Parenting: Maybe Not Fun, But Worth It All The Same

The portrait area in the living room got a new set of lights to illuminate the pictures so that they could be seen clearly. In fact Yasunobu did the electrical work himself to install the lights without once getting zapped. But we still won't trust him with the hot-tub...that thing's a killer.

Fiona was gratified that her long-time friend was back and Sandi enjoyed using her new laptop to do stuff like play computer games. After eating breakfast, Molly went and made some key lime pie so that everyone could enjoy a nice dessert. After all, Haruo loved key lime pie too and so did Satoshi, her husband.

One of the benefits of a frozen-over lake was the ability to skate on it. And since the Chikamoris had a lovely lake from where they were able to fish lots of different types of fish from their own backyard, Molly just laced up a pair of skates and went out to enjoy herself on the lake.

Braden by this time knew exactly how to toddle over to the bathroom and do his business himself.

Of course, that meant telling an older person that he had gone so that they would clean it up or man, that bathroom would stink.

Of course Braden had a bit of a tyrannical streak as a toddler. When he was hungry he wanted to be fed NOW...and not in a few minutes...exactly...NOW. And it made for a headache-inducing morning.

...and the only thing that would shut him up would be to plunk a big bowl of semi-warm gruel in front of him that he would happily stick his hands into and grin while making a big mess out of himself which caused River to have to give him a bath.

River went back to painting while calling over her shoulder for Haruo to "Can you please get Braden from the high-chair?"

Haruo had no problem doing that and headed over to remove the little imp from his chair. He got Braden out of the high-chair and proceeded to bring him over to the painting area to keep an eye on him as well as to change his diaper.

Meanwhile Sandi was having dinner with her best friend, Allan as well as Molly and Susan.

Haruo and River put Braden to bed and then took a long moment to appreciate each other.

Which led to a "lot of appreciation"...for the two of them...(in the shower).

Night settled in on Sunset Valley and by extension, the Chikamori household.

The moonlit night was bright; and all was calm...as everyone in the household slept.

The First Day of Winter

When Allan woke up the next morning, he came upstairs and looked under Haruo and River's bed for monsters. Evidently there is a under-bed dwelling monster that likes little kids in Sims 3 because Allan got the poop scared out of him. "Mommy...Mommy..."

"What is it, dear?"

"There's a big scary monster under your bed...I'm frightened, Mommy, it's going to end up getting you and Daddy?"

"Oh...I see you met Felix" River said; a twinkle of merriment in her eyes.

"Felix?"Allan asked confused. "You named the monster, Felix?"

"He's not a bad monster, he just likes to hang out under the bed." she winked at her son.

Creator: Boy, that kid's going to need therapy.

"So you know he's there, Mommy?"

"Yup...he protects Mommy and Daddy from all the bad monsters. So you see, he's a good monster..."

"Oh..." said Allan, struggling to comprehend how a monster could be good.

"You'd better get ready for school...Allan" River told Allan. "You don't want to be late..." Allan reluctantly complied, he was more interested in the monster under his parents' bed.

Haruo and Braden were having breakfast in the morning.

Satoshi and Molly were back in the family fold because Yasunobu wanted it that way to protect them financially. Haruo and River had no objections, because after all, family is family.

The first day of winter was cold...bitterly so...and it wasn't long before snow began falling and it certainly wasn't long before the streets were covered with snow.

Allan and Sandi sat together on the bus heading to school.

It was definitely a cold morning as the kids stood outside the school waiting for classes to start.

All of Sunset Valley was a veritable winter-wonderland, Snow covered the trees, the streets, the buildings and more fell from the sky as the temperatures plummeted.

It was a sight for the photographer's mind to behold...the entire vista covered in snow. Because of the safety factor of the snow providing a wet barrier against burning the house down, Haruo set the raked up leaf pile on fire so that it would be less of a problem in the spring.

Then he went back inside and started cutting gems.

After school, Allan had received a project from his teacher which involved him researching a business (They do that for Grade One nowadays? Holy cripes...I'm getting old) So he headed over to the market and talked to the owner there; then it was home to do homework. Meanwhile, Sims were standing outside in the cold without feeling the need to wear winter clothing. I guess some of them freeze on their own accord.

Allan thought the house looked really nice, a snow-covered behemoth sanctuary looming in the dark.

Haruo and River were tag-teaming potty training with Braden.

...and Haruo got a involuntary full whiff of the stink produced by Braden. "What has this kid been eating?"

Satoshi had cut off his mustache and goatee and was going for the clean-shaven look as he strummed his guitar outside the theatre where he worked. (He ditched his fisherman gig for a job in the music industry)

Braden complained about being hungry and got some food to eat so that he would be able to get to bed that night without waking Mommy and Daddy up in the middle of the night.

As River was trying to get Braden off to sleep; of course, who should appear from the netherworld but your friendly neighbourhood ghost of the most evil woman who ever lived...Mayumi Chikamori.

All she did was stand at the gate of the graveyard and stare...her empty eyes staring into the distance. If anyone alive had met her they would have been frozen to the ground with fear. The woman had no moral compass with her evil deeds alive and if anyone thought that death had mellowed out Mayumi, they would have been gravely (ooh look a pun) mistaken.

On that deathly note, the first day of winter ended.