I feel like I’ve completely neglected life the last few days. If it didn’t involve packing, unpacking, carrying heavy objects or PAIN then I probably didn’t notice it.

Our internet was down when we got here. SBC said we’d have to buy another modem to replace the one THEY gave us. They did this on a day where Ben was in the middle of moving. Not a good move for them. When I asked Ben if moving was really THAT BAD he responded, “There’s Nazi’s… then there’s moving.” His fuse was cut to about an inch in length, doused with gas and everything around him was a giant match. He was such a trooper though. Did I mention he packed the ENTIRE KITCHEN himself? I think I did but it was worth mentioning again. Anyway, we now have Comcast Cable. Ben is happy. And that is good.

Back on track… life. I checked the news for the first time today. I took a bath last night. An actual hot, scented, kid free hour in the tub. Today I read blogs, I played with Cassidy, I sat in our huge new living room and ate breakfast while watching the Today Show. It was nice.

I got Cassidy all enrolled in the new school today. She gets out everyday at 3:00PM which was WONDERFUL news because that means I don’t have to go into work at 5:00AM in order to pick her up in time which is what I was expecting. On Tuesdays she gets out early. But I can stand going in early ONE day a week.

I didn’t mention this before because I had SO much other stuff going on but Ben got me an Epson Photo R320 for my birthday. Last night I was able to print my first picture on photo paper and frame it. I plan on filling the house with pictures now. I’ve been wanting one of these for a long time and I can’t wait to have pictures on the walls and shelves and everywhere you look.

Today Cassidy was ECSTATIC when she heard the ice cream man coming from at least a mile away. She told me she heard him and I told her she was delusional and when he went driving by the house she gave me a VERY clear ‘I told you so look’ but I think my haggard appearance from spending the prior five hours at the apartment cleaning carpets kept her from actually vocalizing it. She’s learning. heh

I felt bad and she was SO good today while I cleaned so I told her she could have an ice cream and she ran down the street like a crazy child waving her hands like she was trying to take flight.

Back to work tomorrow. G’night all.

On Monday at Pasand I told Cassidy that the Simosa’s and Kima Nahn that she loves so much contain lamb. She recoiled.

Cassidy: They take the blood out first though, right?
Me: There is not blood in the meat Cassidy.
Ben: It’s like beef only it’s meat from lambs. You know where beef comes from right?
Cassidy: From Happy Cows.
Me: *start to laugh at what I know is about to come next*
Ben: And where do Happy Cows come from?
Cassidy: CALIFORNIA!!! *laughs at her own joke*
Me: Ahhhh, American media at it’s finest.
Cassidy: *still laughing at herself*
Me: I should blog that.

I find myself saying that far too often about these little conversations and not actually taking the time to sit and write them down fast enough so I forget about them.

So yesterday after we dropped Ben back off at work after taking the deposit to the management company for the NEW HOUSE(!!) Cassidy was being REALLY chatty. She’s been REALLY chatty for about the last two months. TWO. MONTHS.

Cassidy: Mom?
Me: Yup.
Cassidy: Did you blog about that time when Ben said where do happy cows come from and I said california and you laughed and Ben laughed and I laughed because I was really funny?
Me: No, I didn’t. We’ve been really busy.
Cassidy: Are you GOING to blog about it because it was really funny and I think it should be on your website.
Me: Do you?
Cassidy: MmmHmm
Me: Well, we’ll see. Let’s just get home and check your homework and get the stuff done we NEED to get done and we’ll see, okay?
Cassidy: Okay.
*2.4 seconds of silence*
Cassidy: Can I put it on MY website?
Me: *oh no. Not this. Not this conversation.*
Me: Well, your website is kinda broken right now and we are going to be REALLY busy with the move IN A WEEK and my birthday this weekend and our internet connection will go down the 12th and we won’t have it again till when we move into the new house.
Cassidy: So you can fix it then?
Me: *grumble* Yes. I suppose I can.

I changed the subject right away. I wanted to talk to Ben to see how I should handle the rest of the conversation. Last night at dinner I told him about it.

Me: *recounts the conversation in the car*
Me: So then she asked me if SHE could blog on HER website and I might have had a semi freak out moment.
Ben: Does she even know what ‘blog’ means.
Me: She seems to!
Ben: Cassidy, what does ‘blog’ mean?
Cassidy: It’s when you write things on your website in your blog about… things… and stuff.
Me: !!!
Ben: Well, you can write things on your website but FIRST you have to write them down on paper and show us.
Me: *I’m dating the smartest, most level-headed, brilliant man EVER*

She wrote on the table at Macaroni Grill (they GIVE you the crayon’s and the table cloth is PAPER so don’t look at me like that!!):

“I am in second grade. I have friends. I like my friends. My friends are nice.”

