Tuesday 27 May 2014

Cordial invitation

Round 35: August 2041 (Winter)

Maia Novak is 39, Ethan is 35, Willow is 6, River is 4 and Wren is 18 months.
(Jace is 84, Magdalena is 77 and Lia is 44)

Narrated by Maia Novak

I would have been happy with just one kid but now that I've ended up with three, I can say I'm pretty happy with that too.


We’re biased, obviously but I think we've made some very awesome kids.

One of the best things about them might be how good they are together. Neither Ethan or I had an opposite sex sibling growing up, so we weren't sure how brother-sister dynamics usually work out. In our case at least, it’s been wonderful. 

Willow and River are both at school now, so they've got their own friends. But at home, they’re almost always hanging out together.

They have all these little inside jokes with each other that they’re giggling at every time I turn around. I don’t know if they’ll always be as close or if they’ll drift apart a little as they get older but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Thankfully, they are both very sweet with Wren.

Wren is definitely your typical 1.5-year-old. She can be very noisy and whiny and everything is hers, including the other kids’ toys. But River and Willow have been very patient with her, to our immense relief.

Ethan and I talked about adding another kid to our brood but we decided against it. I definitely feel done. Ethan was a little more borderline but he finally realised he was totally content with three as well. 

Approaching 40 as I am, I'm not sure it would happen for us anyway, even if we wanted it to.

Though Lia and I are 5 years apart and she had Peter when she was just a year older than me, without even trying, while she was on birth control.

I’ll just have to pray that super-fertility doesn't run in the family!

Ethan and I are still keeping up with our date nights, as hard as that is with three children at home!

It’s rarely anything fancy where we get dressed up or anything. It’s just a nice casual dinner at a local restaurant.

Sometime after we had River, we figured out that we really need that time away from the kids. Just to keep our sanity. 

It was harder when Wren first came along, because we were both so exhausted all the time but we still tried to make the effort.

It gives us a chance to reconnect as a couple, sans children and we both look forward to it all week. 

We’re even planning on getting away for a little longer one of these days, and taking a short vacation. 

It hasn't really been financially viable before but Ethan is paid very well now and we have Rosa Lucida, which is doing really well. 

Mum and Dad watch the kids while we’re out and Dad always bombards me with questions about the store as soon as we get back home. 

He’s handed it over to me and I have complete control now but I think it’s still kind of his baby.

On some level, he still thinks of it as his and honestly, I do too. It’s hard to believe I actually own it. 

I'm enjoying running Dad’s store, more than I’d enjoy any other job.

It’s quite lovely being surrounded by plants and flowers all day at work. Just green everywhere. It’s my idea of heaven.

I like interacting with other people who obviously appreciate that sort of thing as well. 

Being paid for something I created myself is pretty great as well.

Lately, I think I’d like to do just this and quit the events planning. I've been doing both part-time, with my total hours being about equal to a full-time job. But events planning means you’re sort of unofficially on call, which I've never liked.

I get calls and e-mails in the evening, well after work, which I'm expected to respond to promptly. And I never get weekends off. That’s not ideal at the best of times but especially not when you have a family.

It kills me that Ethan gets to do fun stuff with Willow and River on the weekends, while I'm running some spoiled kid’s overly elaborate graduation bash. 

During the week, they’re at school, so we eat dinner, do homework, play a bit and then it’s bedtime. Not so much quality time. 

I would love a whole two days off to spend with the family. I still get to have fun with them but it’s harder to squeeze it in without weekends to work with.

I've talked about it with Ethan. He knows how stressed I've been and he’s very understanding about it. 

He says if I want to quit, I should. Events planning was never a career for me and I've always been a person who wants to work to live, rather than live to work.

He definitely has that right. If I didn't have to work at all, I wouldn't. I’d find plenty of other things to do with my time!

After talking to Ethan, I’m very strongly leaning towards quitting. It would be such a load off my shoulders.

I can’t help but think it would be the best thing for the whole family as well. Having me on a more conventional schedule can only be good for all of us.

