Nominate the Carrera family for Extreme Home Makeover

Hi my name is Natasha Carrera and I would like the help of Exreme Home Makeover. I am 34 years old and a mother of six children, 4 boys and 2 girls. I had my first child when I was 15. I am the only child my mom has.

We never met our real family, we only know my mom has one brother out there and he hardly has any involvement with my family. We are told my mother's real mom was in a car that rolled in the Hudson River and drowned but I don't know how true that is. My mom lives with me and I have been working for 7 1/2 years while she cares for my children during long hours. I work 60 hours a week or more at the Center for Disability Services. I spend alot of time with my kids when I am not working. I get if I'm lucky 4 1/2 hours of sleep a day. I don't take extra time for myself, my kids are everything to me.

I want to know that if something happens to me they will always have a place called home. I cry all the time because out of all the goals I set in my life. I can't save enough to buy a home. So, I have a different situation for the show I don't have a home to makeover but, can they help me raise the money for one? I have no problem helping, sweating and working in the process. At this point for the sake of my children I would do any work they ask me to.

I watch the show and I see the families so happy and I cry in a deep pain. A mother of children ages 18, 17, 15,10, 3, and 1 - feeling like a failure. Right now we are all living in a 3 bedroom apartment and my bedroom has a ton of bins in it because I have both my babies stuff and mines in there and several mismatched dressers to hold our clothes we use day to day. My mom sleeps on the sofa and one of my son on a blow-up bed. I try so hard to just keep hope alive but it's so hard. I remember one Christmas Day, I had nothing to give my children so I kept them inside so they wouldn't see the other kids had Christmas gifts. I just let Christmas pass us by while I cried and cried. I was so glad they were little, but even though now I try to smile like things are ok and inside I'm very afraid of what my future holds. Can a girl like me that tis trying to have a great life with her kids have a wish come true? I hope and pray everyday.

I went through many things in my life. I was molested at a young age and I was afraid to tell anyone. until I told my grandma (who adopted my mother and uncle). When I was 15 my boyfriend use to beat me up and for some reason I thought he loved me and that's all I deserved. I was never really happy with the way I looked I had big glasses and kids use to call me four eyes and I am and have always been a very friendly person. I can sit down on the bus and people will talk to me like they knew me for a long time.

If someone had no place to live, I would invite them to live with me. That's just the kind of person I am if I can help you, Iwill.

Well, right now I work very long hours to keep my family fed. I was on welfare for many years also and I said one day I' m going to check that box, " I no longer want public assistance". And guess what that day came and I was able to buy formula for my baby without using the WIC program. I wanted to do it so that someone who truly needed it could use it. That one year made me so proud of myself. When I was pregnant with my last child for the last 3 months I worked at two different jobs because I couldn't afford to leave out on maternity leave, so I went in labor at work. Call me crazy but, it's the little things that matter the most, too. I provide for a household of 8 people.

I hope my health stays strong so I can continue to go on for many more to come. I believe that one day I will be on Extreme Home Makeover. And they will be shouting Good Morning Carrera Family!