And a blogger is born. I’ll get her site up after the move, disable comments, and the girl can blog…

When we got Cassidy’s computer all up and running we were both a little concerned with how warm it was running. The cute purple case was OLD. One side panel weighted no less than 5 pounds. Old. We decided that the best option for the whole family was for Ben to get a new case since he hasn’t had one in a quite awhile and then put all Cassidy’s hardware into his old case.

Ben got a nice Estoral Blue case and got all his hardware thrown in there no problem then the next day I put all Cassidy’s stuff into Ben’s old case. And it wouldn’t turn on. No power at all. I was too frustrated to deal with it at the time because I spent about 30 mintues zip-tying all the power cable’s and making it look REALLY pretty in there and the thought of having to UNDO all that was just too much to take.

Today I took the time to look up the manual on LeadTek’s site to make sure the power switch lead actually plugged into the prongs that were labeled “pwsw”. It was. Ben told me to try jumping it with a set of keys. Nothing.

We determined it was the power supply or the motherboard. Which upset me considering they BOTH WORKED prior to being put in the new case. Stupid hardware. We had an old motherboard shoved in the spare hardware pile and so I tried that. Nothing. Had to be the power supply so we made a trek to a local cheapy hardware store and picked up a CoolerMaster Peak 380Watt power supply. All was going to be well with the world.

Got home, installed the power supply… YAY!!! Power. Hooked everything back up, closed up the case, got it in the room, started her up… no video. *humph* Okay. I guess the reason the mother board was in the spare parts pile was because it was broken. SO! I tore it down and put the original mother board back in. Then I took the picture above. Because if it didn’t work again I was going to throw it off the balcony and I wanted photographic proof that I had hooked everything up correctly.

It worked. I hooked up her new speakers we got a week ago. The same day of the case swap. So now she can listen to Gwen Stefani, Mariah and Avril all she wants… in HER OWN ROOM. Three people. Three working computer. All is once again well in the house.

Now we just need to find her a chair.

Cassidy has eczema. On her ears. I’ve never seen anybody have it there before. It doesn’t really hurt her unless we don’t Cortizone it at least once a day but sometimes I forget and it gets out of hand really fast. We’ve been doing the Cortizone for a MONTH now and it’s never gone completely away. Is she going to have to do this FOREVER!? I really hope not.

She also has a linear rash that starts about half way up her stomach, goes up in a straight line between her chest, then makes a 90 degree turn at about her collar bone and wraps around her left shoulder almost half way across her back. This one has baffled the doctor so far. It’s not responding to Cortizone at all so he told me to stop using it there and see a dermatologist.

I feel bad for her because she’s pretty self conscious of the one on her shoulder. And she has a spot that looks similar on her face and arm. Hopefully the dermatologist can treat and prevent this somehow and come up with a better solution for the eczema in her ear.

Linked these becaues they are big and not so pretty. Our camera actually takes pretty nice pictures close up… if you can get the subject to hold still for at least TWO FREAKING SECONDS. That didn’t happen here and I got tired of trying:
Rigth Ear
Left Ear
Left Shoulder

I’ve decided to take Kristen’s advise and see a counselor before going back to a psychologist again. I might need medicine again and I might not but I’d like to try the ‘not’ approach first.

The problem with this is that my HMO doesn’t cover “counseling”. So today I put my foot down and told the poor soul that happened to take the 5th call I’ve made in three days, “Look, you are either going to pay for me to see a counselor or in the next month you are going to have a very hefty bill from the psych ward at the hospital. Because I AM CRAZY. You can decide which you’d prefer to pay.”

They pre-authorized 10 visits. I know I’m not “crazy” but it’s amazing what depression can do to a person…

Anyway!! In other unrelated news: I finally got Cassidy’s PC set up in her room. Then Ben and I decided she needs a new case, a wireless PCI card, speakers, a chair, and I’m thinking a beanbag for when she want’s to watch movies on it. She and I are going to have a mommy/daughter geeky computer building day on Sunday.

We had a discussion today about how lucky she is to have her OWN computer in her bedroom at just under seven years old and how much responsibility comes along with it. And then I spent 2 hours researching parental control programs. Make it stop. Stop the growing of the child. For the sake of the crazy mom.