honeyjars-sims

[honeyjars-sims]

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[on the phone]

Cordy: Hey Dad! How's everything with the store?

Arturo: Ah! Excellent. Halloween's fright night was a huge success. We'll definitely do it again next year.

Cordy: Nice! I'm bummed I missed it.

Arturo: I have plenty of video to share. How have things been going for you? Any success?

Cordy: A lot of success. You'll be getting another grandkid this summer.

Arturo: Oh congratulations honey! That'll make a lucky 7!

Cordy: Very lucky! But to the other point, Europa has come around a little. Or at least she's trying. Mae is in the process of wrapping her around her finger, I'm sure you're surprised.

Arturo: So shocked!

Cordy: We might make a trip out here a yearly thing, too. It's been really good for Mae to connect with this part of herself... Hopefully she understands when we tell her to not "zap" people back home.

Arturo: She's showing more of that magic, huh?

Cordy: She is. Raina said it's amplified because we're in the Realm. The more Mages she spends time with the more it rubs off on her. And our friends just had a baby too. She and Mae already get along so well.

Arturo: Sounds like it'd be a good idea to visit regularly then. Is Europa being kinder to you?

Cordy: She is. We had lunch just the two of us the other day. She confided in me about someone like me she once knew. It made a lot of how she treated me before make sense. She wanted to do what Raina did, but felt like she had no choice. Raina doesn't quite believe she's being sincere, but I do.

Arturo: I'm sure it's hard for Raina after being estranged for so long. It'll take time for both of them.

Cordy: I know. I'm not worried. We'll be home soon… I don't want to miss Harvestfest at Joy's. And I miss everyone.

Arturo: We miss you too. I'm glad you went.

Cordy: Me too. See you soon, Dad. Love you.

Arturo: Love you too.

[honeyjars-sims]

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ Twins on the Move!

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[honeyjars-sims]

1.1.3: Destructive Impulses

After Hollis, Paul, and I talked things out, we decided to make an appointment with Chelsea’s pediatrician and to start looking for a nanny. But both getting a diagnosis and finding the perfect caregiver are going to take some time, so in the meantime we’ve been doing our best to find things that work for our little girl.

Paul tried talking things out with her.

“What made you bite that little boy?” he asked her.

“I dunno.”

“How do you think it made him feel when you bit him?”

“I dunno.”

“Do you think it hurt?”

“Yeah.”

“But you don’t want to hurt your friends, right?”

She scrunches up her face, offended at the audacity of Paul's question. “He’s NOT my fwiend. He tooked my toy!”

“I’m sorry he took your toy, but we still don’t bite.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s not kind to hurt people.”

“I don’t wanna be kind. I want toys.”

“Okay, well, maybe you could try getting your toys back a different way. Did you ask him?”

“Yeah, but he didn’t give me it so I bited him. Then he gived it back.” She shrugs. 

“Sound logic,” I butt in. Paul gives me a look. “What? The solution is obvious to her. What she did worked, so why consider alternatives?”

Hollis tried something a bit more creative. She bought some toddler books explaining emotions and talked them out with her.

“And now the kitty is angry,” Hollis reads, showing Chelsea a page with a disgruntled cat drawn on it. “Can you make an angry face?”

Chelsea narrows her eyes and grits her teeth. An actress in the making.

“That’s a great angry face!” She continues reading. “The kitty was so angry that when his friend the dog asked him to play, the kitty scratched him. Oh no!”

She turns to a page with a sad little dog. “How do you think the doggy feels?”

“Sad,” Chelsea replies and makes her best sad face.

“That’s right! The dog was sad, so sad that he didn’t want to play with the angry kitty anymore.”

“What do you think the dog should say to the kitty?” asks Hollis.

“Stop being a bitch!” Chelsea responds cheerfully.

I know I shouldn’t…I know it’s only going to make the situation worse, but I can’t help but burst into laughter. 

“Johnny, stop!” Hollis yells at me.

I can’t stop giggling. “No, you! Stop being a bitch, Hollis!” 

Hollis rolls her eyes. “I wonder where she got that one from,” she says sarcastically.

“Not from me! Okay, maybe from me but I’ll watch my language from now on.”

