…cause I’m workin’ for a livin’.  That’s right, I just quoted Huey Lewis and the News.  Don’t hate.

I have been a blogging slacker because late November through December was a bit of a big life transition for me.  I had a birthday (thanks for the super-kind birthday post, Beth WA), there was a lot of Christmas preparation, and in the midst of it all, I was in the process of making a somewhat significant career change.  This past week represented the culmination of those efforts. I went from working part-time to full-time, from a job that left me feeling drained to one with an organization that I have been a believer in for a long time.  While starting a new job can be stressful and intimidating, for the first time in my career I feel like I am where I am meant to be.

The flip-side is that the FS family is adjusting to settling into a new normal…new job, new schedule, new child care, less free time, more mommy-guilt, and a need for a lot more organization and planning to make it all work.  I’m nowhere near having it all figured out yet, but I’m working hard on letting go of the feeling that it all needs to be perfect all of the time from the start, and accepting instead that it will be a process for everyone involved. I’m mostly struggling with figuring out how to manage meal planning/preparation, homework, and housework while still having time for family fun and relaxation.

Is it bad that on top of these adjustments, I’m also struggling with the TV that I’m missing? There are lots of shows that I’ve never watched that I’d like to start watching or catch up on, and I feel like I’m missing out.   In no particular order, the top five are:

1. Revenge
2. The Good Wife
3. Parenthood
4. American Horror Story
5. Ringer (thanks to a repeated and ringing endorsement by Beth WA)

Over Christmas vacation I DID finish watching Friday Night Lights.  It was the best six months of watching five seasons of  television that I have ever spent.  If you haven’t watched FNL, you must stop reading right now and go start.

And one more struggle…I am an avid reader and am finding that about ten minutes of reading at night is all I can squeeze in before falling asleep.  (I acknowledge that I could step away from iAssociate 2 and Words With Friends to make a little more book time in the evenings…)  I also think I am in need of more captivating reading.  I am currently reading Mockingjay and it just isn’t holding my interest like the first two books in The Hunger Games series did.  Maybe I waited too long between finishing Catching Fire and starting this one? Or maybe I just need some better book recommendations.

So if you have any working full-time time-management tips, prioritization suggestions for the above mentioned TV shows, or recommended reading, please share!

–          Beth FS