She now works extra hours to help pay for the cost of raising the children, but said that because they are all together, despite all the bad that's happened, Christmas still will be special. She offered the reporter's children first choice of her leftover Halloween candy. . Isabel, a single mother of nine ranging in age from 2 to 14 years old, has taught her children some tough lessons. Her income comes from two disability checks and the family gets no food stamps. She struggles to provide basic necessities.
Toys are a luxury.
Her children's hope wasn't for toys, but for clothes to keep warm. I can use the money I was going to spend on clothes for food. Staff writers Stephanie L. Jordan, Jeremy Schwartz, Jonathan Osborne, Cynthia Hodnett, Deborah Mart nez, Novelda Sommers and Ruth Cochran-Escamilla contributed to this report. All rights reserved.