Peace Out, 2015!

I have never really been glad to see a year go, but this year... well, I'm ecstatic.

January 1, 2015 wasn't a bad day

We watched Auntie Goose do the Polar Plunge!!!

But then...

The twins came 6 weeks early

and we learned how hard it is to be NICU parents

having to take CPR on this creepy baby that Aaron had to blow up through its butt... and then classes on how to use apnea monitors that the babies would need for months...

- which also showed us how amazing NICU staff is! 

Lili couldn't wait for her sisters to come home!

her face when she found out Katherine was on the way!

But then... when Mom and Dad went back to work because we were on

Katherine had a fall :(

 and she looked like Uncle Fester

And then Mom went to ER the next night and had emergency surgery  (okay, I didn't take this one. Actually, I welcomed the surgery because it meant SLEEP!)

Which meant TONS of follow up (expensive) appointments 

Then Lili turned 2!!! We had something happy to think about. We used our free educator passes at Shedd to celebrate! Lili, however, wasn't as happy as usual... 

 and after puking all night taking us back to the ER... we found out she had strep throat and she threw up for a week. We had to isolate her in one room for a day. And it was the worst day ever. It took us demanding a shot in her butt to be cured. Lesson learned on being persistent. 

And then 

BAM! Dad and Lili got hit when Dad returned to finish the end of the school year and the van was totaled...

And then... Lili got strep AGAIN

(this is not a photo of that moment... I was TOO exhausted to document the insanity)

And THEN

Dad was excessed from his summer school job, Mom got a call that Central Office gave her job away because I went past my 30 days unpaid FMLA, so I "might" not have a job in fall, and we were even more broke than we thought ever possible 

 (not me, I'm blonde, don't own an adult wallet or fashionable jacket, and would have a lot more tears)

 Mom was bartending to make ends meet but had to use that money to pay for the broken wheel hub on the car so Dad picked up an Uber gig but then the car's door handle broke so he couldn't pick anyone up...

Things just COULDN'T get worse, right?

Then our landlords came over and told us we'd have to move :( WE LOVED OUR HOUSE, we loved our neighborhood, we loved our neighbors. Our amazing neighbor had even quit her job to be our babysitter for the year. 

We MISS you house

So- that's when I created this blog and the next day we were interviewed by CBS 58 and it was the scariest thing I've ever done... thankfully Sachelle and her cameraman were incredible and made it not-too-terrifying

You all helped us raise almost $4,000 which is AMAZING. It isn't enough to get us into a house, yet... so we moved into a duplex and we get stomped at for being too noisy, left notes for using the wrong items, accused of breaking things we don't touch,  and talked about through walls that are very thin. 

I took Lili out to shovel while the babies napped, but I used the wrong shovel... :-/. I also left an apology note. Time to move... again.

So- I'm sure some other "great" things happened throughout the year like

 Lili also got hives

and a new phobia of goats

but really- who's trying to remember?!

So, GOODBYE 2015. I'm not gonna miss you too much... 

but thank you for making my family bigger and better than ever. Even if the next "b" word that fits is "broker". 

Here's to 2016

 

Happy New Year Everyone!!! May your year be filled with health, wealth, and happiness XOXO

That time my daughter thought I abandoned her

So, in order to "save" some money (yeah, that implies we actually have something left to save, but I use it in the sense of we don't have any money to spend in the first place!) we didn't really get Lili much for Christmas except blankets from Santa for her bunk bed that she refuses to sleep in. You tried, Santa, but she still doesn't want to sleep there.

Anyway, she really wanted a doll's salon chair to brush her doll's hair. Low and behold, as we're driving home last night I see one on the side of the road along with a salon table! "LILI!" I screamed, stopping the car and hopping out the door. I was outside for about 45 seconds deciding what treasures to put in the van (lots of toys on the curb- poor little girl must have been forced to dump some to make room for her new X-mas toys), when I opened the door and found Lili sobbing. "MAMA! Why you leave me?!?!" 

