With Preston finally out of diapers, I was sure things would be back to normal in no time at all! Preston was a great kid, athletic and very friendly! He was pretty good about keeping his room clean too.
His baby sisters, on the other hand, were another matter. Bethany, Bridget, and Brittany, or Triple B as I call them, were a handful to say the least! With Heather back to work, we were finally able to afford a babysitter. He wasn't very good with the girls. He wasn't mean to them, he just wasn't very playful. They didn't seem to mind though. They spent alot of time entertaining themselves!
I was doing great at the science lab. Another promotion under my belt, so I was happy with that. But something was missing. I still didn't feel completely fulfilled. I had started off as a young kid wanting to be a painter. I met Heather and we had our kids - and I don't regret any of it - but still a part of me misses that carefree life, especially the painting - it was such a stress reliever! But between work, the kids, and exhaustion, oh not to mention financial problems, I couldn't paint.
Heather was back to work and loving it! She really enjoyed working for the mayor, loved being out of the house, but she did find herself missing the kids.
One day the Mayor asked her if she would be his personal assistant, writing letters and proposals for him, drafting various PR type documents, and possibly even speaking to the press upon occasion. So Heather took a writing class, and started reading everything she could about writing. Might sound odd....but she was learning alot!
Heather's work committments left her little time to take care of the house or cooking. Now mind you, I am not a sexist pig. I have no problem with Heather working and I'm glad she is enjoying it. I just mean that once you get so used to being taken care of (cooked for, house cleaned for you), it's hard to adjust to not having that anymore. So I ate alot of bread and jam.
Those precious few moments Heather and I were alone......we slept.
I began sleepwalking, which really scared me. One morning I found myself standing in our yard in just my underwear!!!! I knew that the stress of daily life was really getting to me.
Meanwhile, Heather was really enjoying her work as a personal assistant to the Mayor. She was doing all his PR now, writing all his letters and campaign materials, and she was loving it. She told me that it wasn't the work she loved, it was the writing. She had developed a knack for it - or rather - she found out that she has a talent for it that she didn't even know she had!
One day, after an especially long day at work, she looked up to the sky and asked SimGod "Please, give me an answer! I love my family, but I can see what my work is doing to them. But I like my work. And we need the money. What can I do SimGod?"
SimGod wouldn't give an answer just yet. In the meantime, we were able to afford to build Triple B their own bedroom, as well as Preston.
The girls were growing fast, and I knew that before long, they would be kids! Brittany and Bridget were two peas in a pod. They looked alike, acted alike, they were even on the same sleeping schedule. Not Bethany. She was a wild child. She hardly slept at all, broke her toys, climbed out of her crib, and just generally wreaked havoc!
At this point, my stress has a new symptom.....chronic diarrhea. I practically live in the bathroom. See this book? I spent 6 hours on the toilet and read the whole thing. Sorry, TMI. Moving on.
Preston was blooming socially. He had a few friends at school who would come over and spend the night. I even heard him talking to what I think was his girlfriend. At this age already? Oy.
One morning, Heather was taking out the trash when a young lady approached her and asked if an artist by the name of Roman Dynasty lived here. When Heather told her yes, that I was her husband, the young lady said she had seen one of my paintings downtown and just loved my work. She wanted me to paint a special painting for her elderly grandmother.
When Heather told me, I was thrilled, surprised, dumbfounded, and elated! Of course I wanted to paint - but would Heather be okay with taking on more of the household responsibilities so that I could do it? We talked it over, and she agreed to. She would cut back on some of her work so that I could paint on weeknights until I got it done. Would you believe I got paid $500 simoleons for that? If I could get work like this all the time, I would quit my job!
After I finished the painting, it was back to the grind. During the 3 weeks it took me to finish it, my sleepwalking and diarrhea went away! Now it was back, along with the constant exhaustion. I love my daughters, but man, they are a handful and a half!
When Heather slacked off at work, that meant less hours. Which meant less money. And one day the repo-girl came and took Preston's toybox. His TOYBOX of all things? Shameful.
I knew then that something would need to change. I can't go on with sleepwalking and diarrhea.....Heather can't quit working because she needs it for her sanity and we need it for bills. Something's gotta give.
Part 5 coming right up....
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