I second that. 

I work very closely with my county's department of social services and court system because I teach parenting classes.  I live in rural North Carolina.  The vast majority of parents that I see in the "system" are young, single parents with a brood of children.  Many of them are fathered by older men who do not work, who have criminal recrods, who make a living preying on these young girls.  They find a girl, tell them they love them, they're going to take care of them, etc.  Help her get an apartment, etc.  After baby is born, they show up around the time the monthly check comes in, brngs in a $10 bag of diapers and some McDonald's for Mom, make a big talk about being the man, woo hoo with mom,  take a little of her check, and then go off to the next girl.  The single mothers have it hard, and most of them have very low self esteem here.  They turn to substance abuse to deaden the pain.  Pretty soon, they are neglecting their children.  Neglect is much more prevelant that abuse.  Next thing you know, they are in the court system, kids are in foster care, and they're in my parenting classes crying because they love their kids but they can't get it together.  And where is Daddy?  Out on the street corner with his buddies, maybe selling drugs, maybe checking out the next 16-17 year old girl that walks along and seeing his next "conquest." 

I think that the men who do this should be locked up for life or nutered!!!  They are criminals, plain and simple.  They do not pay a penny of child support, they do not provide any real emotional support to the mothers, they just use them.  They benefit from government programs that are designed to help poor parents get "on their feet", but they do not have to submit to any of the regulations such as the mandatory job training or the alotted time limits to be on the programs. They talk the mothers into leaving their names off the birth certificates and not cooperating with Child Support Enforcement.  They officially live with there elderly Grandparents, but they jump around from girlfriend to girlfriend.  Ultimately, one will get fed up, march herself into the Child Support Enforcement office, and say, "Joe Schmo is the father of my three kids.  I want you to go after him!"  But, Joe's never worked a day in his life, so there's no paycheck to garnish.  They attempt to bring Joe to court to answer charges for being a deadbeat dad, and he hides behind his remaining girlfriends.  He tells them, "ah, that B-word is trying to pin me down as being her baby's father, but I'm not.  She's a ho.  I only love you, honey!"  And pretty soon, the mothers are all at war with each other, and he can sit back and enjoy the "good life." 

I think that men like that are a big part of our social problems in our local society.     Sorry for the rant.

Personally, I have better luck seeing them at "Mightnight Flows" than at "Crypt of the Night Club."

But, I cheat.     Sims PE, create relationships.  Then call them over and kiss them, take them to bed.  Then instead of kissing your sim goodbye at the end of the date, they bite them. 

I love Shotgun Weddings!!  Breaking into a Dixie Chicks song "You cain't afford no ring, cain't afford no ring, I shouldn't be wearin' white, and you cain't afford no ring. . . . Baby's on it's way, baby's on it's way, dang, hurry, kiss me quick, cause the baby's on it's way. . "

I usually save at bedtime on the third night of pregnancy, so I know that she's going to give birth sometime in the middle of the night.

I've only created CAS sims twice since starting this neighborhood.  The goal was to keep the population down.  In my prior exploding-fireball neighborhood, I had been happy enough to create a new CAS family when the whim hit me.  I think that the unchecked population growth contributed to the neighborhood's quick demise.  So I have been very careful with family planning, killing off the Maxis-made sims and running JMP's no-regen hacks, and not opening CAS.    But, if this continues, I'm going to have to do it. 

I use the INsim a lot for exactly the same reasons.  I used it once to alter a sm's age, and she did it perfectly, moving back from an elder to an adult.  Then I took her downtown and let her have a torrid affair with Count Jay, and now she is my Vampire Queen!    I just wish I had originally named her something more exciting than Tina.  "The Vampire Queen Tina" sounds just as lame as "Count Jay" in my book.  LMAO

Yes, I've done this.  On one poor birth I did it 6 times before my husband said, "Honey, how would you feel if someone shoved your baby back in and told you to do over until it's a girl."  LOL  I've tried it several times, and they are ALWAYS born boys.  I've tried using your randomizer too, JMP, before the birth, in case part of the pattern was the "twining" effect going on.  Didn't help.

Like I said in another thread, the boys at Game Stop twist my arm and tell me that if I don't pre-order from them, it won't come to town.  (I know they are probably lying, but I give in anyway).  Of course I'm going to get it, because I'm an addict and when a pusher says, "Hey, I've got this new kind of drug you have to try," the addict buys.  

I bought every single one of the EP's for TS1.  I liked them all, with the exception of Vacation.  I had complaints about them al, like each and every new bug and the added load times and the "Maxis Mayhem" and all the new townies that I happilly deleted with the little dogs, too.    But, every EP added new content and new interactions for my Sims.  It made them more fun.  So, that's why I buy.  And will probably buy every single one, even when I'm spending my pension check to buy the 20th EP for Sims 2000.  

