Welcome to our 'Ohana!

The Advertiser's 'Ohana section, found inside the Sunday Island Life section every week, welcomes two new columnists to the neighborhood.

Much has changed since 'Ohana debuted in 2000. Founding editor Esme Infante Nii went on to have two children and now writes a Family Matters column. Michael DeMattos has been the dad on the scene since 2002. This week, Monica Troy Quock Chan and A. Lee Totten join the fold.

Talk about new perspective: Chan, an MBA (from Penn's Wharton School), is a first-time mother, of Esther, and wife of Kaiser cardiologist Dr. Stephen Chan. Her first column runs today on Page D11.

Totten not only raised children, she's a former foster mom who's not afraid to look tough teen problems in the eye.

Watch for Chan's column monthly and Totten's column to appear quarterly, as DeMattos and Nii continue in regular rotation.

Here's a little background on our 'Ohana columnists, new and familiar.

A. LEE TOTTEN

Age: 58, holistic adviser

Family situation: Her natural and adopted family of "about 15" lives in a home she and her husband built about 30 years ago.

Fast facts: This semester, Totten is teaching an adult education class at Windward Community College called "Spirit: The Journey of SelfDiscovery."

Biggest influence on parenting: Foster parenting "drove me to be a better parent," reports Totten. "Like a pendulum, they moved from uncontrolled emotions (place of the soul), to body- scratching (place of the body), and as far as I could tell, they had yet to discover the place of spirit. ... It was through the foster kids that I discovered my profession."

ESME INFANTE NII

Age/profession: 39, Honolulu Advertiser staff writer and copy editor.

Family situation: Married to Patrick Nii for seven years; two children: Alex, 4 1/2, and Cade, 2.

Interesting fact: She comes from a show-biz family full of musicians and dancers, and used to be a jazz and hip-hop dancer herself, performing in several professional companies and local theater productions — "though you can't tell now, two pregnancies and eight years since 'retirement.' The only boogieing I get to do these days is with the kids in the living room," she writes. Also, she was the founding editor of the 'Ohana section, home of the Family Matters column.

Biggest influence on parenting: "1. My parents, Raymond and Caroline Infante, who showed and are still showing me what it means to sacrifice for your children, and to hold your family together through every challenge. 2. My grandparents, Alfred and Ellen Kudo, who are the epitome of unconditional love. And 3. The load of parenting magazines, books and newsletters that I devour constantly. As a parent, you've got to be a lifelong learner, because the challenges keep changing and getting tougher."

MONICA TROY QUOCK CHAN

Age/profession: 35, freelance writer and former marketing executive.

Family situation: Husband, Stephen, 9-month-old daughter, Esther.

Fast facts: An explorer at heart, she's lived in Europe and Asia, studied eight languages and traveled to 50 countries. She graduated from Harvard University, where she was published in the Dudley Review literary magazine. She also has an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and was featured in The Wall Street Journal.

Biggest influence on parenting: "The Bible contains abundant time-tested parenting wisdom," writes Chan, who also asks friends, family and the pediatric department staff, and also "compulsively" peruses childcare books. "My parents and in-laws provide me with regular doses of sometimes unsolicited (but usually correct) advice," she says.

MICHAEL C. DEMATTOS

Age/profession: fortysomething; social worker, teacher, trainer.

Interesting fact: He once hit a bird in mid-flight while on the golf course and still managed to make par on the hole. Also, can read and write in the Dwarvish language created by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Biggest influence on parenting: "My dad. He encouraged me to pursue my passions and supported me in every endeavor. ... He is still challenging me to follow my bliss." Also, his daughter: "She gives me immediate feedback, if I can just keep quiet long enough to listen."