The Broke-McGreggor-Household - Week 2

Welcome to the McGreggor farm! As you can see, the house has received an extension on the top floor; this was necessary because we have now a family of four living here - there used to be six even, plus a number of pets. 

Leod McGreggor is the original owner of the farm and still lives here. But... didn't he look rather different when the game started? He did indeed! He is New Maximiliania's first Plant Sim who reached that condition in the normal course of the game, meaning he wasn't born (or Maxis-made) or "planted" like this. Leod's dream is having 6 pets reach the top of their career. At the moment, he has three pets who have already done that. 

Leod married Brandi Broke, who, like her second husband, is now an elder. In their bedroom, you can see portraits of what Brandi and Leod once looked like. Brandi is still very far from making her lifetime want come true - she wants to raise 20 puppies or kittens, and so far has managed only two. 

Brent is one of the twins Brandi had shortly after the game started. He is a Family Sim like his mother and has the same lifetime want. 

Benvenuto is Brent's twin brother. He dreams of being Media Magnate one day; not uncommon for a Sim with the popularity aspiration. Of course you remember that Brandi has two older sons, Dustin and Beau. Dustin has long graduated from college and lives elsewhere in New Max with his 3-bolt-love Emily Lee, while Beau has only just finished his studies. 

It is Saturday, and the whole family (the human part of it, that is) decide to go jogging. 

Looks like the boys are less fit than their ageing parents! Both break down with a heat stroke upon their return from the run - I think that is the very first time I have seen that happening in my game!! 

Not to worry, though; Leod knows what to do, and quickly revives the exhausted lads by pouring water over their heads. 

Still on Saturday, Alegra comes home from work and gives birth to... 

...little Abby :-) 

Toto is demoted due to the wrong decision with a chance card. 

It is Sunday morning and Alegra... no, don't worry, there is nothing wrong with her. Leod is just teaching her to play dead; she needs that for her next promotion. 

Brandi wants to invite her son Beau to live with them on the farm again, now that he has graduated from college, but she can only invite him for the day; there are too many Sims and pets already living on the lot. 

Grimalkin reaches elderhood on that Sunday afternoon. 

Alegra is demoted as well; just like in Toto's case, she took the wrong decision with a chance card. 

On Sunday evening, Brent receives his Bronze Gardening Badge... 

...while Leod gets a special plaque for maximum enthusiasm in Nature. 

Early on Monday morning, Toto returns from his night shift with a promotion to Guard Pet. 

Benvenuto receives his membership card to the My Muse II - Art Studio. 

While the boys are at school (you have of course noticed their Private School uniforms, haven't you), Brandi and Leod work on their vegetable patch. 

All their dogs, even little Abby in the background, gather when the postman arrives :-) From left: Toto, Alegra, Tiffany and, to the far right, Grimalkin. Grimalkin and Tiffany are Toto's parents, while with Alegra, Grimalkin has fathered Abby. 

On Tuesday, Brandi - here with the only cat on the farm, Sweets - receives her Silver Gardening Badge. 

On Wednesday, Abby (back) grows up into a dog looking similar to her mother Alegra, although not quite as slim in build. 

Leod is teaching Toto to "speak" for his next promotion. 

This is the last time you will see the boys... 

...as teenagers - shortly after this picture was taken, Brent and Benvenuto leave for college, where we will soon meet them again, I guess :-) 

The apple harvest is in full swing, and Brandi enjoys it very much. Who would have thought that, from her humble beginnings as a poor widow with four boys to raise, she was going to be the happy farmer's wife, living a healthy life with homegrown food and lots of fresh air!] 

Sweets has now crossed the treshold to elderhood, too. 

On Wednesday night, Leod teaches Abby her first command: to shake. The other dogs watch closely, it seems! 

On Thursday, Alegra, Abby's mother, reaches the top of her career: she is now part of the Pet Corps. For Leod, this means two thirds of his lifetime want fulfilled. 

With the younger boys now at college, Brandi can finally invite her son Beau to live on the farm with her and Leod again. Beau accepts, of course, and joins the household with 18.824 Simoleons plus all the stuff he has in his inventory. Only recently, he has graduated Summa Cum Laude in Mathematics. His lifetime want is to become a World Class Ballet Dancer, his aspiration is Knowledge. 

Back in his old room, he proudly displays his university diploma above his special plaque for maximum games enthusiasm. 

On Friday morning, Toto is demoted because of the wrong decision with a chance card. This is a bit odd and I guess it must be a bug; he was working as a Guard Pet, and the game informs me that he has just been demoted... to Guard Pet. 

The only other thing worth mentioning on this Friday is that Leod has just received his Silver Fishing Badge. The week on the farm ends here; unlike almost all other families in New Maximiliania, they started on a Saturday when the game began. Will Brandi raise more pets? How long until Beau will land a job in the dance career? Is Toto going to reach the top of his career soon? We will certainly come back to this family to find out!