Sorry, dear readers, I didn’t intend to have a break from the blog! Hope your holidays were fun, restful, and you’re ready for a new year. I know I am!

Adopting this puppy on Nov 2 has definitely changed my life AND the state of my house! It’s a bit ironic that I got the dog after my Paris trip in Oct, because Paris is very dog-friendly (compared to NJ)! If Nigel was housebroken, I would have considered bringing him to Paris. Maybe next time I go, I’ll bring him.

But, he’s not fully housebroken, which made November a very, very, very challenging month for me. Caring for Nigel has taken over my existence. I’ve cried as he’s peed again and again on the floors (some of them original hardwood), no matter
how much I’ve been trying to get him to consistently go OUTSIDE. It sounds ridiculous that my mental state has been affected so much by a small puppy, but it has been. I clean up after him, and tell Nigel that his mom is close to day-drinking—I have a running positive pep talk/soliloquy with him on how Nigel and I will benefit from him learning this essential habit. By comparison, my job currently seems significantly easier, something I ALSO never thought I’d say!

I’ve whined to everyone at work about the housebreaking challenges, and my boss saw Nigel get into the potty pads on camera. And, one of my new employees saw Nigel poop on camera—my puppy has NO shame while he’s made messes. I politely explain to Nigel that we’ll keep working on going outside, while we’re working on many, many, many new habits with puppy training class!

And my house, well, it’s a WRECK. I’ve cleaned up so many incidents in the bathroom, that the grout is now dark gray, no longer the cement-white color it was. There was puppy hair EVERYWHERE.

At one point, Nigel chewed on the baseboards in the bathroom, which was supposed to be one of the puppy-safe spaces. He tried to chew on the baseboard heaters, but those are 90-year-old cast iron, so thankfully, one thing in my house is puppy-proof!

I spent Thanksgiving weekend catching up in a lot of cleaning and laundry, while my nephew played with Nigel. I’ve referred to my puppy as “my little velociraptor” because there are times he’s pawing at his crate closures, testing them for weaknesses. Come to think of it, Nigel might have been sizing up ME for my weaknesses.

I had NO idea what having a puppy would be like. I always thought when they have dogs in movies wreaking havoc on a house, it’s just for laughs. In reality, some antics are ACCURATE. I can’t say how many times Nigel has peed somewhere he shouldn’t, and then scampered over, wagging his tail and expecting a treat. He’s tried to pull my jacket down from where I’ve tossed it onto a table, to bring it to me so we could go outside for a walk, so he could dig for worms to eat, or snack on a rock or two.

But he’s actually cute at times, as he really likes watching me do things in the kitchen—loading/unloading the dishwasher, making coffee, baking—and I talk to him while I’m getting things done. Most nights, we’re sitting on my sofa, and he’s affectionate and calm. Those are the sweetest moments, which I need because they remind me that these challenges won’t always be there. I might have also bought matching holiday pajamas for him and me, and he had gifts under the tree, along with a stocking full of treats.

I’ve done more cleaning over the past month than I ever have in my life. Daily, I’m cleaning the bathroom, my home office, and wherever else the puppy breathes. Since my blog is on my house, I can share the cleaning products that have saved my house and sanity since Nov 2:

Eufy robot vacuum: it’s better than the iRobot one I used to own, and cheaper. It sucks up all the dust, puppy hair, and mysterious debris, which is exactly what I wanted. And the parts are easily cleanable/replaceable.

Eureka pet-hair hand vac: this is soooo good for small messes, vacuuming my sofa, and even my car. Has filters you can replace, to keep it working well (I got it on Amazon in 2020, where they still have it).

Swiffer mop and refill sheets for pet hair: these work surprisingly well on my hardwood floors and tile, and are so quick and convenient to clean with.

Nature’s Miracle pet mess enzyme sprays: YES, these are just as good as everyone says. I’ll have to stock up on these, because even though I have faith the puppy WILL be housebroken soon, it’s good to have it for anything unexpected.

Lysol and Clorox wipes: these are some of the best inventions ever, and I have these in every room, for every other questionable thing.

Bounty paper towels: I also now have these in every room. When did “mega” paper towel rolls become as thick as tree trunks? It’s weird when they’re too big for a holder, or a table.

Anything else that’s saved me this month?

Freezing small pieces of apples, which are good teething treats or to add to his meals. I had leftover apple when making an apple cake (that he watched me prepare, and was dying for), and Nigel has been enjoying many tiny pieces of apples (which don’t turn brown if they’re frozen in a plastic freezer bag).

All the random old blankets I’ve had, because I use them for the puppy. I had one from the M&Ms store that I had never used, and now it’s perfect for Nigel (because I don’t want him using my Hello Kitty blankets).

Next week, I promise to go over home shopping from my Oct Paris trip….