are looking you might miss hidden secrets that the Island will offer you. Fortunately, Hawaiian Airlines did a story on Sharky’s Chocolate and Todd followed that up with a phone call. In fact, this might be the call that changes his life.

Todd and Laura sat on the porch of this 100+ year old home where Tom has created an oasis of sorts. There is Cacao, Coffee, Pineapple, Bananas, Papaya, Mango and some of the most beautiful flowers you have ever seen growing here.  The three sat down for what was to be just a 30 minute conversation and turned into a life changing chat that lasted well over an hour and a half. Too bad Todd only recorded 30 minutes. But that 30 could be profound for you as well.

Here is a teaser of some of the items that were discussed: How to get Blissed but why that may not be the best thing for you. Why the male ego must die. Let this one sink in: It’s better to express how you feel without being how you feel. Or even this, “it’s not what you say, it’s what is being said”

We don’t want to give all the secrets away but it is conversation that has given us more than just pause. It reminds us that you never know what you will find as long as you keep your eyes open. Greg Colden, of Kona’s Natural Soap Company said it in our interview last Wednesday, “We need to make sure we don’t just look ahead or look behind us. It’s important to see the periphery.”

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The most magical part about parenting is, if you are open to it, you can heal yourself. If you engage with your kids enough, situations will present themselves and you can magically heal your old wounds. Today I did just that.

Connor wanted to play Monopoly. Drew was napping so I figured why not. It was a Lord of the Rings version and it would be some great connection time.

As a 2nd child, I had an older brother who enjoyed inflicting pain on me, both physical and mental. Oh, nothing that child services would be interested in, just but basic sibling rivalry stuff. He was very smart. Still is. He knew how to play me and when I was old enough he would always invite me to play Monopoly. Sometimes we would play with the whole family. Still, I had a few problems with this game. Mainly, it takes way too long and it is a very difficult game to understand if you don’t know anything about finances. And don’t give that line of BS, “Play it more and it will teach you about finances.” BS! It won’t. I played it a fair amount and only grew to dislike it more. You can learn a great deal for it if you have someone who is willing to walk you through it while playing. I didn’t have that.

I never understood how to manage my money and in this game we all know, that’s a problem. I would start throwing temper tantrums when my brother would get all the properties and then tease me. When I played with my family, I would never be told why I should or shouldn’t do something. My parents always drove a hard bargain. They never helped me out. I was less than 12 years old.

So here I am, 31 years later playing with my 7 year old and I could have sat there and drove hard bargains but why? What am I really doing by making him feel bad? By making him lose and embarrassing him am I actually helping him? It was here that I gained my greatest learning. I never realized how I felt while playing this game. I was embarrassed. I felt stupid, bad and alone. Those are pretty tough for a 12 year old who only wants to be a part of the larger group. I am not saying that I had to win as a kid, but I could have used some help and support.

As Connor and I were playing, he got into some situations where he didn’t have enough money to pay me. I suggested  he sell me some properties. Of course he didn’t want to but as we talked it through, he realized he really only had too options. So now he had to become a bargainer. By allowing him to get most of his prices, which allowed him to make money on his original purchase, he felt better. I would usually throw in a guarantee as well, that I would not put any Fortresses or Castles on the properties until after he passed them. A couple of times after he sold me the properties to pay his bills,he saw how little it would cast me to put up a Castle and asked for them back.

Here was another moment. I could have said, “Nope the rules are once a deal is final, you are out of luck.” Imagine yourself as a 7 year old or even a 10 year old. How would that make you feel? Well, maybe you are saying that he has to learn how to make better decisions. Yes he does, but this is a board game and is he really going o hear that when I am saying, “Nope, sorry you lose.” Of course he won’t. He will be upset and not learn a thing. So I elected to take this approach, “Sure. Here you go.” He felt better about it, and then after holding onto the properties for one more turn and paying me in cash, he realized he had to sell them. Guess what? He learned the lesson and all I said was, “Sure. Here you go.” He learned it himself without any shame, blame or bad feelings.