Well, I'd like to teach Lili about being resourceful and not ashamed to be curb-toy-collectors, but I guess I have to remember first to tell her why I'm suddenly exiting a running car in the dark, rainy night. At least I had a toy to make her stop crying.

Mom lesson 8,675 this year. Thank god a new year is starting- I might get some things right ;)

Here's a picture of happy Lili... and her cousins :)

T-Minus 1 hour

Dear Santa,

We know you're really busy tonight and our YouCaring page is the last thing on your mind, but we wanted to say: That's okay!

You see, Santa, I was thinking tonight on our way home from my husband's amazing family, that we are so incredibly blessed. While we might not be surrounded by walls we can call our own, we are surrounded by family we are lucky to call ours. Not only do we have amazing family, but we have incredible friends. Maybe it's because I'm old and sappy now that I'm a mom, but those friends and family are what make the holidays special for me. We understand that Christmas miracles can't happen for everyone, but we sure are grateful for the ones that do! Please be sure to grant a few miracles tonight. Perhaps you could hook up with that birthday boy (no, not Aaron- HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DISBELIEVER!!!) and make some magic happen around the world- we could use some magic these days.

So, thanks for always stopping by our houses, even when you dropped off basement gifts (look for future post on this topic), and thanks for the smiles you bring kids- because that's the best part for us old folks! I won't hold my breath and hope for $20,000 in my stocking come morning, but maybe you could help my girls sleep til at least 7? Miracles... I know. I'll leave you some whiskey in the milk cup, that should help.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! 

The best we could do... 

He sees you when you're sleeping...

Have you ever explained to a young child that a strange man they don't know is watching them ALL THE TIME? And in addition to that, he's judging every step they make and deciding whether or not to bring presents for Christmas morning? And in addition to THAT, he'll be in your house eating your cookies and drinking your milk while you're sleeping? It's really a frightening idea for a kid.

But on the plus side, for everything naughty thing Lili does she questions, "Santa's watching?" and then immediately does something nice. *Kicks sister "Santa's watching?" Kisses sister.

So, Santa, I do hope you're out there watching and that you've gotten all of Lili's letters! Grandmom has got the "chicken poop" covered, so now we just need a house!

We're 4 days away... and we're still believing that Christmas miracles happen to good people :) We've been nice. SO NICE. There must be 20,000 people out there looking to spend a dollar on a house for their holiday charity... right?!

Happy Holidays Everyone!!! Whether you've been nice or naughty, we still love you all and welcome you over for baked goods and brews anytime. 

"Do you think I can find 150,000 friends to donate a dollar so we can buy a house?"

My husband's response didn't really matter (he doubts my ability- or maybe it's my popularity) because I had already decided. As I watched my twin daughters trying to eat each other's faces and heard my 2 year old yodeling from her room, I decided that this sounded way too fun not to try. It's also the only way we'll ever be able to live anywhere beside in our van by the river.

What prompted this ridiculous idea? Apparently, we're getting kicked out of the house we have been renting for 2.5 years. Yes, yes, we knew it was for sale when we moved in, but we were expecting our first baby and we had to move out of the shoebox cottage we were living in and this was the best place we could find. Our landlords have been awesome to us, but the new guy, we'll call him "Walter", is apparently not so awesome and wants us out ASAP (as in yesterday). I'd like him to come hold some babies while we pack...

