12 days later

I promise once school lets in I'll be posting more often. :) since I last posted we received a second gracious anonymous letter filled with more grocery and gas gift cards!! Whoever is sending these we are beyond grateful! Until Tim gets his finacial aid refund in October we have no income, save Gavin and Gabes disability which doesn't cover much, though we are for once thankful for cerebral palsy. 

The boys are all doing fantastic! Ethan's birthday is Thursday and we have his pre-k meeting tonight to meet his teacher and other parents, which is a rarity for Tim and I. All you special needs parents out there know what it's like. It's so hard to get out of the house to run to the store let alone to go socialize, alone, without the kids. A reliable babysitter for a special needs child is far and few between, let alone two year old special needs twins and a three year old to boot! :) thankfully my aunt Cathy is brave enough to step in when we reeeeally need her. You're a trooper! 

Xavier started class today. He's finally in second grade! How crazy. I remember he was Ethan's age when we met. A tiny little guy of 3 toddling around eating "magazines" (aka kid cuisines because Tim as a single dad, or my husband does not cook,) and playing Mario on Tim's old NES Nintendo. :)  He is growing into such an awesome young man.

I cannot believe my baby, my first born, is starting prek in a week. It is a sad and exciting time in our house. Tim and I still debate on homeschooling the boys long term k-12, but we think maybe a semester or two of prek for Ethan at this age isn't so bad. He already tests way above his age, 52 months at his last occupational therapy evaluation, but he needs a few playmates to socialize with that are his age and typical kids. He had his brothers but they have limitations.

Gavin and Gabe are doing excellent. :) saying new words and suprising us everyday. Gavin is really working at sitting on unassisted and is stringing 2, sometimes 3 words together now. Gabe talks more than if not just as well as Ethan who's 3. I just sit back and listen to them explain things to each other and am astonished and what intelligent little beings they are. The twins have surpassed all expectations Tim and I ever had for them when we got the diagnosis of periventricular leukomalacia in both of them and then the subsequent diagnosis of cerebral palsy. The only way to go from here is up! 

On the house and our urban homesteading adventures; I have officially cut our electric bill down from $150 to $75! We switched to all compact flouresent bulbs and line dry 95% of our clothing and linens, besides our king size comforter. 

The garden is still doing fantastic. Right now I have 6 tomatoes, 3 peppers, green beans, beets, carrots, romaine, corn, squash, zucchini, cabbage, peas, spinach, kale, arugula, Swiss chard, pumpkins; big and little, and sunflowers all doing fantastic still! I hope we can extend our growing season into the first frost because all the seedlings are doing fantastic! 

Sorry we went AWOL

It has been a very busy month of us. Gavin went to the second opinion eye doctor and we got glasses! Ethan starts his first year of pre-k on August 25th. Tim has decided not to go back to work and is now a full time college studen who also starts school August 25th. Gavin and Gabe turned 2 August 2nd and Gavin has his testical/intestinal hernia repair also on August 25th. Ethan turns 3 on August 21st! 

It has been a crazy month or preparation, doctors appointments, therapy, and college orientation, all while I help them all prepare. My fulltime job as a stay at home mom, full time special needs caretaker, and wife has gone into overdrive! 

Today we had a pleasent suprise though, a very welcome blessing. When I went to check the mail today we had a small envelope with no return address that was holding a small card a very large and generous amount of gift cards for food and gas. Whoever the sender may be we are extremely thankful and blessed you thought of our family during this transition in our life. I was having a little trouble trying to meal plan for the month, for our family of 6, with only $280. The plan won't change but we can now have extras like pickles on our sandwiches and French fries with our hot dogs! And the gas money is a godsend. I was worried about how we were going to make it to Gavin's surgery and how Tim was going to make it to his first few weeks of classes. Thank you again. You have helped us more then words can say! 

Also thank you to all our family who have helped us with time, money, babysitting, and food while we have been trying to change our life path. The next two years are going to be a challenge, not only parenting four children, two with special needs, but with the transition to being a family only living off the boys social security disability so their dad can better our future. 