My own approach was unorthodox. 

I give Chelsea some safe spaces to act out her destructive impulses, making it clear that she can make a mess, but she has to follow the rules. With Gail and Ellie’s permission, I grab some chocolate syrup and flour and let her pour it outside.

This seems like a good solution, but it quickly becomes clear that she can't quite recognize yet where the boundaries are for what is and isn’t appropriate to destroy.

Still, we’re determined not to give up on our girl. 

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[honeyjars-sims]

1.1.2: Head in the Sand

When Paul gets home from work, I fill him in on what the daycare said and ask him what he thinks.

“Well, we don’t have much of a choice if the daycare kicks her out,” he says. “Besides, if her behavior is that challenging there, then maybe it’s not the best environment for her anyway.”

“I think so, too,” I agree. “So what do we do?”

“Well, we could try another daycare that’s a better fit, or maybe have an in-home caregiver.”

“You mean a nanny? I don’t know. That’s something rich people do.”

“Well, we can afford it, so what’s that say about us? Besides, don’t you think Chelsea would benefit from one-on-one attention?”

“I do, but she’s going to have to go to school eventually and then we’ll just be in this situation again. Which leads me to the other thing.”

“Which is?”

“The diagnosis.”

Paul sighs.

“Her teachers are right,” I continue. “We’re not going to get any accommodations for her if we keep burying our heads in the sand.”

“I know, but…”

“But what?” Paul doesn’t answer. “Be real with me for a second. If Chelesea was one of your patients, what would you tell her parents?”

“I’d tell them to get her evaluated,” he admits. “I would’ve told them that a year ago. I don’t know why this is so difficult when I know the right thing to do.”

“It’s different when it’s your kid,” I tell him softly. “But look, Chelsea having some sort of disorder doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with her. She’s still our spirited, loving little girl. We’ll just have a better idea of what to do for her.”

“I know. I’ll make an appointment with her pediatrician and see if we can get a referral to a specialist. After we talk about it with Hollis first, of course.”

“I’m sure she’ll be on board. I’ll text her now and see when she’s available to meet up for a discussion.”

As predicted, Hollis is fine with the plan. Now that we're all in agreement, it's time to put our words into action for Chelsea's sake.

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[honeyjars-sims]

1.1.1: Once Bitten

I’m sitting at my desk when one of the interns approaches me. “Um, Mister uh…Johnny,” she stutters nervously. “Someone from the daycare said you need to go up there. She sounded mad.”

“Great,” I groaned. Chelsea had been in the daycare at work since she was a baby, but lately the staff was complaining to me daily about her behavior. I made my way upstairs and headed to Chelsea’s classroom.

“What did she do now?” I asked the teacher, a no-nonsense type named Ursula. 

“She bit another child.”

“Again?”

“Yes, again. And I take it you know what that means.”

“Yeah, she has to go home. I don’t see why, though. Kids fight all the time. Maybe the kid deserved it.”

Ursula was not amused. “No, he didn’t deserve it. And kids fight, but not like this. I have other children I need to keep safe. I don’t have the time to keep your kid from biting, or dumping things on the floor, or running around the classroom destroying things.”

“Okay, I know she’s a handful. But can’t we get some sort of accommodations for her? Clearly she’s struggling with doing things the way the other kids are.”

“We can’t provide accommodations without a diagnosis that explains her behavior. And that’s on the parents, not us.”

“Fine, I get it. Come on, Chelsea. You have to hang out with Dada for a bit until someone can pick you up.” 

On my way out, I’m stopped by the director of the daycare who tells me that if Chelsea continues to be aggressive, then they’ll have to disenroll her. Perfect.

I can sympathize with the staff to a degree. I know how difficult Chelsea’s behavior can be, but is it too much to ask that they sympathize with her as well?

I take Chelsea down to my office. My supervisors are understanding about these situations and don’t mind if I need to have her with me for a while. Unfortunately, though, the level of supervision that Chelsea requires means I can’t get any work done. I know Paul doesn’t want to cancel on his patients, so I decide to try Chelsea’s mom instead.

Defeated, I pick up my phone. “Guess what our daughter did?” I ask when Hollis answers.

“Hmm, I don’t know. Flushed the teacher’s paperwork down the toilet?”

