Michael’s trying to run the house, but the kids don’t want to obey his rules. They rebel against him and Michael decides to let them live rule-free. But no rules also means Michael won’t help them at all. They’ll have to cook their own meals and set their own alarm clocks. Kady is the first one to give up, followed by Claire after Michael installs a pay phone in the house. Now only Jr. is left. He is attacked by ants from eating food in his room, and has his bike destroyed after he leaves it on the driveway. Nonetheless, he’s too tough to admit he needs rules. That is, until Michael locks him out of the house and he has to sleep on the grass.

Michael decides to teach the kids how to handle money due to their inability of spending the allowance money wisely. He proposes that each kid comes up with their own business, and at the end of the week he’ll double whatever profit they made. After a slow start selling “lemon aids”, Kady discovers that garage sales are a very profitable business – especially when you’re selling perfectly good appliances for very cheap prices. Claire starts her very own beauty salon, using Jay’s expensive hair care products and the good towels. And Jr. chooses gambling to make money, something Michael devotes his full attention to prove being wrong – especially after losing his 3,000 dollars golf clubs to Jr. on blackjack – by buying a slot machine and making Jr. lose all the money he made.

While Jay is away taking care of her mother who broke a leg, Michael is left in charge of the house and the kids. They all miss their mother, and nothing Michael does seems to be as good how Jay did. Jr. wants to join the basketball team. Michael doubts he’ll make it, but when he does Michael has other problems to worry about: Jr.’s friends, who seem to be using him. Meanwhile, Kady is cranky and not even Michael’s efforts to make cookies just like her mother’s are working. Trying to get a smile from her, he starts to tell her how she was born. Claire’s friend Charmaine is spending the night over. But the two have bigger worries when a pregnancy test comes out positive.

Jay buys Jr. computer appliances (including a 24-hour broadcast webcam), and Michael protests saying he’ll only use it for porno instead of studying. They start to fight over who’s in charge, and make up on Jr.’s room, unaware that they’re being seen through Jr.’s website by the entire world. The next day, Jr. discovers what his parents did, and seeing the unlimited reach of the internet, Michael decides to use it for promoting his business.

Jay organizes a historic trip to Paul Revere’s house for the entire family to learn more about American history. She even packs colonial food (which Michael hates) to give it an extra touch. Michael, unlike Jay, isn’t so excited about spending a long time with Jay and Claire in a car. The reason? They’re both on that time of the month, which spells trouble! The trip is full of problems, including being pulled over twice, Michael being lost and refusing to use the navigational system, Jay’s neurosis about her weight, Jr. terrorizing Kady, Claire’s whining and Kady playing with the voice alternator she got in her chicken from the chicken place clerk. The family survives, but when they finally get to Paul Revere’s house, it’s closed.