Help Us Finish Build a Stable Future and Safe Home

Hello, my name is Allison, and I’m a homeschooling mom of four boys doing everything I can to build a stable, sustainable, and healthy future for my children. I’m reaching out for help because, despite careful planning and steady effort, bringing this project to a completed stage for my family has been a challenge.

I am asking for your help to assist me in providing a stable future and safe home for my children and myself.

I would like to share my appreciation and gratitude for any amount you are able to offer, as your assistance would be helpful.

If you are interested in the details of how I got to this point, you are welcome to read them below.

Thank you for your kind consideration to help me provide the ability for my children to have a stable future and safe home.

How We Got Here

For a few years, I worked my dream job training horses on our farm. After a personal crisis in our family, I made the difficult decision to step away from that work to care for my children full-time. With four kids between 2 and 9 and no reliable childcare, I shifted careers and learned body piercing so I could support us in a way that fit our situation.

In 2023, I sold the farm. Not long after, an aggressive lawsuit from my parents attempted to seize the property and sue me for over $400,000. The sale had already gone through, but I still had to defend myself at a high cost which caused financial strain. Ultimately, the legal pressure forced me into bankruptcy. It was an exhausting and expensive chapter that I never could have imagined, but somehow one that I came through standing.

With the proceeds from selling the farm, we started our own piercing studio, purchased some land, a camper, an arched cabin kit, a solar setup, had a walkout basement poured, and had water plumbed to the property. This became the foundation for our new beginning.

Building Our Future From Scratch

In 2024, I began building our small arched cabin by hand. I’ve done most of the framing myself and hired affordable help only for tasks that require additional skill or safety. Progress is steady but slow, as we pay for materials as we can. The basement is usable, the structure is raised, and we’re close to having it fully closed in.

This cabin is our long-term stability: debt-free, healthy, and built with our own hands.

How I Have Worked to Support My Family

Alongside homeschooling and building the house, I’ve taken every job that fits our situation:

• Third-shift rest stop cleaner (worked well for me, but incompatible with the kids’ needs)

• Daycare employee (brought my kids, but the environment was unhealthy)

• Homeschool instructor (went well until the program shut down)

• Co-teacher with a partner (ended due to my younger children’s neurodivergent challenges, and not having the support I needed to manage both teaching and their needs)

• Co-owner of a body piercing studio (my husband is the other co-owner, and he works full-time there to support the family; I run the website and backend)

• Etsy artist (restarting my art business after several years)

My husband is in recovery and doing the work to heal, and during this time, childcare remains solely my responsibility. Because of that, I’m limited in what jobs I can take outside the home. Still, I work continuously in every way I can.

I have tried everything I know of at this point to earn a steady income but, have not had any success and this is why I am asking for your assistance and help.

Why I’m Asking for Help

We will finish this structure ourselves, but at our current pace, it may take several years before it's close to finished. At this stage, the structure is unfinished and does not yet have permanent plumbing or built-in utilities. Your support would allow us to finally make substantial progress and provide a safe and stable environment for the family to thrive:

• Fully closing in and securing the structure ($1,000)

• Insulating the cabin ($2,500)

• Adding siding ($10,000)

• External staircase between 1st & 2nd floors, including insulation and siding ($6,500)

• Septic system ($20,000)

• Installing home electric ($2,500)

• Installing plumbing ($2,500)

• Heating ($2,000)

• Interior finishing - floors, walls, doors, etc. ($10,000)

Total: $57,000

While I’ve carefully estimated the full cost to complete the structure at approximately $57,000, I’m not asking for that amount here. This fundraiser is intentionally starting small, with a goal of $3,500, which would allow us to complete the next critical phase of the build. Any support simply helps us move forward more efficiently, one step at a time, without taking on debt we cannot manage. We will continue to do as much of the work ourselves to keep costs as low as possible. Even small contributions will help us move forward.

What Your Help Means

I’m not asking because we’re giving up, I’m asking because we’ve been pushing forward nonstop for years, and we’re so close to turning this little cabin into a real home. Any assistance simply lifts some of the weight and shortens the timeline.

Before all of this, I was a high school science teacher, and teaching is still a huge part of who I am. Once our home is further along, my goal is to use the property to offer homeschool workshops and hands-on learning opportunities for local families. We already have miniature horses, one full-sized horse, and ducks for eggs. I hope to lead classes in science experiments, gardening, animal care, wilderness/nature/survival, and practical skills. I have a background in chemistry, and one of my dreams is to grow medicinal plants and eventually start a small apothecary. There is so much potential here, not just for my children, but for a whole community of homeschool families who would benefit from learning in a supportive, nature-based environment.

If donating isn’t the right fit, I also share my artwork through an Etsy shop for those who would prefer to support our project that way. Any form of support (donations, purchases, or sharing) is deeply appreciated.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheMoonlitLaboratory

This project represents safety, stability, and a fresh start for my children. We’re doing everything we can with the resources we have. With a little help, we could make substantial progress.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story. Even if you cannot donate, sharing it is incredibly meaningful. We appreciate your time in reading our story.