It’s time for the Parker family!
Left to right: Zinaida, Stepan, Akim, Brittany, Lyosha
The kids got a rare bit of playtime in before I realized they were up and made them go study.
Shura and Ryan moved out. I said way back when that Shura would stay and be the heir, but I changed my mind after she hung around as an adult for two full seasons. She’s still going to keep the plantsim line going, but not for a while. We’ll see her and Ryan again at the end of the season.
The kids were sad to see their big sister go, but dutifully headed off to school. Private school, of course. The Parkers are nearly as rich as the Carrs.
As soon as the kids were gone, Stepan and Brittany headed down to Store #4 to sell dining room sets.
After a day and night of just Brittany and Stepan, they called Akim to come down. He got his gold sales badge, and was very obliging in rolling up wants to make sales and for customers to earn stars despite being a Knowledge/Popularity sim.
“So…hungry…need…energize…”
The shop reached level 9 before everyone headed home.
Brittany headed off to take a nap, so Stepan spent the day on the phone with his friends. Akim was magically transported back to school.
Akim returned home with a want to make friends with Eva, so she came over to hang out.
Zinaida and Lyosa both got homework. And no school bus friends.
Zosia Kozlow came by, so Zinaida went out to meet her. With a thought bubble of herself, and 3 of 4 wants involving making friends. I wonder if Zinaida’s trying to tell me something?
Stepan spent the night on the flower bench after the kids had gone to bed.
Akim was excited that his outing with Eva had maxed his motives, so that he could spend the night on the couch studying.
As much as I like the Rock God outfit, the hours stink. So after getting home from work, Brittany got a job in Education.
Akim maxed his mechanical skill!
As a reward, he got to slave away on the robot bench.
He didn’t mind too much, as his OTH is Tinkering.
Brittany tended the garden before heading to bed, determined that the plants wouldn’t suffer just because there was one less plantsim in the house.
When Zinaida and Lyosha got up in the morning, they were immediately set to skilling until the school bus came. I’m a cruel taskmaster.
“Bye, Akim.”
“Bye, Brittany. Have fun at the new job.”
“As long as I get promoted and get out of this terrible outfit.”
Stepan had the day off. He spent most of the day playing with Snickerdoodle.
He also spent some time on the phone, keeping up with his many friends.
Akim got homework, but sat down right away to get it done.
Finally, a school bus friend! Drina Bendett came home with Zinaida. Also, Brittany got a promotion.
Off to Dining in Style, where Brittany and Stepan earned huge sacks of money.
Anya Pavlov gave the star that got the business up to level 10! Only one more to go!
Akim used the wishing well to wish for love…
And got Catriona Bruce, who’s supposed to be going steady with his cousin Adam.
Since they fell in love as soon as she fell from the sky, I figured they might as well go on a date.
Stepan and Brittany stopped at Tots Best Toys while they were out and picked up an automatic dog washer. I need to have more of my families with dogs get them.
Late that night, Stepan maxed his Arts & Crafts enthusiasm and got all glowy. Plantsim + Journalism reward + max hobby enthusiasm means I suspect he can stay at that flower bench pretty much forever.
Early in the morning, Brittany bought her 5th and last business.
Lyosha and Zinaida spent the morning skilling, as usual.
“Someday when you go to college you can make the Dean’s List, and then they’ll give you grant money. That’ll help you get a good start on getting rich.”
I’m highly amused by Stepan in full diving suit, cramming into a 4 door sedan.
Brittany and Stepan both got promotions, and Brittany brought home Samantha Ottomas for the second day in a row.
Zinaida brought home Samantha’s daughter Sharla.
Without even taking time to change out of their work uniforms, Brittany and Stepan headed down to Brittany’s newest business, The Rummage Basement!
(Disclaimer: The Rummage Basement does not contain a basement.)
The store exists to sell all the craftables, produce, and fish clogging up the family’s inventories. I added a couple of clothing racks and some groceries, and later some decorative knickknacks, just for flavor.
“You like to cook, right? Wouldn’t you love a random salt shaker thingy?”
The business got up to level 4 before Stepan and Brittany headed home.
Lyosha saw Jordon Cooke walking by and hurried out to greet him, while Stepan chatted on the phone.
Brittany needed a logic point for work, but unfortunately couldn’t find anyone to play chess with her.
Friends!
“Urgh! You killed me! Now I’m going to haunt you forever!”
Some sims express their friendship in different ways.
Birthday time!
Zinaida became a Fortune/Pleasure sim with a LTW to top the Show Business career. I guess she really wants a nose job. Can’t say that I blame her.
The hair still works, but she got some new clothes and makeup.
The family sat down to a delicious meal of sparkly ribs from the grill for dinner, and Brittany shared all of her favorite money making tips with Zinaida.
Zinaida and Lyosha went out to harvest the plants before bed.
“Are all the kids in bed?”
“Yeah.”
“Party on the couch!”
Zinaida was excited the next morning to finally get to jam on the Rock Hammer. Her OTH is Music & Dance, after all.
