MsBarrows / Stories / One Man, Seven Children

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• One Man, Seven Children

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By MsBarrows | Created: Jul 10, 2008

Page 1 / 54

Based on the Seven-Toddler Challenge
(http://forums.thesimsresource.com/showthread.php?t=279549)

Goal: For a single sim to raise seven children from toddlers to teens without the help of a Nanny, and without getting them taken away by the social worker.

Notes: I played this through in my Legacy 'hood, so those of you who follow my story on the forums may spot a few familiar faces here and there - and may see these sims show up in the Legacy eventually as well.

Pages in this Story

  • 1
    • Based on the Seven-Toddler Challenge
    (http://forums.thesimsresource.com/showthread.php?t=279549)

    Goal: For a single sim to raise seven children from toddlers to teens without the help of a Nanny, and without getting them taken away by the social worker.

    Notes: I played this through in my Legacy 'hood, so those of you who follow my story on the forums may spot a few familiar faces here and there - and may see these sims show up in the Legacy eventually as well.
  • 2
    • That's me, Van Kevron. I knew my life was about to change a little - I just hadn't anticipated how much.

    See, I'd agreed to take on a job. A remarkably well-paying one. I should have remembered the old adage - "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." See, the pay was great - but I wouldn't get it until the job was finished. And the dollar signs flashing in my eyes made me skip some of the fine print - until it was too late. Until I'd already signed.
  • 3
    • This run-down old building was going to be my new home. The job included room and board...
  • 4
    • ...and seven toddler in need of raising.

    That was the fine print.

    But, let me take a moment and introduce you to the kids who were about to make my life a living hell.
  • 5
    • This here is Amanda. She's a Leo, and very outgoing.
  • 6
    • The brunette with the bewitching hazel eyes is Coral. She's a fairly balanced little Aries.
  • 7
    • And Goldie. Outgoing, playful, nice - a real little charmer. A Libra.
  • 8
    • The little one gnawing on the spoon is Yumi, the last of the girls. She's an Aquarius.
  • 9
    • And then there's Oliver, a bit of a neat freak but a good kid. A Virgo.
  • 10
    • Ronald, a lot like Oliver in some ways, but a Capricorn.
  • 11
    • And last but by no means least, Simon, a Gemini.
  • 12
    • The first thing to do, I decided, was to get all these kids fed. I started hauling bottles of formula out of the fridge, plus I poured a few bowls full of dry cereal and spread them around for the kids to nibble on if they wanted.
  • 13
    • I then tried to get a head start on potty training the little terrors. Things went okay with the first kid...
  • 14
    • ...but in no time flat I was surrounded by a horde of stinking, crying toddlers and the unmistakeable stench of sour milk.
  • 15
    • Thus began my slavery to the change table of eternal fresh diapers.
  • 16
    • I managed to grab a bite to eat myself - standing, since the place was rather lacking in places to sit and eat.
  • 17
    • I took out the trash afterwards, and discovered the building included a so-far-unused composter, and a freshly turned garden bed. Granted it was about to turn to fall, I figured there might be some small chance of getting in a crop of something before winter.
  • 18
    • I quickly acquired an audience as I worked, planting the one thing I could find seeds for - tomatoes. Lots and lots of tomatoes.
  • 19
    • Then I changed a few more diapers before staggering upstairs to collapse into bed, completely exhausted.
  • 20
    • The following days passed in a blur of filling cereal bowls, distributing milk bottles, and changing diapers. And then changing more diapers, followed by - you guessed it! - changing diapers.
  • 21
    • My attempts to keep myself fed, clean, and relatively sane in betweem diaper changes didn't always go well. The kids often distracted my attention from my cooking, resulting in burnt meals for me. By this point I was so hungry even the bottles of sour formula were starting to look good, so I just told myself that charcoal is good for the digestion and chowed down.
  • 22
    • I did occasionally meet someone new - this lovely lady, Mona, even took pity on me and kept the kids amused one evening so I could snatch a few precious hours of sleep.
  • 23
    • Still, most nights I was woken by a chorus of cries from the children wanting their diapers changed.
  • 24
    • While cleaning up reeking messes was far from being my favourite activity, the way the little tikes clung to me and hugged me afterwards almost made it worth it. They were such sweet kids - though they rarely smelled sweet!
  • 25
    • I did manage to steal the odd minute to look after the garden, pruning the fruit trees and weeding the tomatoes.

