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?!