Thank you in advance for putting up with my neurotic over analyzing and panic stricken conversations about money and child rearing special needs children on a very, very incredibly tight budget. 

Days 8 & 9 July 11-12th

Well it's been an eventful two days that's for sure. Tim was laid off. Our one income was cut down to zero incomes. This is one of the only times I have ever been thankful for the twins having cerebral palsy. Thankfully the boys get social security disability so everyone will be fed, sheltered, and clothed. For our new readers our youngest two Gavin and Gabe were born at 30w2d gestation after complications resulting from twin to twin transfusion syndrome. When the boys were born they both had traumatic brain injuries due to lack of oxygen secondary to a full placental abruption and massive internal bleeding. 

So our fun frugal urban homestead just took a crash coarse. We now have to cut bills enough to survive until Tim finds a new job, which is hopefully very, very, soon. We are thankful for friends and family's support, advice, and encouragement. It's always stressful for a family when they lose income but it's especially hard for a family with not one, but two special needs children and two other small children in the home. 

Enough about the doom and gloom. 

Speaking of Twin to twin transfusion syndrome, or TTTS, Cincinnati children's hospitals maternal fetal care unit contacted me Friday to ask if we could be a part of an on going medical study. No one really knows the long term effects of twin to twin transfusion syndrome because before the surgery was pioneered the survival rate of children with ttts in utero was only 10-15%. This means without their efforts and trials and error with the complication our boys wouldn't have survived to be here with us. When we were diagnosed Gavin was already in the first stage of heart failure and Gabe was on the verge of kidney and liver failure while in utero. 

Needless to say we said we'd LOVE to be a part of the study. They will be in contact with us on whether they can get us out there all expense paid or if the team of doctors will meet us at a hospital in Springfield. How exciting! I am very proud that my boys and I have survived and made it this far, special needs or not,  and it would mean the world to Tim and I to be able to make the decision to terminate or have surgery that much easier for parents that were in our situation. We took a shot in the dark with the boys and I'm happy everyday that we did.

Garden 

Planning, planning, planning 

We are ready to rock and roll for our fall garden. Now we just need our summer garden to produce it's harvest and then we can turn it over and direct sow and transplant the rest. I am getting antsy though because were just 90 days from our first hard frost. We are slowly running out of time. Thankfully I've been reading up on how to overwinter onions, garlic, and carrots, the longest growing crops. Tomorrow Tim and I are going to start our  onions, cabbages, and broccoli. We are also going to try to build a scare crow! 

Today Ethan and I went on errands. We sold a few things, visited my aunt Cathy and uncle Kyle, who gave Ethan apple juice and a super cool motorcycle toy he's held on to all day. Then we went and saw my mom, granny, at my sister Katie's. Mom got the boys some clothes off the awesome dollar rack at Kokes Kids zone, a local consignment store. I also made my second successful Craigslist sale, selling my twin plus my Brest friend nursing pillow. 

With the silks of my corn browning and the ever blossoming cucumber plants are producing tons of fruit, canning is in my very near future. This should be interesting 

A fire argues? 

Day 6 & 7 July 9-10

Today was all about planning and saving money. 

We are a one income family and thankfully fall into the income limit for WIC, or the federally funded Women's, infants, children's program here in Illinois. With Gavin and Gabe's special needs it allows is to save upwards of $500 a month on pediasure. So when I make a trip to walmart, once a month usually, it's a big one. A trip full with 2 carts of supplies, and all of our 16 desperate WIC coupons to use for the boys. 

Yesterday my sisters ended up coming with to help out. We ended up getting 114 bottles of pediasure, 4 gallons of milk, 2 loaves of bread, 2 large boxes of cereal, 2 things of juice, 1 peanut butter, 2 dozen eggs, asparagus, mushrooms, peppers, bananas, peaches, apples for free. That along with a few lunchtime odds and ends, pack of natural hotdogs, 2 things of ham lunch meat, trail mix, veggie straws, only set me back $12. 

Diaper duty 

Today was diaper day at my house. There is nothing more satisfying to a cloth diapering mama to see your diapers getting some sun on the line. The sun not only bleachs out unsightly stains but it also has antimocrobial properties killing bacteria and helping to sanitize the diapers. 