    You can imagine my relief when the seven of them finally grew up from reeking toddlers to reasonably self-sufficient little children.
  • 26
    • Amanda,
  • 27
    • Coral,
  • 28
    • Goldie,
  • 29
    • Oliver,
  • 30
    • Ronald,
  • 31
    • Simon,
  • 32
    • and Yumi.
  • 33
    • I sold off all the toddler toys and blankies and cereal bowls that would no longer be needed, and invested in seven inexpensive beds instead. Going to bed that night knowing I wouldn't wake to seven screaming toddlers was *heaven*.
  • 34
    • Still, it was a very busy couple of hours the next morning, getting them all ready for school and out the door onto their school bus. I was shocked at the silence once they'd gone. The emptiness.
  • 35
    • I spent some time working on the garden, then called and chatted with Mona. She was a great conversationalist - as long as you were in a listening mood. Which I was - having the luxury to just listen to someone adult chattering away about whatever struck her fancy was oddly soothing.
  • 36
    • Eventually the kids came home from school, dragging a few extra kids alone with them. The house quickly filled with the noise of children at play.

    Have you ever *heard* children at play? Try walking by a schoolyard at recess - that was the kind of decibel level I was having to endure.
  • 37
    • Even outside was noisy, as Goldie played with her new friend Yvonne on a swing set the children had improvised out of some old machinery and a couple of boards.
  • 38
    • Even with the kids at home, I found myself with some leisure time on my hands now that they no logner required constant attendance and near-continuous diaper changes. They kept themselves amused and clean with very little interference from me.
  • 39
    • And homework time in our house was a somewhat awe-inspiring sight, all of the children hard at work with pencils and exercise books.
  • 40
    • I did worry about how much longer I could continue to make ends meet, however. My income was almost non-existent, and my promised reward was still a long way in the future.
  • 41
    • Still, I was managing to keep the kids well-fed still. The pond - more of a large puddle - was yielding a surprising amount of fish.
  • 42
    • And the kids also seemed to have an almost obsessive fondness for baking and eating oversized - and frequently rather overly caramelized - messes in their toy ovens, which they insisted were muffins.
  • 43
    • As fall changed inexorably to winter, I got in a sizeable crop of tomatoes. Not very good ones, but at least they'd do to supplement our dwindling resources.
  • 44
    • I started making a lot of soup. It was easy, I didn't burn it too often, and, best of all, the main ingredient was both abundant and free - water!
  • 45
    • There were times when life was almost pleasant.
  • 46
    • Though overall I'd have to say my favourite time of the day was still that special moment on weekday mornings when the horde headed off to school, and I knew I'd have a few precious hours to myself. Most of which I squandered on luxuries such as cleaning house and browsing throuch cook books, looking for cheap by nutritional dishes I could prepare for the children.
  • 47
    • Then one day in early winter, while preparing my garden for the coming snow, I stumbled across an amazing find - an old treasure map! If I was reading it right, there was something buried somewhere on *MY* property! I began spending my free time digging around in the yard in hopes of discovering it.
  • 48
    • Though the main thing I discovered was that it was dangerous to dig at random.
  • 49
    • The kids continued bringing their friends home from school regularly. Yam Soup in particular was over so often that he began to feel like a member of the family.
  • 50
    • I was surprised to realize how attached I was becoming to my seven charges.
  • 51
    • Part of that may have been because they'd gone from being a hard job to look after, to being a lot of fun to be around.
  • 52
    • I met more of my neighbours, including Yam's mother, Xera Soup. Quite the looker! Too bad she's already quite happily taken.
  • 53
    • I also continued digging up the yard, finding nothing more then a lot of bones and rocks. To my surprise I actually made some good money selling them - the rocks to a neighbour who was making a rock garden, and the bones to a paleontologist who insisted they were valuable fossils. Me, I think they're just things the neighbourhood dogs buried over the years, but I'm not going to turn up my nose at 55 simoleons a pop! Not when the bills need paying and the fridge is almost empty again.
  • 54
    • And eventually, my horde became teenagers. My job was done, though it wasn't the cash reward I cared about any more - it was my kids. Seeing them happy, healthy, and almost all grown up.

