September 18th

Every year, more and more women become victims, warriors and survivors of cervical cancer.  At just 34 years of age, Shawna Kilbert, a young and beautiful mother of two, lost her battle with cervical cancer.  Before she passed, it became her mission to “pay it forward” by creating a source of information and financial support to help other local women who are suffering from cervical cancer.

With her vision and the support of many friends and family, the Shawna Kilbert Project was formed.  This grass roots organization is run by local volunteers who redistribute 100 percent of the donations raised back in to our community to help other women like Shawna.

On Sept. 18, the Shawna Kilbert Project will be holding their annual fundraiser: a 5K run, a one mile walk, and a ¼ mile kid’s fun run/walk.  The festivities for this celebration will begin at 6:30 a.m. with food, entertainment, live music, raffles, and a silent auction.

For more information on how to sign up for this year’s event, log on to theshawnakilbertproject.org or call the Sierra Running Company at (559) 433-6750.

Totts Magazine Editor, Amy with sons, Zachary and Caleb

It’s the universal dilemma for career women who become moms: to work or not to work…that is the question. It’s a predicament that’s become more prevalent in recent years as women set out to conquer the working world, sometimes waiting until they’re well into their 30s before starting a family. Modern women want to be successful both in the workplace and at home, but juggling both gracefully is so much more work than we ever think it’s going to be.

Since becoming a mom six years ago, I have struggled to find my proper place. I’ve worked full-time, worked part-time and worked from home. There have been days that I’ve silently cursed the women who came before us that fought so hard for us to have equal rights. Equal, indeed. We now have the right to work outside the home – to be the breadwinners, to compete with those without families who are willing to put in the long hours, to leave our babies in someone else’s care for nine hours a day.

Then, there have been days when I couldn’t get out of the house fast enough, ready to escape to a world where none of the conversations will contain the words “pee-pee” or “poo-poo,” and lunch won’t involve cutting someone else’s food. Because yes, we have the right to earn more money than our husbands, sit in the corner office, and abandon the sweat pants in exchange for a fancy title and stilettos.

Is the right to work a blessing or a curse, a privilege or an obligation? I don’t pretend to know all the answers, but if there’s one thing I know, it’s that what works for one mom might not work for another. I have a teacher friend who takes her children to daycare three days a week while she’s home on summer vacation because she feels like she’s a better mom if she has some time away from the kids. Another friend of mine put her career and her salary on hold in order to stay home with her kids full-time. Her husband mows lawns on his days off in order to pay their daughter’s pre-school tuition, but for them, having mom at home is more important than having extra money for a new car or dinners out.

I love and respect both of these women, and I understand that what makes one feel like a good mom probably wouldn’t work for the other. One of the things I find most disturbing is the way moms judge one another for the choices they make when it comes to work. There have been too many times that I’ve seen a stay-at-home mom look sympathetically at a working mom, assuming that because she works, she is miserable and does so only because of a fiscal need to. And then there are the working moms who turn down their noses at the stay-at-home moms, wondering how hard it could possibly be to spend a “relaxing” day at home with the kids.

I’ve done both, so I’ve experienced both reactions, and I find them equally annoying. In a perfect world, we would respect our fellow mommies regardless of whether they spend their days at home or in an office, and do what we can to offer support when it’s needed. The way I see it, whatever job we do usually ends up feeling pretty thankless. Our kids aren’t going to thank us for staying home – at least not until they’re old enough to appreciate it, and our co-workers aren’t going to thank us for trusting someone else with our most precious thing in life so we can come to work every day.

It was out of this conflict between working moms and stay-at-home moms that the idea for our series, “The Many Worlds of Mommies,” was born. When one of our writers suggested the idea, I knew it was something that anyone who has ever given birth could relate to. This issue features the part two of a three-part series, and gives a first-person perspective of what it means to be a stay-at-home mom. My hope is that, however you choose to spend your day, you are able to find joy, satisfaction and fulfillment in your job.

Totts Magazine Publisher, Nicole, with daughter, Madison

I can hardly believe that we have been on this adventure for a year now. Nothing could have set the stage for a more eventful celebration of this milestone than the birth of our second daughter.

As I struggle with my own recovery, some health hiccups for our little one, and all of the many obstacles of a newborn’s arrival – from breastfeeding and lack of sleep, to establishing routines – and the unpredictability of sibling emotions, it has become even more apparent why I began this magazine.

Motherhood is no doubt the most difficult task a woman can ever undertake. A newborn has the natural ability to very quickly remind you of how delicate children are and the enormous amount of love and responsibility that it takes to rear them. It is also an instantaneous dose of reality and personally-served piece of humble pie when it is painfully clear that there is no right answer or path to parenting and caring for your children. It is a give and take, fail and learn dance that begins the day you conceive and ends the day you are no longer here to physically kiss away their hurts and cheer on their accomplishments.

I hope that over the last year, our publication has helped you find the confidence you need to be the best mom you can be, whether it was through the advice of another mom or the opinion of an expert. I believe that every child and family are different, and there is no concrete answer on how to potty train, breastfeed, or care for an ill child. We can only come together as a community and share our experiences, failures and victories so that other moms can learn and create solutions of their own that will work for them. It is this very sense of collaboration, support and knowledge that can create the life for our children that we all strive to attain.