My neighborhood is a tiny custom neighborhood that I used the DeleteAll Characters cheat on and started it with 30 sims.  Half I made playable, half are townies.  They have married and reporduced and are now entering the 3rd generation.  BUT, about 2/3 of the births are boys.  Since I started playing this neighborhood in August, I've only had 10 girls born from 33 births.  In the past few weeks, I've only had one girl and 6 boys!  Right now my town has a group of teenagers that only has 1 girl in it.  My boys are going to have to date and marry townies, I just know it!  Problem is, there's a very small selection of townies thanks to JMP.    I loathe townies, dormies, and the rest of those Maxis-made riff-raff!    My Sim-sons are too good for them!  LOL 

I know this is common and happens a lot.  I guress I'm just venting.  Or maybe someone knows an easy way to pick the sex of the baby while Mom is pregnant?  Or maybe give a male baby a sex change?  LOL  I tried with SimsPE once, but the baby kept tranitioning male anyway. 

I also use the file maid when I go "shoping" for custom content in bulk, but I just use plain old winzip to open my hacks and file them in the correct places.

Is there a downloadable program that will easilly allow the user to check for mulitple meshes, courpted files, and help to organize and clean out your downloads?  With Sims 1, I had a program called Sim File Cop that checked for problems.  Sometimes it found them, sometimes it didn't.  I also used the trial program of Sims Enhancer, and it was better for cleaning out meshes and files. 

When I first started reading this thread, I thought Emma meant the tax deductable, also.

The poor also get something called "Earned Income Credit" here in the States.  Which means, pretty much, that if they work but do not make enough to get above the poverty level, the government rewards them with this credit that they can claim either on their paycheck as an advance or when they file their income tax returns.  These are the people that these tax preparation "chains" like H&R Block are courting with their "Cash Return Loans".  You've seen the comercials?  "Come in to H&R Block with your last paycheck stub for the year, let us do your taxes, and walk out with a check."  What the comercial doesn't tell you is that a large portion of your tax refund will go to their fees.  But, if you're getting two or three thousand dollars, what's a couple hundred to get it back quicker, I guess.   

It is because of the Earned Income Credit that our Congress (Or at least, certian conservative members of it) decided it was okay to raise the child deduction for everyone but the poor.  I believe that the low-income families get $600 per child, while the middle class and wealthy get $800 per child. 

Something that UK, France, and other countries do that I wish terribly that the US would do is provide free high quality child care to EVERYONE.  Here where I live, there is a major shortage of child care providers.  If you have an infant and do not have a relative or trusted friend to watch the baby, you are practically out of luck when it comes to child care.  Most providers do not accept children until the age of 2, because the state has such strict standards for the teacher:child ratio.  The teachers are paid just above minimum wage and no benifits.  They are still required by the state to get their Early Childhood Credentials, so they are supposed to be educated.  But, babies are usually kept with an in-home provider who is not required to have an Education.  Last Week in Raleigh, a 21 year old woman killed a toddler in her care, the daughter of her best friend.  I have seen mother after mother in my area choose to stay on welfare, or choose a life of crime and poverty and squallor, rather than entrust their infant to poor child care and pay $90 a week for it! 

Did you originally build her in CAS or in Body Shop?  I make all my Sims in Body shop because it gives me more options with their facial structure.  Anyway, Body Shop saves the files of your completed sims in its files as well.  If you create the Sim in Body Shop, you can just copy the "Saved Sims" folder and take it over to your new XP Login.  Then she'll show up when you open CAS.  Yes, you'll have to recreate her personality and aspiration, but that's easy. 

I can envision building a little store with an apartment upstairs that the sim family could live in.  That would be nice.  It would give it an old-timey, urban feel to it, like 1920's New York or something. 

I agree that it should be easier.  Yes, if someone has plenty of time on their hands, they can fire up the clean installer or SimsPE and do everything that has been suggested her.  Or, if they have a good computer with plenty of memory and RAM, they can create a new log-in with XP, create a "Vanillia" neighborhood, and package the lot from there.  Or, if they have enough computer knowledge, they can take the download folder out of the Sims 2 Folder, run the game, create their lot with new sims, and then package the lot and send to the Exchange. 

But, to be fair, not everyone has Windows XP, plenty of RAM, the computer knowledge to move files around, or the time to do all of that.  My problem is time.  I have the computer, I have the knowledge.  But, I get to play TS2 about three nights a week, and only about 2 hours at a time.  I just don't have that luxury.

It is sad that the lot packager does not just function as advertised.  You build a lot, create a family, package JUST THE FILES THAT YOU INTEND TO PACKAGE, and send it on it's way to the Exchange.  I understand that this is not something that the average person here on this board would value.  Everyone here seems to be highly intelligent, have plenty of time to invest in creating custom content, and higher-end comptuers.  But there are many of us who would would value this fix very much.  And I think that Maxis would be happier with it as well.  I'm sure that they would not have to micro-manage the Exchange and cull the lots so often if every lot was uploaded with only the files intended. 