    Would I do it again? Are you CRAZY!? I never want to see another diaper as long as I live!

90 Comment(s)

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On Jul 10, 2008 PAP3RxH3ARTS wrote:
Haha, I loved that
On Jul 10, 2008 Rabold8 wrote:
OH! That is so cool! I would never be able to finish that challenge! I love the way that you integrated them into your neighborhood rather than excluding them to maxis made townies for friends.
On Jul 10, 2008 MeganLaVey wrote:
Oh man, I have had some big families but not I have never had more then two toddlers at a time! That is intense!
On Jul 10, 2008 nleslie wrote:
Haha, that was neat. You should make the kids downloadable, they're all awesome.
On Jul 10, 2008 enchantmentsisters wrote:
This was great. I might have to try that challenge myself!
On Jul 10, 2008 baseiber wrote:
Pretty good. I'm not found of children wearing makeup but I liked it over all. Now all I need is to find those toddler blankets.
On Jul 10, 2008 Chiakiii wrote:
That must be crazy Great story
On Jul 10, 2008 fizz bomb wrote:
Bravo, poor bloke loved it
On Jul 10, 2008 greedy wrote:
that was a fun story
On Jul 10, 2008 MagySims wrote:
Godo story... I loved that... 5.0
On Jul 10, 2008 Acathla9 wrote:
That was fantastic - thank you for sharing that!
On Jul 10, 2008 BrunetteYas wrote:
Wow ! I admire your patience ! Must have been a big challenge ! Great work, you deserve it !
On Jul 10, 2008 Troubledgirl wrote:
Great story.
On Jul 10, 2008 Fikcija wrote:
I loved it! Makes me want to do the challenge
On Jul 10, 2008 Jaws3 wrote:
That was cool! I loved it ! Sounds like an interesting challenge. Might have to try it myself... Those todler blankets were pretty cool. where'd you get them from?
On Jul 10, 2008 Alathiel wrote:
I could never do that, I can't even stand twins, but good job!
On Jul 10, 2008 wildstar24 wrote:
Fun story, MsB! I always love how you bring challenge stories to life!
On Jul 10, 2008 Earcat wrote:
Greay story! Looks like fun. I'm glad someone else mebtioned makeup on the kids. I didn't like that either.
On Jul 10, 2008 MLISSAAA wrote:
Seriously, AWSOME!
On Jul 10, 2008 JamieAnnlynn wrote:
YAY !!! i loved it WHOOOOO!! D:
On Jul 10, 2008 simboy161 wrote:
WOW What a great story, you must have been so busy! This makes me impatient, I can't wait till I'm playing the Sims again. Damn you new house that needs complete redecorating 5.0- brilliant story
On Jul 10, 2008 sparklewand wrote:
Awesome story!!!
On Jul 10, 2008 jemjamjar wrote:
Wonderful Story really enjoyed it. Makes me want to give this a try myself but we shall see. Very enjoyable!
On Jul 10, 2008 qvisn wrote:
That was so funny, you really have to have a sense of humour to take on that lot. well done.
On Jul 10, 2008 JuneFlowers wrote:
Awesome story and the fact that you managed to raise all 7 of them is great! I'd go nuts as I barely manage 2 toddlers.
On Jul 10, 2008 LaurieR wrote:
I have played that challenge before. I played with only Maxis objects. My poor sim was collapsing and starving all the time. There was never time to get them in the cribs, so they collapsed on the floor and slept. It was really funny! Congrats on surviving it! Loved the story.
On Jul 10, 2008 qasert wrote:
On Jul 10, 2008 dite wrote:
Loved the story. How you managed all alone I will never know.
On Jul 10, 2008 woodstock95 wrote:
Awesome!! I loved it!
On Jul 10, 2008 pinkfloydgroupie wrote:
Great story! I loved it! Bet it was hard dealing with 7 little ones