My routine for diapers is fairly simple. I run a regular load on hot/cold with no detergent. When it's complete I add some Plant Brand detergent and run it through again and then I line dry them. No fuss! My diapers have held up almost 3 years now with no issues. (Besides that dreaded wet bag I found after we moved that grew penis shaped mushrooms. The mushrooms literally ate holes in the diapers! Needless to say the tenticle mess was thrown out.) 

Garden time 

Ethan's first round of sunflowers are finally about double his size. The second set we planted last week have yet to make an appearance but it may have been too late in the season. 

Our mini pumpkins are also getting out of control! They have engulfed two tomato plants we had out on the side of the house but I'm afraid it's too late to transplant them. Next year they will have to find a new home. 

The rest of the garden is doing great! I am just waiting until the first set of corn is ready. The silk is starting to brown. The ears, which have been grown organicly like the rest of our garden, are a lot smaller then commercially grown corn. I can't wait until they're ready to be pulled out so I can make room for my fall garden and allow some more sun to hit my tomato and peppers. I learned my lesson this year that I should've planted my rows east to west instead of north to south so it wouldn't block out the sun to my shorter crops. 

The rest is getting there. My zucchini, squash, new corn, pumpkins, and beans are starting to get big enough to produce blossoms and fruit. 

My carrots are getting there and the new crop of lettuce has yet to make an appearance. 

My cucumbers are getting ready to eat my cherry tomatoes and jalapeños. There are about 100 cucumber blossoms getting ready to go so I'm sure they will be coming out within the month which will allow my peppers and tomatoes to get some more light. 

Next year I will surely be planning out my garden more efficiently and will be making it a little larger. 

 

Hopefully tonight this little mister stays in his bed because I'm not sure I can take another night on head in my ribs. 

Planning a yard sale for Saturday. More to come. Wish me luck! 

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Day 5 July 8th

The ants go marching two by two Howrah 

Our yard has been invaded. By these little black creatures that make the still side walk look like it's moving beneath your feet. Yesterday we tried the first of a few all natural remedies we have found successful. We mixed borax and white sugar 50/50 and sprinkled it over the worst of the ant hills. Tomorrow we are going to sprinkle the edges of the side walks with some cinnamon and if that fails we're busting out the big guns; cayenne pepper spray! Ant is now gabe's new favorite word. 

Garden 

Our cucumber plants are exploding with produce! This weekend we will definitely be pickling, slicing, dicing, and canning up some of these bad boys. I am so excited to finally get to try out my canner and use some recipes from my new books. Ethan loves picking the produce out of the garden with his cool cars gardening gloves. 

Tomorrow's project is keeping the squirrels out of my corn and the birds out of my tomatoes! Gavin and I went outside today to check out garden and we discovered this, Wish me luck 

Days 2-4 July 5th-7th

It's been a fairy uneventful few days. We have all caught a summer cold somehow. Clear snot, sneezes, and coughs are running rampant in our home. Little noses dripping and lots of "mommy!" the past few days. 

Saturday & Sunday 

We went to my sister Katie's house for a cookout. It was a good time. My best friend and the boys aunt, Laura, celebrated her marvelous 24th birthday with us. It was a little sad though because we had to leave early, 8pm. With runny noses and the fast approaching bedtime for our three under three, it was starting to get a little chaotic. I did however get to talk to my grandma about canning and getting some of her recipe for the recipe box I would love to put together. We talked garden and I got the recipe for this wonderful olive pecan spread she brought. I made a homemade apple cobbler, which my family took back home and we ate it all the next day with Tim's mom, Lori, on her visit Sunday afternoon. It was fantastic and so simple to make! Recipe to follow 

Apple cobbler 

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder 

2/3 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar divided 

1 egg 

Enough apples to fill a 9x9 baking dish halfway. We used Granny Smith to offset the sweet topping

A little cinnamon 

A drizzle of pure maple syrup 

A little local honey to Carmelize on the top

And a dash of salt 

You need to preheat the oven to 325. Grease your baking dish with a little unsalted butter You slice, core, and peel the apples. Fill your baking dish halfway. Sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon on your apple slices and stir. Then I drizzled with a little maple syrup. Then melt the 2/3 cup of butter. Mix butter with the rest of the sugar and egg. Add in flour and baking powder. It will almost be the consistancy of sugar cookie dough. Spread on top of your apple slices and bake for 1 hour. With about 5 minutes left I pull it out and drizzle with some fresh local honey and place back in to Carmelize. 

