That was the week that was

My amazing birthday barbecue courtesy of Jerry and the girls

My amazing birthday barbecue courtesy of Jerry and the girls

Birthday celebrations (mine and Jerry’s), bank holiday, toddler getting up at 5am every day (east facing bedroom curse), Monty’s first puppy class, launch of his (and my) new monthly blog on NFU Countryside and a guest blog post for the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging award for Fresh Voice….that was the week that was.  Dear Reader, to be honest, I am still reeling from it all.  To add to the list of fab, fantastic and in the case of the 5am starts, downright frightful, I made a fatal error and did not put my brand new pair of shoes on the very top of the bookcase and they were instantly eaten by the Monster before he could be stopped.   I can report that in just one week, the wardrobe casualties are stacking up: 2 tunics, a chiffon dress, 1 pair of shoes and a beloved cardigan which now has pinholes in it.  Puppy teething?!  Pah!  We seem to have acquired a pup with the chewing skills of a beaver.  Nothing is safe!  I know, I know, how could I possibly be cross with this sweet little face…..?!

Here he is...the little shoe eating Monster.

Here he is…the little shoe eating Monster.

So passing on my TOP TEN tips for the first weeks of owning a furry toddler could not have been a more apt post for my Britmums Fresh Voice voting plea!  Between the children, dog and turning another year older, I found myself nearly at the bottom of the beautifully packaged bottle of Hendricks gin which my dear Papa so kindly gave me for my birthday!

Here are my handy hints if you missed them:

1) Reacquaint yourself with lack of SLEEP – coffee and Jerry’s dressing gown are my new best friends.  No sooner did Poppy start sleeping through, my nightly toddler escapades have now been replaced with standing in the garden in pyjamas, praying the neighbours can’t see me.

2) Explain to both toddler and dog that sharing is lovely but perhaps not when it comes to teething toys.

3) Do not buy any new shoes – dog will chew ONLY the new ones. (I am still mourning the loss of my floral pumps….)

Oh.......

Oh…….(she says weeping)

4) Buy a dog guard for the car – emergency stops on the A4 due to dog jumping from boot to back seats are best avoided!

5) Do not let husband to allow dog to sit on sofa. (My days of wearing black are over……..)

6) Try not to attempt to house train pup and potty train toddler at the same time.  Poppy now thinks a piddle outside (a la pooch) is an acceptable practice.

7) Hone your Mummy sixth sense in order to catch sneaky 4 year old feeding the dog at mealtimes.  Otherwise, you may find that dog enjoys mushrooms from Coq au Vin as well as puppy kibbles.

8) Remember children and dogs often suffer from temporary deafness……although that may just be in our household! You may find the investment of a whistle worthwhile…worked for Mary Poppins.

Taking the training seriously!

Taking the training seriously!

9) Do NOT leave your gin unattended at any point. Following that thought, definitely don’t forget to wash out a glass that puppy has found and licked, before serving your guest another drink from said glass! (Luckily my dear Papa has a very good sense of humour!)

10) And lastly….have your camera ready and drop everything to capture children and dog enjoying the simpler things in life together. Running through the long grass, chasing butterflies and setting up tea parties NEVER seemed as much fun before Monty came into our lives! After all, as Gerald Durrell, author of My Family and Other Animals, knew so well “A house is not a home until it has a dog.”

The full Britmums post can be read hereTonight at midnight marks the end of the voting for the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging awards and I can honestly say that I am still surprised I even made it this far.  Thank you again because when I started writing the blog in October, I truly believed that I would be writing posts that would drift off into ether and no one (except my Mamma and Jerry) would read them.  I am grateful to you, dear Reader so thank you thank you thank you for the follows, the comments, the encouragement and for the precious votes.  Gin and kisses to you all!  I promise ‘normal’ Margot capers shall resume next week!  Jerry has been badgering me to get on with crossing off some of the items on my to do list….

Oh and if you do fancy following Monty’s adventures on NFU Countryside, then look no further…..you can find his little paws here.

NOMINATE ME BiB 2013 FRESH VOICE
NOMINATE ME BiB 2013 LIFESTYLE

12 thoughts on “That was the week that was

  1. Victoria Welton

    We are thinking of getting a dog one day and I shall bear all of this in mind – especially the gin and the shoes situations! It sounds like you have had one heck of a week – fantastic! Good luck in the BiBs, I shall still PoCoLo your post xx

    Reply
    1. margotdarling

      It has been a bit of a whirlwind week! Thank you for all your support with RTs, #PoCoLo and BiBs. Think that you should definitely get a dog as part of your move! Good luck in the BiBs lovely lady xx

      Reply
  2. farfromhomemama

    My husband is desperate for a dog but with two young boys, I am desperate for a clean house. Have you had a new look on your blog? Something’s changed. It looks really nice x

    Reply
  3. margotdarling

    Clean house?! I have to clean at least once a day to keep on top of it all. Although, girls are far messier than Monty! Blog has had a bit of revamp – really glad you like it. xx

    Reply
  4. mrscarlielee

    Oh, laughing! And am feeling your puppy pain. Our German Pointer is three months, and good golly, he’s lo-o-o-ong. Already tall enough to reach the kitchen counters, and has been caught twice on the dining table with the Jack-rat. AND he’s developed a kinky rubber glove fetish – we keep finding them in his bed, all the digits chewed off.
    Worst bit – House of Lee is now House of Wee.

    Good job we love him. Are you guys out walking yet?!

    Reply
  5. dragonsflypoppy

    Fantastic post lovely lady! I love that Gerald Durell quote too – so true. This brought back many a memory of being stood outside in the pitch black, freezing cold, wearing OH’s north face and pink fluffy slippers, telling my dog to be a ‘busy girl’! Makes me shiver now. And then you just have to look at their cute faces and somehow it’s all forgotten. Great tips and thank you so much for linking to #S2S2D xx

    Reply

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