Just because I finally beat someone in a game of Monopoly didn’t mean I actually won. I was victorious because not only did I bankrupt my 7 year old son in this game, but I overcame my issues with my past, and allowed us both to actually enjoy the game and the whole experience. Even so, I still hate Monopoly.

Do you believe that there are days that can change you? Do you believe that there are chance meetings or chance events that can shape the rest of your life in a positive way? I know that with the TV news always being such a downer that some believe you can be changed in a negative way. But what about something uplifting? Maybe by meeting with someone you learn you can change. Now wait, I am not talking about a chance encounter with that smoking hot girl/guy at the bar, whom you go home with and have a night where you saw God and promise to be something you will never be. No. I am just talking about having a conversation and from that conversation, everything changes. Now, you see things differently. Your kids look different. Your spouse looks different. Even the people you don’t like look different.

Wait! I am not saying that on Tuesday I am going to wake up and be a different person. I am just saying that the real journey has just begun for me.

If all of this has happened to you, you are a privileged individual. It may have just happened to me.

On Monday, I think I met that person. Want some better news? It’s whom Laura and I were interviewing for our Wednesday edition of Parenting Unplugged Radio. Do not miss this one. I want to know from you if you have the same reaction I did. I hope I am not hyping this up too much, so try not to have big expectations. But know this. It’s a man who makes Chocolate for a living and lives on the Big Island. That’s really all I can tell you.

One of the great things about being here on the Big Island for a month is that we get the chance to explore. I mean, if it were a 7 or 10 day vacation, it’s all about getting down on the beach, getting tan and showing it off when you get home. But with two young kids in tow, and over 28 days here in this Paradise, there is no reason not to enjoy all of the immense beautiful surroundings. This weekend that is exactly what we did in a trip around the island.

After a jaw dropping drive over Mauna Koa, the biggest volcano on the planet, we arrived in Volcano on one of the other 4 volcanoes on this island. Kilauea is the one that has been active for almost the past 30 years and is helping expand the island. We were able to see the volcano spew steam hundreds of feet into the air from a very close distance. We were nowhere near the active lava that is coming forth currently. Those areas are closed off but to see the plume of smoke arise out of a volcano at close range is something; especially if you are someone who has lived through the Mt. St Helens explosions of the 80′s and beyond.

After spending much of the day there, we finally arrived at our original destination, Punalu’u. If you enjoy the islands, and I mean any islands, and enjoy running your toes through the sand, this locale might interest you. There is no white sand, only black. If you spend all of your life believing one thing and then are shown something that you never could exist; it is quite a trip.

It felt the same, smelled the same, and essentially was the same. It was just black.

The day was getting long and we had been away from home for 8 hours. It was getting dark and it was time to go home. We had walked along the beach. We had seen the turtles that lay sleeping on the warm black sand and rocks. It was time to get the kids in the car and go. They would be hungry soon. Then Drew, our 4 year old, says, “Why are we leaving so soon? We just got here? This is the coolest sand I have ever seen. I want to play in it.”

I had plans to get everyone fed before sundown and on the road and back home by 9pm. I was on the south end of the Island, 3 hours away from our home and I wanted to go. I don’t know how or why, but as I was sitting there with my toes in the sand, watching my kids look up at me. I thought, “Always bet on black.” Thanks Wesley Snipes.

“Sure, go on kids. Play all you want. We are in no rush.” Remember when you were a kid and your parents got you in the car for a long all day car trip. Along the way, your Dad is getting frustrated because either he is lost or it’s just taking too long with so many potty stops. Well, I remember being that kid. I remember too many long road trips where I wanted to play after we got somewhere and all I got was a terse, “Time to go. Everyone, get in the car. You have seen what we came here to see. Now let’s go.” We don’t have to be those parents. We don’t have to be in that rush. Whether you are on vacation for 7 days or a month, let’s just try to remember to always enjoy the special outings and always bet on Black.

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When I heard that someone was using chocolate to get kids clean, I thought there is no way. Then I stumbled upon a group that is doing something special here on the Big Island of Hawaii. We sit down with the owner of the Kona Natural Soap Company to talk about all things clean and how they are using cocoa beans to make soap.