One Spoonful at a Time

Take the fear out of saving

for your child’s future.

Written by: Jennifer Avila-Allen

Most parents would agree it can be expensive to raise a child. The United States Department of Agriculture says it’s $222,360 to be exact, and that’s not counting the cost of a higher education.

That is why Anthony and Paula Pulliam of Fresno have religiously socked away money for their daughter Diane’s education for the last five years.

“We knew we wanted to send her to a parochial school,” Anthony Pulliam said. “When she was small she would get money for her birthday, and we would put it away. At a year old, we started contributing.”

Pulliam said saving money for private school helped get them in the routine of saving, so Diane will have an educational nest egg when she is ready to hit the books.

“We are making her education really important right now and putting away for it, because who knows what college is going to cost when she gets there,” he said.

According to the College Board, a not-for-profit membership association that connects students to college, in 15 years it will cost more than $140,000 to attend a four-year public college and more than $280,000 for a private one.

B is for Budget

Those figures can be daunting said financial advisor Mike Gish, vice president at Smith Barney and KMPH’s Money Man. He advises to start saving early and often for your child’s college education.

“You can’t eat an elephant in one sitting, but you can one spoonful at a time,” he mused.

That is exactly what worked for the Pulliam’s finances.

“We pay all the bills, add to our savings and then to Diane’s account,” Pulliam said. “We live on what’s left over.”

“The B-word is powerful,” Gish said. “Make a budget and set money aside for your kids in whatever way you want to do that.”

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Not Ready To Back Down

One Mom’s Battle Against

Pregnancy Discrimination

Written by: Amy Fienen

Pregnancy is supposed to be amongst the happiest times in a woman’s life. But as any career woman whose had to have that conversation with her boss announcing that she’s pregnant can attest, it can be a stressful time as well. While it’s nice to hope that your joyful announcement will be followed by heartfelt congratulations and assurances that your position in the company will in no way be affected, it’s not hard to find moms whose impending motherhood felt like career suicide.

As former popular radio personality Athena Matsikas-Pavone can attest, the careers of even the most successful women sometimes don’t survive the transition from work to parenthood. The unfortunate reality is one that this petite, smiley blonde who exudes spunk hopes to change.

A Dream Come True

You know that you have arrived when you can be known by only a first name. Like Madonna or Cher, “Athena,” as she was known in the radio industry, was not afraid of putting herself out there. She likes to think of herself as a slightly better behaved female version of Howard Stern – a shock jock in stilettos, so to speak.

Athena is one of the lucky few who knew from a young age what she wanted to do. “I always wanted to be on the radio,” she said. “My first day on the mike, I knew this was it.”

A product of the east coast, Athena grew up in Connecticut and graduated from Boston’s Emerson College with a communication degree. She landed her first radio gig in 1992 at a “rinky dink” station outside New York City that still played records. From there, her career took her around the country: Phoenix, back to New York, Fresno (where she DJ’d at Star 101), Vegas, New Orleans, Santa Rosa, and Idaho.

During her first stint in Fresno at STAR, she met her husband, Frank, at the age of 31. After dating for a year and a half, they married, maintaining a long distance relationship until she landed a job in Fresno as the co-host of the morning show at KHGE-FM, Big Country 102.7.

Just a year into her marriage, Athena had a pregnancy end in miscarriage. The miscarriage resulted in scar tissue that prevented her from getting pregnant over the next two years. She started at 102.7 in March of 2006, and did not hold back in sharing her desire to get pregnant with her listeners. When she went in for surgery to have the scar tissue removed in hopes of conceiving, she broadcast live from the hospital that morning. In October of the same year, hoping against hope that she was finally pregnant, she took a pregnancy test in the bathroom at the radio station and handed the stick to her co-host. He read the results on the air, and as she prepared to face either elation or disappointment, listeners from around the Valley stood by for the verdict. They learned at the same moment she did that finally, she was pregnant.

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Surviving the First Day of School

Surviving the First Day

of Kindergarten

Written by: Corey Ralston

You’ve survived the sleepless baby years and muddled through toddlerhood. And now, ready or not, the day you’ve both prayed for and dreaded is looming: the first day of kindergarten. You know the daunting task that lies ahead for you and your child, but little do they know that this educational journey on which they’re embarking is going to last for the next 12 to 16 years. The idea of being separated from mom and dad and spending the majority of their days in a new place can be overwhelming for a 5-year-old, and the transition is also one that can be heartbreaking for parents. As parents, we know that the first day of kindergarten is just part of the natural evolution of things, but it can still be difficult convincing your heart that it’s time to start letting go, and your child that they’re ready to begin spreading their wings.

With the big day just around the corner, it’s a good time to start talking to your son or daughter about the adventure that lies ahead. Getting him or her – and you – mentally prepared can make the start of school a smooth transition for the entire family.

Getting Prepared

Children may experience some pretty intense anxiety when starting school. Visiting the school several times before the year starts is one way to quell some of that fear of the unknown. Before summer winds down, try taking your child to the playground for some morning playtime, and while you’re there, walk the campus with them and try to guess which classroom might be theirs. Kristi Beam, a kindergarten teacher at Bret Harte Elementary School in Corcoran, says it helps if students have seen the campus prior to their first day of school.

To read the entire article, please subscribe to Totts Magazine. Click here.

