The Dollhouse

    Let's face it, there are now four Sims - a single mom and her three kids - living in a human-sized Victorian dollhouse that's really meant for two, at best. We need some money, pronto. 

    Thankfully, Angeline has saved up a large amount of Lifetime Happiness points! With approximately 30,000 points a saved up, she bought the ever-famous Dusty Old Lamp.

"Ten thousand years can give you such a crick in the neck!!"

     Not even 5 seconds after the genie had popped out of the now not dusty lamp, Angeline made a very humble request:

    With a truckload of Simoleons in our funds, Angeline did the smart thing  and bought another Victorian dollhouse across town, built by yours truly. I hate to inflate my own ego, but as someone who doesn't pride themselves as a master builder a la Curtis Paradis or SIM Realty, I think I did an okay job.

     Look at how happy the Hollands are! Except for Aaron:

Having first world problems? He truly is growing up!

    To be fair, I wouldn't be happy either if I had to eat leftover pancakes and go to school in knee deep snow.

"It gets a little lonely / All these empty rooms . . . "

     On a brighter note, Bradley finally learned his final toddler skill! He can finally grow up!

    As a congrats gift, I finally bought Angeline a MultiTab. That way she can learn twice as much in half the time!

The best $750 she's ever spent. Too bad half the skills won't be worth anything.

   She decided to celebrate by listening to gardening tabcasts whilst baking a nice pumpkin pie, wondering what kind of animal crap she'll need for her dream crops. 

    Aaron is so not the mood for waiting, though. 

Getting those teenage mood swings already.

   Thankfully, Angie has more patented mom advice to give her little big boy -- he reacted badly to that.

"Don't sext people on the MySpace, dear."

   Anyway, he'll get over it. Our bestselling author needs some energy and fun before she can continue her Future Spy epic. 

She also blew her second genie wish on something that'll last two days. Blargh.

     She's been writing this book for a while, actually. How old is she?

     Well, Angie, it's time for a long need makeover. Just because you're a mom doesn't mean  you can't be fashionable. Now get back to work!

    We've got Brad's birthday party to plan, though. I wonder when it should --

That works.

     Also, Angie makes Aaron go out in the freezing cold to get some new seeds from the grocery store. A++ parenting right there.

   If you're curious, here's how much all the buy and build stuff cost for the new house:

Ice Cold

     Angeline and the boys decided to celebrate the beginning of wintertime with a nice, wholesome day of bonding out at the local library.

"Boys, imagine telling your grandkids that libraries were real."

      By wholesome, I mean "flirting with pseudo-Norman Bates". 

"You're a 100 Babies founder? Are you psycho?"

       Since Aaron is a couch potato like Angie, he headed to the nearest computer to get his game on, while Brad hung out around the communal toy box. 

The racers weren't tactile and emotional.

     Just before Angie set down to type her next flop epic, Baby #3 ( . . . and #4 . . . and #5?) finally showed up -- looks like our mom wants a princess of her own, but watermelons are out of the question. The baby bump's appearance even sparked some creative juices!

"A woman from the distant future travels back in time to find out what the hell caused rampant overpopulation."

      Sadly, it seems like the lack of bonding got to Aaron -- he left the library without saying a single word to his mom or brother, and immediately headed home to get some sleep.

"I hope she stays the entire night, or this'll get real awkward real quick."

 
      However, this seems to bother Angeline quite a bit, too:

"Oh, dear God, the onset of crows' feet!"

     Just joking! But . . .  having only at least three ( . . . maybe?) kids in her young adult stage is a tad worrying -- the lack of funds means Fertility Treatment is a no-go for now. Meanwhile, Aaron expresses his inner pyromaniac. 

     It's time for some real family bonding!

Obligatory Frozen reference.

    Thankfully, that heartwarming moment ended soon enough -- it's time to make some cold hard Simoleons. Angeline tends to the Hollands' only cash crop and sold 3 tomatoes:

     Shortly afterwards, she asked Aaron to go to the only non-frozen lake in town and fish his little butt off -- and to sell it all right away.

His reaction. I don't know what the Mona Lisa has to do with it. 

    Away her son goes, just as Angeline's book royalties come in the mail. He's young and broke, he'll get over it.

     Like any mother, Angeline begins to teach Bradley how to speak -- subconscious guilt about not teaching Aaron herself manifesting? (PS - she felt more guilty about not teaching Brad how to talk before putting him  in his crib for the night.)

"A boy's best friend is his mother, right?"

     The good news? Aaron will be going off to his first day of school in the morning, and this'll be the best opportunity to make a happy memory! She even gets up at 6 AM to make pancakes, and gives him advice.

The grime and rust adds to the flavor.

"Drink your school, stay in drugs, and don't do milk, sweetie."

    I'll be perfectly honest -- the day was boring. Outside of selling Aaron's two anchovies and four tomatoes . . .

 . . . Aaron catching his first case of the cooties . . . 

. . . Bradley wearing how to walk . . .

 . . .  and Angeline going into labor, nothing happened. Oh . . . wait.

This is starting to be an average day at the Holland house.

Creative Freedom

      Angeline has been growing very lonely, as she's been trapped in the house for nearly two weeks straight. Aaron and Brad haven't been too troublesome, but even then, we cannot hire a babysitter per the rules. So, today, I'll give her a little surprise:

Ruining the quiet atmosphere for everyone else.

      I wanted to mix it up when it comes to Angeline's lifetime wish and traits -- "Yet another Neat, Good, mother Sim that wants at least five babies? Really?" Nope! She wants to be a moneymaking author above all else. 

That way, she makes money whilst technically having a job. Win-win!

      Naturally, Angeline took the "loosely based on a true story path for her first book, and slowly, but surely, raising her writing skill.

For an entire $9 per couple of chapters. COUPLE OF THEM.

     Meanwhile, Aaron finally learned all of his toddler skills! A shame that it was with the playpen and not with his Mother Dearest, but we can't afford to be picky with yet another bill coming to haunt me. We need all those $9 payments more than ever.

Do I really need arrows for this?

    Oh yeah, and David's baby dropped by to say hello. 

   However, Angeline has 50% left on her novel -- so everybody had better sit tight.

                                                         

      A little over two days of nonstop typing only gets a Sim $40. (Stupid dormant plants.) Luckily, the playpen and swing raised the boys' need bars, so they deserve a reward for their patience . . . like a double birthday!

 D O U B L E   B I R T H D A Y   A L L   T H E   W A Y ! 

    

      Aaron gets a new trait, Brad gets a life state, and both get a makeover:

    Actually, Aaron gets another gift that's actually reasonable for this house:

At least the tomatoes will help us through the wintertime.

   And Brad gave me the gift of laughter. 

"Oh God, what have I gotten into?"