Shaivism vs. Vaishnavism

As someone who's not Indian, my exposure to Indian religion is mostly through incarnations of Vishnu. I'm also drawn to solar deities, and Vishnu fits nicely into that. Plus there's the fact that I'm not an ascetic. I have a household, and that seems to fit in better with Vaishnavism.

On the other hand, my experiences (limited though they are compared to those of someone who's continually devoted to the path) seem more similar to those of Shaivism. My general perspective seems more oriented toward Shiva, even though Shiva is quite alien to me.

The question of whether I'm engaged in worship in my practice is not one that I have a clear answer for. And I have these questions about Shiva and whether Shiva is somehow part of my work, a hidden aspect behind the scenes.