On Jul 10, 2008 kanzen wrote:
not another diaper! awesome story XD I bet it was back aching...u gotta have the rejuvenator somehow XD
On Jul 10, 2008 leifofdel wrote:
Good job raising those seven children. Loved your story.
On Jul 10, 2008 D2Diamond wrote:
Awe! Great story, and I look forward to seeing them in future stories! - Diamond
On Jul 10, 2008 DarkMoon689 wrote:
Nice!, all I manage to raised is three todlers at once, and that has painful. You have my respect hehe..
On Jul 10, 2008 sailfindragon wrote:
I really enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing. Debs
On Jul 10, 2008 Irishred2626 wrote:
Great story..hard enough dealing with seven adults at once, nevermind toddlers!!
On Jul 10, 2008 olivia08 wrote:
I loved it!
On Jul 10, 2008 stephanie1225 wrote:
great
On Jul 10, 2008 madeleine1994 wrote:
ahh...alright. the kids are ugly.
On Jul 10, 2008 Unutma wrote:
Poor guy, SEVEN kids ! I don't even want ONE ... great story !
On Jul 10, 2008 boogerbrat101 wrote:
i loooovvvvveed it
On Jul 10, 2008 mini me3393 wrote:
Wow...you did a great job! I wouldn't have the patience to take on that challenge. I loved it!
On Jul 10, 2008 LillyKP wrote:
Great story, hopefully the guy can get some rest.
On Jul 10, 2008 simonita wrote:
interresting topic for a story. i never thought 1 sole man can rise 7 kids. i think even a woman would end up crazy with sooo much diaper changing
On Jul 10, 2008 Grandbear98 wrote:
Great work MS Barrows. The most I had to deal with and the family is still on the exchange under my Sims Page is the Clark family. Kenny and Karen Clark have four babies to raise, and Karen is also pregnant with two more on the way. I never thaught of doing a story on them but still have the original download. They all now teens and a few are at college. Great job, gave you a 5.0.
On Jul 10, 2008 arc1801 wrote:
On Jul 10, 2008 Ellemisha wrote:
that was a nice read.
On Jul 10, 2008 cloeplayer908 wrote:
On Jul 10, 2008 AutumnKisses402 wrote:
Awwwhhh. That was soo cute. I really loved it.
On Jul 10, 2008 kat795 wrote:
Cool!!!
On Jul 10, 2008 SuperStar94 wrote:
Wow, I admire your courage I have looked after two sets of twins in-game before...never again! No, I really enjoy the backwards and forwards to the fridge and changing table, they are the best days of my sim life. I miss them when they turn into children, great story!
On Jul 10, 2008 XdamnxangelX wrote:
That was really great.... what a challenge that must have been!
On Jul 10, 2008 blackbutterflys wrote:
very gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood very good
On Jul 10, 2008 angel01taylor wrote:
i love it. it was great. i know you had a handful with all those sim kids.
On Jul 11, 2008 halfasian751 wrote:
Wow! Great screenshots, and good story! That must have been really hard.
On Jul 11, 2008 suzdez999 wrote:
As usual you did a fantastic job of both doing the challenge and giving a fun read at the same time. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I love this challenge, but it as been a long time since I did it. Think that was when I had just got Uni.. That male Sim looks rather familiar as well.... Sue
On Jul 11, 2008 eshuff wrote:
absolutely wonderful! creative and stunning shots, and heartwarming and lovely writing. not surprising considering the author.
On Jul 11, 2008 erica92 wrote:
On Jul 11, 2008 maggiesmom1 wrote:
Great story, and your sims? WERE SO TOTALLY FREAKIN' DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS. In my opinion, anyway.