Notes:
  • Title is from Cordial Invitation by Giant Drag.
  • I hadn't thought of having Maia quit until now but I think it'd be what she'd do. The freedom of being her own boss would be very appealing to her.
  • By the way, I don't have any fancy tricks to make her work "part-time" at the events planning. That was just story. She goes full time and I sent her to the shop when I could fit it in. Which was HARD, guys! She really does have too much on her plate.
  • I was so sure these two would end up expecting #4 at the end of this update but I think Maia's age is working against her (or in her favour, seeing neither of them want any more kids). Neither she or Ethan are allowed BC, so I think her fertility is just declining. Thank goodness. I don't want to move them! But I'm still cautious, after Lia!
  • Willow, River and Wren are really cute together. I've never seen a toddler roll any wants towards anyone but their parents and that continues with Wren but Willow and River roll wants for each other all the time. In my game at least, that's quite rare! They're a very sweet little trio, I have to say.
  • Side note but I only just got around to doing Ione and Evan's household profile today. But it's up now, if anyone was wanting to read it. I'm hoping this profile will be up by the time I release this post. I'm feeling 100% for the first time in a long while at the moment, so I have no excuses besides laziness this time!

16 comments:

  1. Lovely to see the house played in now!
    Poor Maia, she really should quit and have the chance to spend more time with her sweet family.

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    1. Yeah, the house worked quite well, even with the super tiny bathrooms!

      In all likelihood, Maia will quit. She's really not the type to work her fingers to the bone. ;) Career has never been her focus.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Delete
  2. Glad to hear you're feeling better! :) It hasn't hit over here yet but there is definitely something going around the office I work at, people have been complaining of flu-like symptoms and taking days off. I've been taking preventative measures tho. lol

    Damn, your families are all so cute and sweet! Wren is adorable, I love the orange-ish hair!

    I guess if they did want an #4 baby then at least River and Willow would be at school during the day and Miai would have only have a toddler and a baby to look after. Depends if she wants time to herself or not though, and she does seem to enjoy working at the shop so maybe its for the best if they stop at a number they're both happy with.

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    1. Well, I'm a teacher, so things kind of go around all the time in my workplace. Must be those 900+ creatures with questionable hygiene we spend so much time with!

      Wren is the first sim I've used that colour on. I'm still unsure about it but I'm glad you like it. I figured her hair might be a little lighter, due to her mum's blonde hair.

      True but Ethan and Maia are both done! Ethan's ideal family size is 3 and Maia's was actually 1! So she's way past her ideal already. If they have an oopsie though...well, I guess they'll have to cope!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Delete
  3. These three kids are totally adorable! I love that they get along and roll wants for each other - it's so sweet! I'm with Ethan and Maia when it comes to additional babies. I think they have enough going on as it is and another baby might be too much for them! Plus, this house is so cute!

    I love that Ethan and Maia have a dedicated date night. I think all married couples with kids should consider doing that! Even if it's something silly or small, like taking a walk just the two of you, it helps keep the romance!

    I like the idea of Maia working just at the flower shop. She seems like a "setting your own schedule" kinda girl! I want her to be able to spend more time with the family :)

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    1. I love this little family as well and seeing how well they all get along totally made me smile. River's the most affectionate - he rolls more wants than Willow does. Ethan and Maia thank you for your support. ;) Her parents probably aren't nearly as thrilled that they won't be getting any more grandkids!

      Date nights are definitely important for couples. My sister has been complaining about her lack of date nights recently (no kids - boyfriend is studying) and it really does take its toll. Maia's secondary Pleasure, so she rolls date wants all the time, so it's easy for me to remember to take these two out.

      Yes, that's definitely Maia to a T, I think! She'll love having a bit more time at home and on her own terms as well.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Delete
  4. I'm glad that she will hopefully be focusing more on the flower shop and quitting her other job. I think it suited her when she was younger, but now not so much. I wouldn't mind another one from them, so who knows maybe they'll give you an oppsie

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    1. The kind of hours Maia is working are not the sorts of hours you want to be stuck with when you have a husband and family at home. So yeah, it's not the career for her at this point in her life!

      Don't jinx me! I adamantly want these two to be done, lol. I don't want to move them and I'd almost definitely have to if they had a fourth!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Delete
  5. I hope the kids stay close throughout life. Who knows what might happen in the future, of course, but I love when siblings are close, even if it's in the game.