“No, that was last week.”

“Dumped all the paint out on the floor and skated in it?”

“Not this time.”

“C’mon, Johnny, just tell me.”

“She bit a kid.”

“Again?”

“Yep. Are you able to come get her?”

“Sure, I don’t have much planned for the rest of the day.”

“Great! By the way, we all need to sit down and have a discussion about what to do. The daycare is threatening to kick her out, so we might have to figure something else out for childcare.”

“I had a feeling that was coming.”

“Yeah me, too. I’ll fill in Paul when he gets home and then we can talk everything out.”

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[honeyjars-sims]

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NOVEMBER

Helios: Morning, love. Sleep well?

Europa: Well enough... I ran into Mae last night.

Helios: Ah, she is a delightful child.

Europa: She is. She did not know who I was.

Helios: My dear, what did you expect? You have not been welcoming to Cordy since the start. You refused to go to their wedding, to visit Mae when she was born, and refuse to see them now. Why would Cordy tell her daughter about someone that wants nothing to do with her?

Europa: Well yes, but-

Helios: No. It should not be a surprise to you. The good news is, they are here for a while longer. Mae can learn who you are. Only if you mend things with Raina.

Silence.

Helios: Will you at least tell me why you have such an issue with her? You keep saying it has caused harm to Asteria, but there is no truth to that. Damon will make a good king one day. Our allies think what Raina did was admirable.

There's silence for a while.

Europa: I did not get to marry my “Cordy.”

Helios: Ah... We were never each others first choices. Were we?

Europa: No. We were not.

Helios: It was the cost of war. We paid it so our daughter did not have to. So she could decide what she wanted to do with her life, and with whom. I made peace with that a long time ago, and have genuinely loved you since. Do you still not feel the same?

Europa: Of course I feel the same. I am not that cold-hearted.

Helios: I know. I know exactly who you are, and love you for it. That love has allowed me to be patient with you through all of this. I will not demand it of you as your king, just ask it as your partner. Please repair things with Raina. Make an effort with Cordy. It is not too late for Mae to know you. I would like all three of them to know the real you.

Europa: I am not sure they would want to know me at this point... I have been so in the wrong.

Helios: The fact that you can admit that makes me hopeful. At least try.

Europa: I shall.

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[mischievous toddler running]

Mae: [OOF!]

Europa: [starts!] Excuse you!

Mae: [giggles!] ZAP!

Mae gestures at her and some magic shoots out at Europa

Mae: YAY! It work! Zap! Zap!

Europa: You are... Very good at that. Can you focus it at this flower? Bring it back?

Mae: Pretty!

Europa: It is very pretty, thank you for helping it.

Mae: You zap too?

Europa: Oh, yes I can do magic too.

Europa conjures something in front of Mae, Mae giggles and claps her little hands.

Mae: Who?

Europa: What is that?

Mae: Who you? [points at self] Mae!

Cordy: Mae, sweetie? Where are you?

Mae: Momma! Momma! Look, look!

Cordy: Careful where you point that, but very impressive! I'm sorry, Your Majesty. She wasn't bothering you, was she?

Europa: No, of course not... She does not know who I am?

Cordy: No, she doesn't.

Europa: That is a little hurtful.

Cordy: It's what you wanted, wasn't it? Sorry to intrude.

[honeyjars-sims]

This Must be the Place Chapter 1 starts on Monday, August 4th! See you soon!

[honeyjars-sims]

This Must be the Place Chapter 1 starts on Monday, August 4th! See you soon!

[honeyjars-sims]

Happy 1 Year of Mystress 🤘💃

Last year the thing that really brought me back to Simblr, was planning things about Envy's band. At the time I only had 1 other member in mind (Spike) and needed to fill out the rest! I plucked Axel Priest out of the legacy extras (at the time, his name was Alex lol) and made Rocky to finish off the line up.

A little written bonus to the album cover from one of my many word documents:

"During the photoshoot Envy has a little moment internally. If the album has a cover, then it's really close to being a reality. Soon they'll give the band a real go. She has a bit of a sixth sense, that it's all going to work out. She grabs for Axel's hand, and that's the shot that becomes the cover."