Monday

Yesterday was the worst day for our cold. Lots of relaxing and wiping noses. Chores became a little behind. I did however get one load of laundry washed but it took 12 hours on the line and 10 minutes in our dryer to fully dry. Because of the approaching storm system it was humidity to the max yesterday! I did harvest the first of our cucumbers. With about 100 other blooms getting ready to change, I'm sure these won't be the last. 

I was extremely upset to find that Mother Nature can play some cruel tricks on you. I have two lovely red tomatoes I was just waiting to finish vine ripening, near the stem was still slightly green. I was planning on using them last night to make BLTs using the awesome organic grass fed, thick slices, uncured bacon (delicious) we bought from the butcher in our meat package. I came to find the BIRDS had enjoyed my delicious juicey tomatoes. One was laying half eaten next to the rows of corn and the other was still on the vine but pecked to death. I though the sacrificial bird feeder I've kept heavily supplied would suffice the birds but I guess a juicy red tomato looks delicious to all walks of life. Today I am going to string up some old CDs in the garden in effect to keep them away. 

I spent the humid afternoon baking for the boys though. With our sweet tooth still craving a treat I made some fresh banana bread out of the banana we had left the boys didn't eat. 

I only wish we had some chocolate chips to add to it. Maybe next time! 

Tim and I also sat down yesterday and had a family meeting. We are going to start shopping in bulk. We already purchase our meat this way and it has worked our beautifully. We are able to save money and have stretched out 20lbs of meat to almost 3 weeks. We are going to start buying staples: pasta, rice, dry beans, spices I don't grow, meat, flour, sugar, tea, ect, in bulk.  I am going to start making our bread dough one Sunday a month and utilize our new deep freezer to store it for easy use! The frozen burritos, breakfast sandwiches, and pb&js have turned me into a truly addict of bulk/freezer/cook ahead meals! 

More to come tomorrow on the adventures of today. 

Day 1 July 4th 2014

Well 364 days left!

Yesterday was day one on my one year journey of urban homesteading while living in a rental. For those of you that don't know us personally, our income was just drastically reduced as Tim switched to a new job. He was hired on as full time, general labor, but the man he was supposed to replace wasn't approved for his disability. So we are now living on a part time job trying to make ends meet. Trying to live as frugally and ecofriendly as possible in a rental isn't bad, as long as you have a landlord like ours who doesn't mind if we till up half the backyard to garden. "It's just grass," He said. These are the steps we took yesterday to work towards our goal.

Boiling a whole chicken

Now that was an adventure. I did a little research online, pinterest & google, and a few websites had varying advice. I boiled the bird too long. By the time I went to go pull it out it crumbled under the tongs. I had a hell of a time trying to de-bone it with everything just floating around. I did however end up with 4 quarts of killer homemade frozen bone broth, also known as liquid gold, to add to my growing stock pile of home preserved food. I boiled the whole frozen chicken, minus the neck and organs, in a stock pot filled about 3 inches above the bird, with what fresh herbs and veggies I had from the garden; basil, rosemary, green beans, peas, and pearl onions with a little salt and pepper of course. We ended up using half of the chicken for salads today and had bbq chicken sandwiches for dinner. We got 3 meals ultimately out of a $5 bird!

Freezer Cooking

I also made 18 frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I try to buy bread in bulk when it is on sale for a really great price. I had three loaves of bread, which I would normally just throw in the freezer until we were ready to use it, and decided to make ahead some "uncrustables" for a 1/4 of the cost. I ended up spending $4 to make 18 sandwiches, when they retail at the grocery store $3 for 4 of them for an almost 80% savings!