    I'm glad Maia is going to step back. All of that work was certain to cause burnout before long, trying to keep up with the shop, her kids, one of which is a toddler, and their scheduled date night. I'm hoping she'll make enough money at Rosa Lucida to compensate.

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    1. I love that too. I especially have a soft spot for sisters, so I'm kind of excited to see how Wren and Willow's relationship develops as they get older.

      Maia and Ethan should be fine on Ethan's salary plus whatever Maia brings in at Rosa Lucida. She's only Level 3 right now, which means she still has a while before she gets that big $50,000 perk but I imagine that alone could set them up for life!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Delete
  6. I love that they stick to their datenights. It gives them some time to them selfs without having to worry about the kids.
    The kids are absolutely adorable together, and so sweet that they get along so well. That might change in the future, but still it's sweet for now :)

    Knowing neither of them is allowed birth control, I'm surprised they didn't anounce another baby in this update! Who knows what will happen next time, but their littie family seems complete as it is.

    I liked seeing the flowershop in action, it made me realise I don't have that in my hood, and that I need to do something about that!
    I think it's good for Maia to quit her current job, and focus on the store a little bit more, especially since it really seems to be what she wants, that way she can also spend some more time with her kids.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. With Maia's pleasure secondary, I can imagine dates would be really important to her and Ethan's relationship. So I squeeze them in for them. :)

      I love the kids. In a vacuum, I wouldn't mind them having a fourth but the house is too small and I have enough sims as it is, so I'm hoping Maia and Ethan are officially done now. An oopsie is possible but unlikely I would say, at Maia's age.

      Flower shops are good, because when your playables shop there, you can usually find a place for whatever they've bought. Unlike when they buy silly knick-knacks or robots or whatever!

      But yeah, I think it's time for Maia to focus on the shop and leave the events planning behind. The hours are just not workable for her while trying to spend time with Ethan and the kids.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Delete
  7. They have such adorable kids, and have really become a lovely family. I can't imagine her jumping on board with having a fourth, that's much more like Lia, but it totally fits that she can't have birth control too.

    The flower shop looks great, and it totally makes sense that Maia would throw herself into that more now that she's settled, and drop the side gig. Their date was really nice, and totally agree about dates being important for pleasure sims, I always make sure mine are getting out there and doing something, family bowling nights for the family pleasure, and bars for those single pleasures. ;)

    Always humors me that you haven't used that color until Wren, and yet you have all the colors in your downloads. That's why I ditch some, pretty much all blacks but dynamite and shrapnel (which I also bin as brown).

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    1. No, if Maia and Ethan ever have a fourth, it's unlikely to be by choice! They're pretty content as is. Even Lia's fourth was a BC failure! Her IFS is also 3.

      Ah, Sullivan needs a bowling alley! So many fun things my sims can't do right now. I need to get all these houses finished and then I can focus on community lots. I'd love to do a family bowling night. Kids are adorable when they bowl and I've only done it once!

      Ha, the only reason I have all colours is because I'm a bit of a completist that way! I have thought about deleting one of the blacks (I can't actually see much of a difference between Flash Powder and Dynamite, though I slightly prefer Flash Powder) but I just can't do it. Must have them all! So I figure seeing I'm insane, I might as well actually use all the colours!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Delete
  8. I was always surprised that Maia had so many kids, but I'm glad she's still happy about it. Their kids are just the cutest, and the date nights are always important. I'm trying to stick to our always getting out on Saturday nights. It's hard sometimes, but I'm determined, LOL.
    Wren looks cute with the orangey hair but I still couldn't imagine using it myself. Though it could've worked on a couple of the Augusts... I might be changing Ross's hair color. I've gotta think about it. That's why I don't mind having a few strange colors; who knows when I might be using them?

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    1. I guess the multiple children was mostly Ethan's influence, lol! I'm glad they ended up with three though, seeing Willow is such a cutie. It would have been a shame to leave her as an only child!

      Keeping up with date nights is awesome! Kind of a mental health break. :) It seems to work well for Maia and Ethan.

      The comburent (that would be the red colour I'm using for Wren) is still a bit strange to me. It's not a colour I'll use all the time but like I said to Maisie, if I am so insistent on keeping it, I might as well get some use out of it!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Delete