A look back at May..

This week is the last that Moo will have at his current job and next week brings on new beginnings and changes for all of us! I am working on preparing myself and the kids on what will be the new normal for them and trying to get myself into a new routine, making sure I have everything prepped for them the night before. If we miss that train then I will be even later to work than I really should be. My team leader has been advised of the new circumstances and she has been awesome, completely understanding and supportive! She is happy for me to shuffle my hours a little and with any luck I’ll get more efficient, the kids will co-operate and I’ll get my hour lunch break back!

The biggest change for me is not so much catching the train with 2 kids, being totally responsible for getting them to and from day care but making sure I have prepped their dinner and packed it all ready to go, complete with water and hoping someone doesn't need to go to the toilet 5 mins after we get on! 

I have been baking and making a few things for the freezer although I need more, I am out of ideas for dinner on the go for the kidlets! Some days will be sandwiches or crackers with some sort of meat (probably ham) and cheese and salad vegies but finding interesting ideas that are yummy and not too messy is tricky! I have found a great recipe for Zucchini Slice which they like and I can load with all sorts of veggies for them (bonus points for mummy!) which I think will be a regular for them. I am into baking scrolls now, I started with cheese and vegemite and cheese and bacon which are great for a warm brekky but I think I will do others, like pizza (ham, cheese, tomato sauce, pineapple) and spinach a feta and maybe even an apple and cinnamon!

It’s also shopping week this week so I will grab a few extra snack bars, crackers and similar types of snacks for a treat seeing as though stopping at McDonalds won't be an easy out for us anymore!

In other news, my work has been lots of fun and interesting. I have delivered my first few training presentations and with lots of feedback, feel like I am getting better at it. The first session was really awful, it was dropped on me late so I was unprepared and nervous but the reviews were positive at least with how I coped in the situation. My presentations have been cleaned up a lot and better capture what is required.

Oh that car that was in at the mechanic? *gives a hearty farewell* In case you missed the tweets, my overly generous and wonderful in-laws have granted us their (much newer and nicer) car with the sale proceeds from our old one as payment. I am so excited by this, it will reduce our maintenance costs so much and we won’t be driving so much from next week so fuel consumption won’t be as much of an issue either! I feel like someone is watching over us right now. <3 We are still in the process of changing over the ownership and getting the old one cleaned up and ready for sale.

There has been lots of positive happen this past month and being on the brink of it all has me excited and nervous about how I am going to do it all. I just will, somehow, and we will find a new ‘normal’

xx Natanie



All the Changes!

So things have been quite hectic here to say the least in the past month or so. Those that follow Moogyver on Twitter will have seen that he has been on the job hunt and my work has been changing as well with the new work I am taking on. So here is a quick update on the crazy and hopefully my blog won't be quite so neglected in the future!

A First Shot at Healing.

I had been thinking for a while and discussing with Moogyver about trying out healing. The decision was; do I try it out on Natanie, my Paladin or would it be better on my Priest Teily? I decided to go with the Pally, not quite sure why although I do feel more comfortable playing her than I do my poor Priest. Moo was able to find some time and set me up with a very basic healing set and helped me set up talents. I had a good tip from our GM to download Healbot, which I did and I am so glad that I did. I read a bit on the spells, talents and a quick how to heal guide before jumping in a setting up my Healbot and making my own Glyphs, cause I can do that! ;)

Healbot all set up and chatting to guildies they decide get a group together so I can practise! <3 We decide to run random Heroic dungeons so I don't have too much going on and no attitude if people die. What do you know the first is Scarlet Monestary! My ilvl isn't all that high, 407 not not a lot in the way of mana so much has to be conserved! I follow them around clicking away at healbot and using any procs as they pop. Awesome, no one has died! That is until we get to the courtyard trying to pull too many at once. Our poor tank is having lag issues and is low ilvl as well but we persist and after 3 wipes we have it sorted! It wasn't until the end of the run I find out about the low ilvl tank, not that it would have mattered anyway! We wipe once more after someone *whistles* no not me.. forgets to interrupt the rez spell. Once more and all down and no one dies of my causing (I hope)

We decide to do another random and its Temple of the Jade Serpent that pops this time. This, by comparison was easy, even if Moo did pull Sha before any of us were ready! I was quite low on mana when he pulled but they held their own and I was able to keep healing right though without being completely out of mana! I even get a gear upgrade from the Sha for my healing set. It was great fun and I was having to concentrate lots! :D A somewhat successful attempt, even if I didn't feel like I knew what I was doing!

I have since used some valor points to buy 2 more pieces which has pulled my ilvl up a bit more and I will at next opportunity head to the reforger to make sure I have the stats in the right places. All I need for her now is a different transmog set and lots more practise!

I'd love to hear any tips on Holy Paladins or some great resources you have found. Oh and throw me some fave transmog sets too ;)

xx Natanie

Sydney Royal Easter Show 2013

Each year around Easter, the Royal Agricultural Society run the Sydney Royal Easter Show. The idea of the show is to "bring the farm to the city" and show city kids what happens on the farm, learn about the animals and how food gets from "paddock to plate". 

The Game/Life Balance

I have read 2 blogs in the past week relating on how to balance real life with game time.