Clothesline

I have a clothesline rigged up between two trees in our backyard. It is about 80 feet between the two and even with a line separator and tightener I have succumbed to the fact that I will have to rig up a T post line because even if I get the line as tight as I can it still has a pretty big sag.

Garden

I planted a new batch of corn in between the 10 in tall seedlings I planted a few weeks ago. I also went ahead and planted 4 bean seeds around the corn stalks in hopefully create a synergistic environment that will hopefully cut down on our weeds in the garden. I also pulled up the tomato plant in the front yard that had a virus and replaced it with a new Chive and Basil plant. The radishes were pulled up yesterday, the ones that never quit made it, and a burpee lettuce mix was planted in its place. We also sowed a few more sunflower seeds to hopefully have a succession of blooms through the end of July into August. Next week I have to start and plan where our broccoli, fall cucumbers, kale, spinach, peas, beets carrots, garlic, and lettuce for our fall garden.

365 to an Urban Honestead in a rental!

Today I'm going to embark on a challenge, 365 days of urban homesteading. I already dabble in a little bit of everything self sufficient but today I really felt like I needed to motivate myself. With three under three and a 7 year old, plus Tim and I being newly married, it is easy to become over whelmed.

Striving to become more self relient and living frugally is actually relaxing for me. Something about supplying food for my family with my own hands and spending as little of our minimal one income as I can is a joy. It helps us strive towards paying off our pretty big chunk of student loan debt and save up towards our dream of owning our own small working homestead.

So far in an effort to be more frugal, earth friendly, self sufficient and relient, we have implemented a ton of changes. A few include: 

-breast feeding 

-cloth diapering 

-making our own cleaners 

-meal planning 

-line drying 95% of the time except for rainy days 

-gardening

-canning 

-meal planning 

-buying in bulk

-ordering our meat from a butcher 

-using a budget 

-not buying disposable paper products

-switching to a feminine cup 

-seed saving 

-freezer cooking 

-planning and budgeting our gas use 

-buying and selling things on craigslist and through consignment 

-cutting our hair at home 

-finding free or cheap entertainment 

-limiting tv time to about an hour a day max for myself and the children  (besides dad who plays adult video games kids free after we have all gone to bed)

-never buying full price 

-accepting help from friends and family 

-bartering 

-minimally using our air conditioning unless it's over 80 degrees in the house. (Our twins have cerebral palsy and being confined to equiptment at high temperatures is extremely uncomfortable for them.)

-using freebie sites and sometimes couponing.

The next 365 days I am going to share little bits about our daily live and the ways we save. To educate and to give myself a little encouragement. There's nothing better then being able to actually see the fruits of your labor.

New wheelchair!

Gavin finally has some wheels! Yesterday NuMotion, out of Earth City, Missouri, delivered our first three real pieces of equipment. Gavin received a squiggles size 1 stander, a rifton pacer, and a kid kart pediatric wheelchair. 

First off, the customer service way NuMotion was awesome. They were always prompt to return phone calls and were diligent with insurance to make sure we got what we needed even after a few denials. 

Gav is loving his new chair! It provides the support that he needs. It is easy collapsible, and transports so easily! It is so user friendly, easy to push, and it turns on a dime. It is extremely supportive and very cushy. I would recommend this chair to anyone. 

We also have a special tomato chair we used to use for going places but now it will just stay at the kitchen table as his permanent feeding chair. 

The pacer and stander we have had on loan for a few months now. Gav does awesome in the stander, still no steps in the walker but we will get there. The twins also have the AmTrykes with they absolutely love for use. 

Gav and Gabe just got a new PT. We lost our old one Jackie to the time on the road. Our new PT is Jill and she seems very optimistic and eager to really dig in and work with the boys. 

Ethan and Gabe are both as articulate as ever. Gabe learns a few new words a day at at 23 months is using 5-7 word sentences and has a vocabulary of about 200+ words. Gav is really impressing us lately! He uses about 20 words correctly and in the right context and repeats just about anything besides a few sounds. His Botox injections have REALLY helped and have made a huge difference.