Adjusting ... and random rambling.

I'm two months in to the new job. I'm still not quite sure what I'm doing a lot of the time. I'm still definitely adjusting to the new environment, new people and new role. Oh, and this new 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. schedule? Wowza.

I often crash on the couch now after I put Elle to bed. On nights that I can (Friday and Saturday, mostly), I try to take a nap and then wake up for a few hours when Tim gets home so I can see him. This doesn't really give me the best sleep schedule in terms of consistency. Some nights I manage to do a load of laundry and straighten up the kitchen. Other nights I might upload some photos to Facebook and do some online banking.  But for the most part, I'm not blogging. I'm not really e-mailing. I'm not crafting. If I'm baking, it's for our family. I owe Facebook messages to about a dozen people.

I'm still reading your blogs - it's just usually on my BlackBerry, during my lunch break (non-work related Internet use is strictly prohibited at the new job). So I can't comment. I'm hoping that as this transition continues and I find my new "normal" that I'll be able to pry myself off the couch more often (I wish I could at least say I was catching up on the DVR, but usually I'm just out cold) and be a somewhat productive member of society again.

I can say I've been making small improvements in the productivity department. But not leaps and bounds yet. I'm getting to the gym 3-4 mornings a week and taking Elle out in the jogging stroller on weekends. I'm trying to brace prepare myself for Christmas. And I am enjoying 4.5 days off this week that I've been looking forward to immensely.

But still, it's a process, right?

In the meantime, I'd like to share some tidbits:

* Speaking of Christmas, if you're doing some shopping for kids, sign up for the Melissa and Doug Treasured Toy and Birthday Club to receive a coupon for 10% off as well as some other perks.

* Have you all heard about the Johnson & Johnson dramz? I feel like now that I have a kid all of the tried-and-true baby products are being shot down as dangerous (i.e. Orajel). I feel like my poor kids are going to grow up with three arms and all sorts of random maladies despite my best effort to keep them healthy and safe.

* Speaking of dramz, it's my new word. I use it, but I hate it. Much like I use the word "whatevs" but hate it, too. I think I do it mostly to annoy Tim, who uses "totes ridic" to annoy me. I could go on and on with words like these that irritate me (although I'm sure I use some of them, too!). How do you feel about these kinds of words?

* A few weeks ago I won a giveaway from Krystal at Krystal's Kitch. I got my surprise the other week and am in love with the bag (at left) she sent and the super cute Halloween goodies she included. (Thanks again, Krystal!)

* I made these last weekend. Tim liked them, I liked them and Elle gobbled them up. I added black beans (hello, bean city), but they were healthy, super easy and will be made again soon.

* We're getting our family photos taken in a week. This is notable because we're doing it with about seven weeks after we were originally scheduled to and with the third photographer that we've had them scheduled with ... because nothing is ever easy in my life.

* Elle and I went shopping last weekend to try a few fall-ish dress clothes for her to wear to church. She has several super cute dresses, but in typical Florida fashion, they're summery and bright and I wanted to get some darker colors for the fall/winter. It was so fun to shop for her (we are lucky to get a lot of clothes as gifts and hand-me-downs), but so hard to limit my purchases! :) I found a bunch of great deals, which made it hard to pick just a few. (Dress at right is one of the new ones - I like that it can be made a little bright for spring with a sweater but is a nice, slightly darker alternative for fall.)

* We're celebrating Thanksgiving today - my sister and brother-in-law are going to be visiting, so rather than make a ton of food for Tim, Elle and I on Thursday, I'm going to make a ton of food for the five of us today, and I'm super excited.