Public, Private or Home School

Where will your child thrive?

Written by: Beth Warmerdam

It’s finally time to send your little one off to school, where he or she will begin to shape and expand their mind. It used to be as easy as sending your child to the public school around the corner, but for today’s parents, choosing a schooling option can be a complex decision. While the go-to and arguably easiest choice is still public school, these days more and more parents are looking at alternative options for their children’s education, including sending them to private schools or providing them with home-based education.

Public School

In Fresno County, the vast majority of school-age children, more than 190,000, attend public school. Parents’ reasoning for sending their children through the public schooling system varies from thinking it’s actually the best choice to not having any other option.

Terri Singer sends her two children to a public elementary school in Fresno Unified School District and doesn’t feel like they are getting a second-rate education. In fact, she likes that public schools and the teachers who work at them have to live up to certain standards and regulations established by the government.

“I think public schools provide a fine education for kids,” Singer said. “I actually think that some of the work my kids bring home is pretty tough, so I know that they are being challenged and that’s a good thing.”

Singer also points out that public school is a good place to learn socialization and real-life skills.

“There are kids from all walks of life in public school, and I think it gives kids a chance to interact with people they might not normally interact with. They learn things like tolerance and acceptance,” she said. “They also have great sports programs where kids can have fun, be competitive, and learn teamwork.”

To read the entire article, please subscribe to Totts Magazine. Click here.

On the Clock

Should our kids have busier lives

than we do?

Written by: Elizabet McMunn-Tetangco

Kathy Diaz, a Merced mom of a 7-year-old son and a 3 1/2 -half year old daughter, wakes up every day and does whatever she and her kids feel like doing – at least as long as it isn’t a school day.

“I just want them to have fun and not be tied down,” she explains, “and I notice that this way they’re best friends. They know each other better and they rely on each other.”

Though Diaz’s kids do participate in a few activities, like soccer and swim class, she tries hard not to let regularly scheduled routines direct her children’s lives.

Sam Rocci, mom to 10- year-old twin boys and a 7- year-old daughter, has quite a different experience. “During the school year last year it was insane,” she says. “The kids would get out at 2:20, honor choir kept at least one after school until 3:30, the same with chess club on another day. Theater classes started at 4 and would go until 6:30 between the three kids, so homework was done in the lobby of the theater. Depending on whether there was a show in production – rehearsals from 7-9 – or baseball game – over at 8 – our days did not end until between 8:30 and 9:00. We still managed to sit down for dinner together almost every night, a non-negotiable in my book.”

Two different moms, two different lives, two different sets of kids. In today’s world of hyper-competition from before birth until adulthood, though, it’s hard not to wonder: Is one of these families doing it better? Should children adhere strictly to a regular routine of predetermined classes and activities, or should we, as Diaz prefers, let them do their own thing?

“There is a point when it’s too much, but the problem is that it’s different for each child,” says Adventist Health pediatrician Dr. Michael Gage. “In one family, one child can be in gymnastics and football and swimming and be fine. Another child can have one activity and have it be enough.” This means that, as with so many other parenting issues faced by families today, the rules aren’t hard and fast – and they rely on a parent’s knowledge of his or her child. “The real question for parents to ask is why are we considering these activities,” Gage says. “If it’s ‘cause the neighbors are doing it,’ it’s probably not a good reason. Interest and motivation from the child are what should matter.”

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Issue 8 – Ask the Experts

Breast Augmentation …Silicone vs. Saline

Answered by: Dr. Askren, M.D. and Dr. Zuniga, M.D. of Aesthtic Plastic Suregery Pavilion

What is a saline implant? What is a silicone implant?

A breast implant is a medical device that is surgically implanted beneath your chest tissues to enhance the appearance of your breast or to reconstruct one’s breast following a mastectomy. Implants are essentially a bag made out of silicone elastomer containing either saline or silicone gel. All implants are made with silicone as part of the implant shell. Saline or silicone refer to the material contained within the implant shell. Saline implants are filled at the time of surgery with salt water and silicone implants are prefilled with a cohesive gel made from silicone that acts like a solid.

Silicone implants were very common in the 70’s , 80’s and early 90’s . In 1992 the FDA placed a moratorium on silicone implants due to unanswered questions regarding their safety. During this time silicone implants were studied extensively and ultimately determined to be a safe medical device.. Although these implants have not been found to cause systemic problems, patients still need to be aware that implant surgery can result in local complications that can lead to unplanned surgery. Complications or problems can occur with either saline or silicone implants. The most common complications include reoperation, capsular contracture, implant malposition, asymmetry, changes in breast or nipple sensation, and implant rupture.

In regards to the look and feel (to touch) what are the differences between the two?

How your breast look and feel following breast augmentation is primarily related to an individual’s anatomy. The amount and feel of your existing breast tissue, chest muscle, and chest wall shape are key in determining one’s outcome. If one has a moderate amount of existing breast tissue and subcutaneous tissue it may difficult to distinguish between a saline or silicone implant. In thinner patients with less soft tissue coverage you are more likely to feel or even see the implant. In general silicone implants are going to result in a more natural look and feel.

Who is better suited for which implant?…

To read the entire article, please subscribe to Totts Magazine. Click here.

To submit Questions to Dr. Askren, M.D. and Dr. Zuniga, M.D, please fill out the form below.