Off to The Rummage Basement.
“You definitely need some new clothes. Really make the guys stand up and take notice!”
I decided to see if I could get playable sims into new clothes. Turns out I can! Josiah seemed pleased with his new duds.
Zinaida came down to help out, and earned her gold sales badge. She also managed to stay in platinum for the 12 hours or so she was there. The store was up to level 7 by the time they went home.
Back home, Stepan made a new best friend. Because there’s no such thing as “enough” best friends.
Stepan’s outfit amuses me here.
“What? Rain? How will our solar panels make us money?”
Yes, I bought them half a dozen solar panels, and they got a credit of over $100 on their last set of bills.
Zinaida brought home David Ottomas. They have a bolt, which is good enough for her, and apparently for him too.
They will not be getting together as adults. Can you imagine the noses their poor children would have?
Jus a little lightning hitting the tree. Pretty.
(No, the tree did not catch on fire. This time.)
Akim and Lyosha spent some time bonding after the storm.
“I’m going to go to college, and then I’m going to be a movie star, and own a business, and make tons of money.”
“That’s great, kid.”
“Just don’t marry a family sim, or you’ll end up with six kids and a toy store that can’t seem to make any money.”
It’s not Reno Day just yet, but I got them a new couch. Technically not against the rules since I didn’t go into Build Mode at all.
Then I moved the old couch into the study (the room that used to be Ryan and Shura’s) so that Brittany could take a nap.
She got aspiration points while napping for Zinaida getting a scholarship.
Getting a “gain a skill point” want is easy when there’s a huge greenhouse in the backyard.
Stepan continued his floral studies while everyone else was asleep.
Reno Day project #1: Zinaida’s room. I think she’s grown out of the princess carpet and pink canopy bed.
Akim has a double bed, so Zinaida got one too, along with a money tree for her Fortune sim “earn some money” wants.
Brittany was still tired after her nap, so she went to bed early, but she got up in time for some stargazing.
Reno Day Project #2: Fix up the back of the house
I built a sunroom onto the back of the house, and you can just see the new stone patio I put in outside.
There’s a lovely little balcony for stargazing over the sunroom.
And there’s a brand new pool!
I should put in more pools, really. This is only the second pool I’ve built in the neighborhood (although the Bendetts got one accidentally with their Stupidly Huge Maxis House).
Akim was forced to weed the garden instead of playing in the pool, but he got his bronze gardening badge.
Zinaida wanted a bubble blower. Since they have a brand new room to put it in, I figured, why not?
A shot of the addition and the patio during the day.
It was Saturday, so Stepan had to go to work while everyone else got to stay home.
Whoops. Too much sparkly food.
“Yeah, I know. Every time there’s a party in this town, it’s a family reunion.”
Brittany spent the whole day working on logic points for work. The kids pretty much ran wild.
Wild, I say!
When Zinaida invited Dustin over, he brought his grandfather as his friend. Hot.
Akim wasn’t really on board with the idea of stealing his cousin Adam’s girlfriend, so he headed back to the well for another wish.
Not an auspicious start. It does look like it was Akim doing the rejecting, despite two bolt chemistry.
Alas, she’s a vacation townie, and therefore will also not be a viable option for casual dating during Akim’s teen years.
Lyosha wanted to fish, so he went to the pond. Then he decided he wanted to catch a bass. That’ll only take a few minutes, right?
Alas, a promotion. That means a new outfit tomorrow.
Dustin likes full face makeup, so Zinaida tried some out. It put them up to two bolts, plus she looks kind of cute with the whiskers.
“Oh…but…I wanted a bass.”
Poor Lyosha. He ended up fishing for about twelve hours straight, and his hunger and bladder bars were both a nice orange by the time he finally caught his fish.
“So you really like the whiskers, huh?”
“Yeah, baby!”
Zinaida would just like to point out that she got her googly-eyed purple heart memory before her brother who’s 7 days older. And she’s not even a Romance sim!
She spent the evening rocking out. She’s keeping the whiskers.
Dustin hung out with Akim. They’re BFFs.
OMG gold flower arranging badge! I can’t believe I didn’t have someone in Willow Valley get one of these sooner.
Good for now, until she eats more sparkly food.
I almost forgot to have them put in their last 24 hours at the store, but remembered at the last minute. They got to level 9! Hopefully Brittany will manage her LTW next season.
Stepan got back to work as soon as they got home, and soon had the very first snapdragon!
By the time the season changed to summer, there was a snapdragon in almost every room. Hooray!
That’s it for the Parkers. Next is the Fairchild family.
Stats:
Family: Parker
Businesses:
Sunshine Floral, Rank 10
Parker Statuary, Rank 10
Skate World, Rank 10
Dining in Style, Rank 10
The Rummage Basement, Rank 9
General fund contribution: $40,500 (taxes $34,500, school fees $6000)
Playable sims: 121
Sim multiplier: 56 (+1 as The Rummage Basement is the 45th community lot)
Population: 6776
raebeth47 
Sorry it took me so long to read this. Great update!