"Why can't you buy your own damn house?" you may be asking... I don't want this to be a pity post, as a dear friend of mine ahem, Thomas suggested, I just want this to be a really fun thing to try to do, but I suppose you should all know that deep down, it is a pity post because

A) We are teachers in public schools and we spend too much of our time and money on our "kids"
B) We have twin 6 month old girls who spent 2 weeks in the NICU
C) We have a 2 year old... she eats a lot
D) Add B&C together with the fact that we had unpaid maternity leave and unpaid summers and then let's add in
E) A family of 5 requires a minivan and not that rusty old Element we were counting on driving for 29 years
F) Three kids under 2 require an ungodly amount of diapers and twins eat TOO MUCH formula
G) Student loans, hospital bills, emergency surgeries, daycare, and then those life things like groceries and gas and a freaking beer once in a while.
H) We also have incredibly bad luck that lasts for months at a time and depletes any kind of savings we might have had - car breaks down, dryer breaks, stroller gets run over, kid gets strep twice, mom needs unexpected surgery, van gets totaled, etc. etc.
I) will just finish it on this lovely vowel from the alphabet and make it simple: I need a dollar... dollar...a dollar is what I need... because we need somewhere to live!

- Guys, my husband just walked by and nose snorted at me. "You really are starting that, huh?" *Nose snort.

While I was lying in bed at 2 am barely breathing so as not to wake a twin or toddler, I had ideas galore rolling through my mind. What can I do to make people want to give me a dollar? Well, first of all, it's a dollar. 4 quarters. 10 dimes, you can find that in your couch crack, and most people don't really want anything in return for a buck... but- you might- so, what can we do in return for your dollar? Because if your dollar really does buy a home, then these things are on the table (that will be in our awesome dining room- I've never had a dining room!)

1- Homebrew. Anyone who donates is welcome to come have a homebrew! I don't really want anyone to give more than a dollar because, well, that's the fun in this, BUT, if you do and you give the most, Aaron will brew you a keg of your own- or he can make a batch of wine for you. (He doesn't know this yet, but he'll do it).

2- Baked goods. I'm again selling my husband's craftiness for your dollar. He makes awesome everything- sourdough bread, bagels, pies, I'm pretty sure that he wants to be Martha. I also make decent cookies. Your choice- awesome Aaron stuff, or decent Diana stuff.

3- A room to stay. Ever need a place to crash in Milwaukee? Well, if your dollar built our home, then technically, you're part owner, right? Of course, this also means you deal with 3 crazy girls crying, screaming, dancing, and following you around like shadows- and this also means you must be trustworthy because we have a family to protect... but it would be really good practice for the Brewery/B&B we hope to have one day (watch for that blog in 30 years)

4- Yeah, 4... I like even numbers. If we really get a house funded through this, then every year I will hold a fundraising event to raise money to donate to a non-for-profit that helps put people in their own houses. Sweet, right?! Pay it forward is how we roll.

Well, folks. I am going to keep thinking of how to keep you coming back and sharing this with your friends. Because, I did the math in my head last night, and if most of us have like 300 FB friends, then I only need to find 500 friends to share and get each of their friends to give a buck! That seems so easy. I had to try, I had to...

So- tell me what you'd like to see on this blog to keep you coming back for more. Videos of my crazy kids? Me yelling at my husband? Baking videos from my husband? Individual "Thank you's"? Jokes of the day? House shaped cookies sent to your door? Making all of your dollars into a dollar house before it goes to the bank... except then we might get robbed, scratch that.

If you can give us ONE DOLLAR, you can do it by Wepay on our YouCaring site, or if we know you and trust you, by mail or in person :)

Thank you for your time, thank you for helping me prove my husband wrong--- because that's the goal of all us wives--- and thank you for helping my family find a home <3

We sent it!

We sent our letter off to Santa this weekend and hope he knows where to find our YouCaring page!

Lili gave it a kiss for good luck, too! I'm not sure if Santa will be able to read her letter, but she is asking for three things

A) chicken poop

B) Frozen blankets

C) A house

Last night she decided that Emmi and Katherine should get their own house because they drool on her toys too much. 

I think she's going to have to start her own fund for that ;)

'Tis the Season

Our YouCaring page has had a few new visitors, so something must be working for us! Time for another update...