On Jul 11, 2008 puppluver wrote:
woo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!yeah so so so good
On Jul 11, 2008 mari_d wrote:
The Von Trapp family!lol
On Jul 11, 2008 sydxoxox wrote:
That was awesome. I loved it
On Jul 11, 2008 puppluver wrote:
loved it and i saw it two times love,puppluver
On Jul 11, 2008 Chuck66 wrote:
i love it !
On Jul 11, 2008 Murphy75 wrote:
Great story! Two toddlers is hard enough...I don't know how you handled 7! THanks for sharing!
On Jul 11, 2008 Jenners428 wrote:
Loved the story. I would have lost my mind trying to take on seven kids. Thanks for sharing!
On Jul 11, 2008 tena320 wrote:
I would never be able to finish that challenge!
On Jul 11, 2008 Mirraaj wrote:
> MsB, Good story, I really loved how he was so enthralled by the cash he didn't think about the toddlers. I wish I knew how much he got! > Mirraaj.
On Jul 11, 2008 maxi king wrote:
great story,I got four kids and its hard sometime,not imaginon seven!
On Jul 11, 2008 1ayotola1 wrote:
AWESOME STORY! Wow I am really impressed in how you handled the challenge, considering the fact there were so many kids! I'm really proud of you.. also, you have some nice pictures 5.0! BRAVO!
On Jul 11, 2008 plushies_lovergg wrote:
Great story! I did the challenge once, but it didn't end out as good as yours did. I like how you have the toddler beds on the floor, it saves a lot of time and screaming toddlers when you have to take them each in and out of the cribs numrous times a day. Where did you find those beds? I have looked for them everywhere, with no luck. Please post answer in my guestbook. Thanks and keep up the book work!
On Jul 11, 2008 lia2223 wrote:
Good Job! I don't like having more than two toddlers at a time. So KUDOS to you for having 7!!!
On Jul 12, 2008 PollyPlummer wrote:
! Congratulations on your patience! It's amazing you persevered! Where did you get that custom content? It's simply great, though not greater than your achievement. You also put very good pictures of them. Congrats!
On Jul 12, 2008 buraigabor wrote:
Very nice story!
On Jul 12, 2008 Angela! wrote:
nice!
On Jul 13, 2008 spicylove wrote:
omg this is a really good story 1 man and 7 kids thats alot for just one person great job on this story.
On Jul 15, 2008 catsandbooks wrote:
Nice story I liked it, the shots are really good
On Jul 15, 2008 Kenvjo wrote:
what a challenge! good job!
On Aug 23, 2008 xaheras wrote:
I like that you're using them in your story MsB. And good work finishing this challenge!
On Sep 14, 2008 Sxylady_1978 wrote:
wow very good story
On Oct 24, 2008 Cheena wrote:
that was really cool...the challenge is a good idea and your story is written very well 5.0!
On Jan 4, 2009 cvscorpio28 wrote:
this story is very entertaining...wow does he have his hands full
On Jan 4, 2009 shady411 wrote:
Well written
On Feb 3, 2009 terrisims wrote:

what a beautiful story.  Is there another one comming?

On Aug 3, 2009 Smossie wrote:
That must have been a blast.  Even three toddlers is too much for me.  Cute story.     
On Sep 2, 2009 madea wrote:
Good Story.
On Dec 21, 2010 fredbrenny wrote:
    Loved it... pheww.... what a task!
On Apr 27, 2011 oreo2745 wrote:
Another great story! I love it!
On May 14, 2011 ZeroSlayer01 wrote:
That story was awsome! Thanks for sharing!
On Aug 26, 2011 tristen_love23 wrote:
yeah that story was really cool those kids ended looking great and hopefully somewhat normal lol awesome job

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