I've loved building the lore of this band over the last year. TYSM to everyone who has listened as I've yapped their ear off about these darling sims 🤲 Pls enjoy their debut album's cover 👀and some extras I took. All pictures canonically taken by Takuya teehee

[honeyjars-sims]

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ Sunny Days and Steamy Nights

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Transcript below the cut:

Asher: That was a great idea, taking them to the park for the afternoon. They are out. Atlas: Thank god, I don’t remember the last time I had you to myself, uninterrupted.

Asher: Well, you’ve got me now. So, how do you want me? Atlas: Bent over the bed. Asher: Mmm, quick answer, you’ve been thinking about it. Atlas: Every day.

Asher: Good. Don’t hold back.

[honeyjars-sims]

Happy birthday to Chantal and Johnny, the two that started it all! Who knew pixels could bring us so much joy? I'm grateful that I can continue to share their journeys as they step into new chapters in their lives.

[honeyjars-sims]

DiMarco Family Tree

I put together a family tree for the DiMarco family since I know not everyone read my DiMarco side story (and to catch up the ones that did).

Lou and Lucinda DiMarco Lucy and Christopher Steel (children: Reese, Seth, Levi, and Felix) Paul and Johnny DiMarco-Haim (children: Rachel and Chelsea) Matt and Kaylynn DiMarco (children: Lila and Isabella) Anthony and Audrina DiMarco Daniel and Alissa DiMarco

[honeyjars-sims]

This Must Be the Place Prologue: 17 (Final)

That brings us to today.

Chelsea is still terrorizing the kids at daycare, leading the director to have many talks with me, Paul, and Hollis about her behavior.

Rachel is still as calm as ever, though with the attention we have to give to Chelsea, she sometimes feels left out.

Paul is done with his Residency and works as a Pediatrician at the office where he was a patient growing up. His work hours are a lot more reasonable nowadays, so he’s able to be home with us more.

I’m still running the podcast with Lucy, and it continues to do well on the channel.

I’ve been trying to convince Paul to have another baby and move into a bigger home, but so far he hasn’t been ready to take those steps.  

Yeah, I guess you could say I’m pretty happy with my life right now. I cant wait to tell you more about it.

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[honeyjars-sims]

This Must Be the Place Prologue: 16

Chelsea couldn’t have been more different from Rachel. As we suspected, she wasn’t much of a sleeper. There was simply too much to explore. From a young age, she was alert and interested in the world around her.

One thing she and Rachel had in common was their curiosity. But while Rachel was interested in the whys of the world, Chelsea was satisfied with exploring what came next. “What happens if I do this?” seemed to be running through her mind at all times. She approached new experiences without caution, which honestly worried me.

If I was anxious about Rachel, who was relatively calm, you can imagine how I felt with Chelsea pushing the limits of what infants should be able to do on a daily basis. She took her first steps at only 9 months old and quickly learned how to escape her crib. We had to up the ante on our baby-proofing, basically turning our home into a maximum security prison for babies. 

Home wasn’t the only place where Chelsea showed out. At daycare, her curiosity led her to be a bit destructive. She also had a temper; if another kid dared to take a toy from her, they would receive the brunt of her wrath, usually in the form of a bite mark. 

Despite all of this, we wouldn’t have changed a thing. Chelsea was challenging, but also entertaining. She was a social butterfly and was constantly making us laugh. Her lows were low, but her highs were high–she could be the happiest kid in the world at times. We were happy to have her as a part of our little family.

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[honeyjars-sims]

Just a quick note: Next week I'm posting the final 2 posts of the prologue and then I'll be taking a break before starting chapter 1. I actually already have a few posts ready in my drafts, but I could use some down time. Not because of simblr itself, I'm just still very burnt out from work.

[honeyjars-sims]

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Althea: This one is for you, Cordy. This one is for Raina. It'll be effective for the next 12 hours. The cauldron is ready for you. However, I don't believe you'll need to try more than once. Only if you want to. [winks]

Raina: Thanks Althea.

Althea: Of course! Enjoy your evening.

Althea leaves

Cordy: How many times you feel like trying?

Raina: I don't know. Try to beat our record?

Cordy: Ambitious. I'm game.