Just wondering out-loud:

I wonder if this problem is related to the "charred face" problem that occurs from time to time?  After a Sim gets a survivable shock via an electircal appliance, their face becomes blackened.  Sometimes, even after taking a shower, their face stays charred.  The player has to use the mirror to "Change Appearence" to get it to go away.

I don't have an answer for you, Fae, I just want to say that I love her hairstyle.    She's a very pretty sim. 

Hey, even the geeks want a little lovin' and Woo Hooin' Action!!   

There's one in the insiminator.  Just click on "Pregnancy Stats" and it will tell you the total hours pregnant, the number of babies, and the father of the baby. 

I have a sim who I made to be a breeder. He's very handsome, and has custom eyes that I created, as opposed to the really good cutom eyes I downloaded from Heleane and WDS.     So, anyway, as always seems to happen in my neighborhood, I create them, I get them through UNI, and then I get bored with them and forget them.  I've had this happen so many times that I now use Inge's teleporter painting to make them townies, so they don't take up household space, and if I ever get interested in them again, I can move them in and play them.  Anyway, I digress.  So, this sim, David, is out there floating in townieville, and I have another sim, Suki, who's engaged to the father of her two children, who's getting close to becoming an elder, and who I'm bored with.  (I'm playing the household to raise her daughter.  I have almost NO FEMALES born in game, and lthis little girl is one of THREE!  About TWENTY Boys running around and only THREE girls? )  So, I get the idea to let the Momma have a one night fling with someone, hopefully to give birth to another girl.  I had a sim picked out, but as I was going through checking chemestry, I found that she had three lightning bolts with David, plus a close friendship.  So, the fiance' flies off to work, and I teleport David in.  A few minutes of snuggling on the couch, and they go upstairs.  When she gives birth, the baby has Dad's custom eyes, but it's a BOY!!  I exited without saving 3 times before I finally gave up and accepted the boy.   

The best laid plans of mice and men. . .

I wish I could get someone in RL addicted to TS2 so I would quit looking/feeling like a freak.  LOL  The boys at my local Game Stop see me coming.  I went in to buy video games for my husband and son for Christmas and they said, "Call of Duty 2?  Knights of the Old Republic 2?  That's not your usual.  Have you reserved your copy of Open For Buisness Yet?  We just opened up the pre-orders, and you know that if you don't pre-order, it won't come to town."  Yeah, I know.  LMAO  So I gave them my $5.  What the hell. 

I also have Inge's anti-trashcan kicking hack, and I also have yet to see the flaming bag of poo in my game.  I wonder if it affects that as well.  I have JMP's Enemies accumulate hack, and I have a couple of sims who are about to be ridden out of town on a rail if they don't stop picking fights and stealing newspapers!  L(OL

Yesterday I had a child (son of one of the two mean sims, surprise surprise!) steal a newspaper in front of the owner.  She actually gave chase!  I hadn't seen that behavior before, either.  The boy got away, but I would have found it very interesting if she had caught him!  Anyone ever have that happen?

1)  Quaxi's No Censor
2)  No What's This
3)  Merola's Multi-Painting
4)  Inge's Teleporter
5)  TJ's College Adjuster

Ooooh, but I could never limit myself to just 5!  That's like just eating 1 lays potato chip. 

I must play with the JMP's director's cut, many of Crammyboy's and TJ's fixes, and my default nude skins and Crammyboy's naughty bits.   

Oh, wait, that didn't sound quite right. . .  (KR goes away mumbling. . . )

A showoff and another question.

Here's the Showoff:  I'm quite proud of this one, espeically the landscaping. 
http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/lot_detail.php?asset_id=289902&asset_type=lot&user_id=124521

Now, the quesiton:

Thanks Sleepycat for the "Remove Downloads Folder" advice.  I had been tearing my hair out with the piggybacked custom content until I learned that trick.  Now, say we have an inhabited house that we would like to share.  Is there a temporary way to move the family out, such as remove the Character File Folder, without causing neighborhood damage in the long term?

LMAO!!  I've always heard these files called, "Read Me" files, so all this time I thought that JMP was just adding his, ummm, creative spark to the read me files.  "Read The F'ing Me!"  Duh!!!!

Wow.    Thanks y'all.  I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one with these problems with scale.  I worked 3 hours last night on this house:  http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/lot_detail.php?asset_id=288281&asset_type=lot&user_id=124521

I can't get the roof to look right, and I didn't use the connecting staircase.    I need more practice, I think.  But, yeah, I found myself building the rooms one at a time, and thene adjusting the floorplan as I went.  I think that, except for the weird looking roof, it looks fine.  Moved a family in it before I quit last night, so I haven't tried it out for playablitiy yet. 

OHHHH!!  So that's what causes it?  I've only had this happen once, and it was after NL.  I have the "Ready for Nightlife InSiminator" as well. 

When my plumbob morphed into Sims' chests, it became the teddy bear.  It was really funny, looked like they were impaled or impregnanted by stuffed animals or something.  LOL  I was able to use the "move objects" cheat and delete the plumbob, which caused it to reginerate correctly.