Do you have any idea how hard it is for us to save money? Well, if you've been with us from post 1, you know many of the reasons why it's hard. Mostly it's hard to save money when you don't have anything left over to save in the first place... but when we do have a little left- things like this happen:

Student's birthday is coming up... he tells me, "Mrs. Jones, do you know what would mean the world to me? If you could get me a Snickers for my birthday." You wouldn't BELIEVE the smile and hug that kid gave me. It was like no one had remembered his birthday in the 18 years he'd been alive. A lot of my students ask for "little" things, and I'm a sucker. In fact, I've got a kid who has shown up twice all year. Last week, I told him if he could show up every day for a week, I'd buy him breakfast. Guess who has been in class every day?

"Mrs. Jones, do you have a folder? Do you have a notebook, too? My grannie doesn't get paid til next month. I'm failing classes because I can't get organized."

"Mrs. Jones, please don't mark me late for class. I'm pregnant. It's taking me longer to get here. Also, do you know where I can get free baby clothes?"

"Mrs. Jones, do you have anything to eat? I was working all night and my momma left for work at 3 and I had to get my sisters to school and I haven't gone grocery shopping in a week."

This weekend I'm dropping off ALL of our baby stuff to a student who is expecting a baby girl this Spring. I told him he'll have to pay it forward for someone else some day.

During my "free time" on lunch break at work I put together DonorsChoose projects to fund supplies for my students and get books for them to read. We just got another project funded so my kids will have pens and paper again! When I run out of those supplies, I end up buying them on my own. How can I let my kids fail because they can't afford a notebook?

Add in when kids need to pay for an ID to ride the city bus, need a bus ticket home, cry because they can't afford a 5 dollar field trip to a college, or any other simple "cheap" thing that can make a world of difference in a life... and there goes that little bit of extra money we could have, should have, saved.

Teaching, especially in the city, is just one of those jobs that you end up spending too much of your own measly paycheck on your students because SOMEONE has to.

Since it's the season of sharing, I thought it would be nice to let you all know some of what we do on our end. I know we're probably driving you crazy with our daily posts, but we've got a dream-- and we've gotta reach it somehow!

Aaron and I have considered this... teacher shortage a surprise? I think not.

Thank you again for sharing our blog, encouraging us to continue, and not "defriending" us on Facebook when we fill your feed with crazy updates ;)

Happy St. Nick's Day!!!

Our YouCaring page has been feeling a little more love, but we've got to find even more! 'Tis the Season for Sharing, and we're hoping you'll help share our message :)

LiliElla wanted to make a video for the blog today, and here's what she has to say:

If only all that play money were real... *sigh

We've got 19 days to reach our Christmas goal of $15,000. Miracles can happen, right?!

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,
We really need you to help us reach out to at least 15,000 friends this Christmas! Please have Rudolph shine his nose on our blog so that we can have our Christmas dream come true. If we can reach at least 15,000 friends by Christmas Day, we could afford a down payment for a home of our own. This has been a really hard year, but it has also been a really amazing year. We are so blessed with our healthy, usually happy daughters, and now we would like to blessed with a home to raise them in. And if you haven't heard, we're really good at baking and brewing- so we'll leave you extra on Christmas night ;)
All our love,
The Youngs

I like to think this is Santa reading my letter and saying, "You got it, babe" - maybe not "babe"... 

Dear Friends and Family,
Please help us share our Christmas letter and consider a dollar donation to our YouCaring site...  we're really hoping we can make a Christmas miracle and FINALLY get ourselves a home and stop having daily panic attacks about our never-ending bills. (Can hospitals please not send bills during the Holiday season?! Thanks.)


A side note from LiliElla:
lkmxmi98u07657tg l.a asdln., c
kln                                     jlkjm,.90]52 7un  N,MSM m mm

Translation: Santa, I've been good and only hit my sisters 3 times today. Please bring us a new house.

We've got a lot of Thanks to Give!!!!