Whether this is the first issue you have ever read, or the seventh, I hope that you have been touched by these people in our community who have openly shared with us and, ultimately, with you. I encourage you to share these stories with other moms and embrace our open door policy to share your stories with us.

Thank you for a wonderful year. May the warm summer days bring lots of laughter and joy to you and your families.

I hope you’ll stay & play~

Nicole Baker

Publisher

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.”

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

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.

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

The summer has come and gone before your very eyes, and now you’re scrambling to get a family vacation in before school start. Where can you head to please everyone in the family?

Whether you’ve been to these fabulous Southern California attractions before and want to revisit those memories, or are looking to take your kids for the very first time, Legoland and the San Diego Zoo are guaranteed to get the entire family smiling, and will fill your scrapbook full of happy memories.

LEGOLAND California Resort

is growing and there’s a lot to experience!

 
LEGOLAND California is a 128-acre family theme park located in Carlsbad, a seaside community 30 miles north of downtown San Diego and one hour south of Anaheim. LEGOLAND California has more than 60 rides, shows and attractions. With favorites like the Dragon Coaster, Pirate Shores, Volvo Driving School, and the amazing Miniland USA along with the newest area Land of Adventure, it’s a full day of fun for the entire family.

The park is the first theme park in the United States created by Danish toy maker, the LEGO Company. LEGOLAND California offers interactive attractions, family rides, shows, restaurants, shopping and beautiful landscape features specifically geared for families with children ages 2 to12.

There are more than 15,000 LEGO models in the park created from more than 35 million LEGO bricks. These models range from a brontosaurus named Bronte (made of more than 2 million LEGO bricks) to a tiny rabbit in a magician’s hat in Miniland Las Vegas made of just four bricks.

LEGOLAND Water Park is located at the north end of LEGOLAND California adjacent to Fun Town.

RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS

The centerpiece of LEGOLAND Water Park is a 45-foot-tall tower designed to immerse children in the creative world of LEGO. The four main slides originate with this tower.

Orange Rush: A family tube slide where up to four people can ride together down a 312-foot-long curving track on an 11-foot in diameter half pipe

Twin Chasers: Two side-by-side enclosed red tube slides that stretch nearly 130 feet and pour into a wading area below

Splash Out:  An open body slide that invites guests to slide 240 feet and “splash out” into the water below

Build-A-Raft River: A one-of-a-kind concept where kids customize their own raft made of soft LEGO bricks before floating down a lazy river

DUPLO Splash Safari: A water play area designed especially for toddlers with three small slides and interactive DUPLO characters modeled after the actual pieces found in LEGO sets: an alligator, polar bear and an elephant

Kid Creek: A lazy river within DUPLO Splash Safari built with younger kids in mind

Joker Soaker: A fun interactive platform in the wade pool where kids can aim water cannons at each other as a LEGO jester model “tells” jokes while 350 gallons of water pour down upon them

Imagination Station: Interactive, educational and imaginative fun! There are two interactive tables. On one, kids can build bridges, dams and cities out of DUPLO bricks and test them against the flow of water. On the other, they control the flow of water by creating patterns out of LEGO elements.  In another area, a musical water stand with a series of holes on top that squirt water allows kids to become conductors of their own water symphony as they cover holes creating new music notes.

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

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The San Diego Zoo…it’s a Kid’s World!

Just north of downtown San Diego, situated in Balboa Park at Park Boulevard and Zoo Place is the 100-acre  San Diego Zoo.  This non-profit conservation organization, well known for its lush, naturalistic habitats and unique animal encounters, is home to more than 4,500 rare and endangered animals representing approximately 700 species and subspecies, and a prominent botanical collection with more than 700,000 plants.

Pint-sized visitors to the San Diego Zoo will find a lot to their liking. Not only will they have 100 acres of animals to spur their imaginations, but there also are playgrounds and animal areas set aside exclusively to let kids be kids.

The San Diego Zoo’s Children’s Zoo has delighted children for more than 50 years. It’s a magical place where all the exhibits allow children to be up close to the animals. Children can go nose to nose with a meerkat in the exhibit area or learn all about insects that look just like leaves in the Spineless Wonders insect house. They’ll have to be ready for surprises, though, because on any given day a red panda, fossa or miniature horse may just walk past on a leash!

The Children’s Zoo has more than 20 species of kid-friendly animals on exhibit, all with something special that makes them appeal to kids. For instance, the bright blue of the hyacinth macaw is sure to delight, while the out-of-the-ordinary appearance of the naked mole-rat will definitely spark curiosity. (No, he didn’t just forget to get dressed after his bath!)

This is also the place where folks can see a presentation with a prehistoric-looking pangolin, something they won’t see in any other U.S. zoo. Time for some tactile stimulation? Well, there are about 25 creatures ready for cuddling in the Petting Paddock, from pygmy goats to soft rabbits to wooly sheep!

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

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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.

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.

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.”

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

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.

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