Way over yonder in the minor key

Round 21: Autumn 2013

last update/next update

Maria Moretti is 70, Filippo is 58, Emil Collins is 41, Anna is 35, Nathan is 3 and Hope is 2.
(Amelia is 24, Caleb is 31, David is 31, Kirstin is 29, Betsy is 42, Sarah is 8 and Susannah is 3)

Narrated by Anna Collins

Emil and I won $4000 in the lottery recently and we put it towards installing a pool in the backyard. It's small but it's a good place for me to get away from Maria for half an hour or so. She drives me up the wall.



I've born two of her grandchildren already and she still wants more. How about no? Having Nathan and then Hope in such quick succession is has definitely been tough!

The kids are great and all but we just potty-trained Nathan and are about to start with Hope. I am not doing this a third time.

It's even worse because Emil seems to be in cahoots with his mother. Right now, he leaves for work just as I'm coming home, so you'd think when we do have time together, he'd want to relax and enjoy it. But he seems to think trying to convince me to ditch my birth control will get me in the mood.

I know it's not all his mother. Emil loves the whole parent thing and he's way better at it than I am.

I'm so glad Amelia is pregnant now. It's taken some of the focus of Emil and me, although I think seeing his sister with child is part of what's making Emil want another.

And of course, David's wife Kirstin is pregnant too. They're the favoured women in the family right now, in Maria's eyes. Both of them are due in the spring, so I'm hoping that with two new grandbabies to occupy her time, Maria will completely drop the issue with me.

Maria had Caleb and Evan over the other day to nag them about getting married, so maybe she's already moved on from me. She might want to at least wait until Caleb finds a girlfriend before she starts on at him about marriage.

She's so frustrating. This is why it is so cathartic to bitch about her with Betsy.

Betsy's been commiserating with me about Emil too. He's gone whenever I'm home and vice versa. And I have needs, you know! Pre marriage and kids, I would have filled them elsewhere but I don't even have the time to do that any more.

When he's home, he's great. But that's not very often. I'm considering asking him to find a job with more regular hours to make things easier on me. Maybe I'd consider a third child if things were different but it's completely out of the question with the way things are now.

Already, the place looks more like a day care centre when Betsy comes over with her kids! We bought that activity table especially for the kids to play at together when they visit. Sarah is a lot older than Nathan, Hope and Susannah but she's very good with them. Ha, you can tell she's not genetically related to Betsy and me - she's too nice!

Random pic:

Because who doesn't love a huggle?


Notes:

• Anna was the Sim who rolled the ROS to win a medium-sized lottery prize. I figured she'd be the type to spend it. The pool is seriously tiny. The lot is uneven around the edges and has a fence around it now, so that's restricted their space somewhat.
• Maria has the want for 20 grandchildren, which I doubt she will reach! Although she has 3 already, plus 3 coming in the spring (the twins and the singleton), so you never know! It's funny how some Family Sims go nutty with the grandchildren wants and some are more laid back.
• Emil has had the want for another baby ever since Hope was born. Anna is not going for it.
• Betsy and Anna are gossiping about the time that Mina romantically hugged Filippo at Abigail's graduation party, causing Maria to pitch a fit. I believe that was four years ago but Anna still finds it hilarious. Whenever she gossips, that's what she gossips about.
• This house is super busy! Two toddlers are always challenging but their work hours are all different. Maria is retired and is home all the time, Filippo works from about 10am to 6pm. Anna works from 2pm to 7pm and Emil is gone from 6pm to 1am. Looking at it on paper, it seems like there should always be two people around to care for the toddlers but it just doesn't work out that way! And Anna being a Romance Sim is rolling up lots of wants for public woohoo and multiple woohoo and I haven't been able to fulfill any of them! I'm very glad that next time I play them, Nathan will be at school!
• Anna has the want to win a fight with Collette, even though they're friends. I teleported Collette in and she's got the want to win a fight with Anna. I have no idea what's gone on between these two!