Meet the family of seven that lives in the commune-like Big House on the top of the hill in New Spork City.

I try to make these the most ‘basic’ of my stories, sticking to day-to-day things and vocabulary. There is not much absurdity or especially colorful language. These are not quite as humorous — or absurd — as the stories covering Carmen’s work-life balance, which are a little more difficult to read.

Generally, there are several one-page stories in a single ‘story arch.’ Because this is the series of stories that I personally pass out most often, they’re also the collection of stories that are growing the fastest.

1. Two days with the O’Malleys. The stories start off simply enough with a worksheet introducing the family, and a collection of stories covering Sunday and Monday in the O’Malley family.
2. Kids and school. Some of the most common topics for families are, of course, kids and their schools. In these stories, there are two different ‘problems’ in the school and parents venting about them.
3. A class reunion. A lot of the stories focus on the kids, and so does a lot of family life. But, from time to time, the adults need to do things just for themselves. That what this story arc is about.
4. Chronic illness. The block of stories I’m working on now will focus on some surprising news about Pat Jr.