I have a confession to make - six babies is HARD!!! OMG it was crazy how much work was involved with children when they can't walk, can't talk and don't have too much problem being left in their cribs all day. With with six of them, it was full time work for the babysitters, something Max and Bella just couldn't live without.

I decided enough was enough with the crazy babies and aged them up - the first lot of twins were only a few days off anyway, and I sped the game up to speed 3 for a couple of weeks (game time weeks) so there was still some gap.

With six kids, I wasn't about to video record each one lol, so instead, here's the mug shots of each toddler!

I've kind of had enough of Max's party life style for the time being and decided to check in on Emily Waters last night. It's been a while since I checked on her to make sure she was still managing to get up in the morning after all that happened to her. I'm happy to report that she is, and life is actually starting to get back on track slightly.

Still struggling with the complete lack of money, she is thankful that both Susie and Thomas are still happy to be bottle fed as she's not sure she can afford to feed them much else at the moment. Emily's diet has taken a bit of a turn as well, being forced to survive on jam sandwiches and tinned soup for the most part. At least she can't really comfort eat herself fat...

Life as a single mother with two toddlers is proving tiresome. Her days consist of feeding mouths, emptying the potty and changing bums when they don't make it in time, picking up the toys and trying to get some writing in here and there in the hopes it will keep the roof over her head. So far she has managed to keep the debt collectors at bay, barely. There were two days where she had to pay the babysitter with that day's earnings from work.

Thankfully though, with her ability to pick herself up and put on a very fake smile while at work, she managed to earn herself a small, but helpful promotion.

Without Adrian and Grandpa Sim, the Waters household is very, very quiet. Boringly so. Apart from the obvious lack of two additional Sims, poor Emily has so much on her plate now with two little toddlers that it doesn't leave her much time to do anything other than eat, sleep and look after the house. And she doesn't have any money to go into town because she quit her job.

She did pick up a part time job at the local grocery store, but I'm really questioning the point of that as a single mother. With no live in babysitter anymore, she has to shell out $75 to hire a townie. And for 3 hours of work, at $30 an hour, that only makes her $90 each day. $90 - $75 = $15. That's right, she works for $15! Hardly enough to live on.

I'm going to make her keep it for now though. It's a good way to stop her getting the "you never leave the house loser" moodlet as it gets her out and in town 5 times a week. I'm also hoping that it will allow her to meet other Sims, because at the moment, she doesn't really know any. While she did work in the Police Force and met some Sims there (Hal, really don't want another one of him in my live), she got pregnant so quickly that she's spent most of her life at home.

I decided, to help compensate the lack of money, to have Emily start writing some novels. I figure she has had enough drama in her life to be able to turn some sort of book out - after all, how many real life books are born out of life experiences? How far she takes it I haven't worked out yet. It could either be a temporary thing while she gets her life back on track, or it could turn out to be something she continues as a source of income. Maybe it's a hidden talent she didn't know she had because she has never done anything other then be a housewife.

I was reading a thread over on the Sims3.com forums the other day, where members were commenting on toddlers and if they are or are not too easy. The post was kicked off by a member, who played with the 90 day life span and found that within 3 days, their toddlers were potty trained, talking and walking. I WISH real life could be so easy!

Apparently in Sims 2 it was never so easy. I say apparently because I never played the Sims 2 long enough to find out. Where as now, as I have mentioned a couple of times already, I'm find myself completely and utterly hooked with #3, and I put that all down to gameplay. Easier gameplay? I wouldn't say that. Less frustrating would be a good description. Not making me want to use my keyboard to break my monitor would be another.

I personally liked DarkAmaranth1966's reply the best...

I play epic as well but don't force age my sims. Toddlers can learn form the toys and, when they are older can start as high as level 3 on skills because of it. Having them learn all they can also seems to make it easier for them to get good grades and, makes for well behaved children.

Let them play, read to them, take them on outings. Geeze, our own toddlers are toddlers well beyond potty training and all, let sims live thier lives for crying out loud.

I too play epic because I didn't like the 'rushed' feeling that came with the other lengths. I don't really have any plans to let the full epic life span play out day by day, but I like knowing I'm not restricted by any time period. I just use the birthday cakes to age my sims when I'm ready for them to age up.

Of course, with babies and toddlers, this extended period is more noticeable, but in a good way. After all, I have a toddler of my own (almost 2), and she was not talking, nor potty trained from the moment she was no longer classified as a 'baby'. She was walking however because she started at 10 months. But here she is, almost 2, a full year later and she's only just getting her words together and is still not potty trained. Course, I wouldn't mind either of those being completed either lol.

But DarkAmaranth's post is true. Toddlers do take a while to age up. It's not all over and done with in 3 days. I actually love having my toddlers around as toddlers, it makes my Sim still feel young. And I WISH my toddler would play on their own ALL day, sit in the crib rocking back and forth happily for HOURS before falling asleep on their own. If life could be so easy...

Unfortunately, because Sims toddlers are so capable of entertaining themselves, I find I tend to forget them a bit as well. I have a grandma sim living with me now, and even she spends all her time painting instead of actually interacting with the kids.

And baby Ricky? He lives in his cot 24 - 7. I do so wish there were more options for where to place him other that the crib or the floor. I wish there were bouncers, and swings (baby swings that is) and prams. If there were, my kids might actually see more than the roof of their bedroom.

So yes, I guess in a way Sim children are pretty easy. But it's the way you look at it. I find them enjoyable more than 'easy'. And that's the most important thing in my opinion.

Of course, DarkAmaranth's post also reminded me Melani doesn't actually do anything with Seth or Ricky either. Partly because of the no pram, no bouncer issue, but that's no excuse. Here I am in a game where you can seamlessly venture from your home to the town, and what do I do? I never leave home! So much so I keep getting that little moodlet that TELLS me to leave the house once in a while! I need to, I get so fixated on the work > sleep > eat > skill > work routine that I don't do much else.

So, I dropped everything and took Seth to the local park. I didn't realise he wouldn't be able to go on the swings and slides yet, but at least it's "out and about". And what does this poor, neglected, not used to the light of day child do? This...

He takes a toy from the toy box, escapes the sunlight and opts to play inside the toilet block. Now he was happy alright. The sun was no longer melting him, his eyes didn't have to adjust, and there was the new toilet block smell to enhance his experiences. Oh yes, and not to mention the pile creating concrete floor.

I was left baffled and a little disturbed. Not only for the fact he was playing near toilets, but also unsure if there was perhaps a hidden Vampire trait that I was somehow discovering. I didn't hear any hissing when he was in direct sunlight...

Still, it's a good reminder to get out and about a bit more. I need to remember that there is a whole town out there to explore, and that work and sleep aren't the only things I can do anymore. Thankfully Melani's latest job promotion see's her only working 4 days a week, with Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday off work. Time to use those days to spend time with the kids I think... the career will always be there. And at the rate Super Sim is going I'd be level 10 next week anyway. No rush needed.

Time to remember to stop and smell some roses every now and then. And to enjoy these 'easy' toddlers...