Hello everyone... are you still out there? I know I've left you in a dark abyss only found in cyberspace when your favorite blogger (okay, I know my blogging skills are far from putting me at the top of your favorite bloggers list, but I'd like to think I might come in close to last place at least) goes MIA. I'm sure it's been a rough couple of weeks not hearing from me. I apologize.

Our YouCaring page has felt lonely, too. And I finally have some time to dedicate to writing a decent blog post- so, let me start by saying, I've missed you!!! I've also missed all your friends and family you haven't shared this blog with, so please feel free to give them the gift of my writing this Holiday season ;) Don't forget to tell them there's bread and beer at our house should they feel the need to meet us in person. However, also be warned that at this point in the school year, should you choose to show up for bread and beer, you might also find you are suddenly in charge of 3 lovely little ladies because their parents have hightailed out the door to sneak in a nap in the car.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd like to use this blog post to give some thanks.

First, THANK YOU to everyone who reads this blog and shares it. That simple act shows us that you care about us, and whether or not you've been able to give us a dollar, we feel the love :) Thank you to the 197 supporters who have donated to us- I'm going to try to name at least a few here...

Thank you Henry Grundle! You are very much in the lead for a keg of Aaron's beer! We super appreciate you :)

Thank you Sachelle Saunders and CBS 58 for making this seem possible! You are such a great team of support for the people in Milwaukee!

Thank you Jenny Wittemann, for being my next-door teacher and donating to many causes- including my need for chocolate on bad days ;)

Thank you to all of our coworkers and teacher/school friends, we know that sharing money isn't easy... and we appreciate you for all you do!!! It's been a tough year for many of us, but your support and encouragement keeps us going :)

Thank you to our family, Aunts, Uncles, Cousin, Mom, Sisters, Brothers and family friends for supporting us, sending us your love, and sharing your encouraging messages with us! Because we have such incredible family and family friends, we never feel alone (and often have great babysitters) :)

Thank you to my bar family. I dearly miss shooting the shit with you all at the bar over a pint or ten. Years have passed and I miss you all and the warmth of a pub... and the pints ;) Thank you for remembering me and supporting my family.

Thank you Wendy Sostock for your clever donation and supporting us while you were on your amazing vacation! You're an amazing woman and I love knowing you're still living an amazing life and growing younger by the day ;)

Thank you Angie and Eddie, for being my family away from family and still loving us after all these years :) I miss the Thanksgiving we spent together, I'll have some Asti in your memory- but will be avoiding the Tofurkey xoxo

Thank you to all of our friends all over the world- we are blessed that we have too many to name! Believe us, we talk about you daily and wish you all lived closer so that we could thank you personally :) Thank you for supporting us, whether we've been friends for 30 years, or 1, we love you and miss you!

Thank you to our neighbors in Jackson Park. We loved living there and truly felt we were part of a strong and caring community. Hopefully we can get back there :)

Thank you Jaynee, Jessica, Linda, Lindsey, Bubba, Ian, Sean and Pam, and everyone else who shared and supported our site time and time again :)

Thank you Julien (even though I told you not to donate) and all my former students for always showing me love and supporting me when days are tough. I am the teacher I am because of you and I will never give up because of you.

Thank you AV-W alumni and all my childhood friends' parents for keeping us in your thoughts, remembering us, and always making Minocqua home :) Maybe we'll move there?! ;)

Thank you Stephen Powers for... teaching me a lot of things about life... and making a donation when it could have been better spent on Dolly Parton swag ;)

Thank you Ellen DeGeneres for not choosing my name to win any of the 12 Days of Giveaways because you're planning to show up at my school and surprise me and my class (or just all of MPS coz they really need it) ;) You're amazing!

Thank you couch for eating our change so that we can save money unintentionally and put it towards a house :)

Last, I have to give a really special thank you to the family, friends, and even strangers who donated in spite of your own hardships. Your donations really mean so much, and they remind us how special our time here on earth really is. When we finally get our home, it will mean so much more because of you.

Thank you- from all of us xoxo

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!