A typical day in the life of a stay at home career woman

by Lynette Allen

Well you've been formally introduced to my boys now (Georgie the Chow Chow, Barney the Cocker Spaniel and Nick - The Chosen One, yes in that order!) and you've even had a glimpse into the not-so-perfect world of an internationally acclaimed Life Coach, but I thought you'd enjoy a deeper look into a typical day in the life of a stay-at-home-career-woman.

You see, I love my work, adore it in fact but I adore my boys too and so as with most women, it's a constant juggling act to make sure everyone is fed, watered and happy before I start work on my next book or coach my next client. As with all busy women the world over, for the majority of the time, we're calm, in control and highly productive, however, there are days for me, when between walkies, tripping over squeaky toys, endless rounds of conjunctivitis eye cream, fresh water replenishing, chin wiping duties and dishing out more Chappie than 'Pets R Us' are ever likely to stock, that CALM is just never going to happen…

For instance, I can't ever forget the day that Georgie disappeared. In an effort to maximise our search, I sent my mum one way down the road, my husband the other way and off I went around the back of the Orchards, in my brand new car to search for him. Of course, so busy was I looking for the little dear, that I happened not to see the very big tree lying across my path and ran straight over it, leaving my shiny car very dishevelled and having to limp home - bumper hanging off flapping in the breeze and something sticky dripping from the underneath of the car. Passers by desperately tried to alert me to to that that my bumper was flapping away and something was leaking from my car (did they think I hadn't noticed!) but, almost blinded by tears that I'd lost my beautiful boy AND had crashed the car, the passers by blurred in my vision as all I wanted to do was get home. My husbands face as I pulled up the drive was a picture, especially as it seemed that Georgie had, in fact, been asleep the whole time under a very large bush in my mothers back garden, completely oblivious to the commotion he'd caused. £1000 later in car repairs, that day went down in history as one of my most expensive!

Oh yes, and then there was the time when Georgie and Barney, met for the first time in our first very, very small flat. Barney got completely freaked out and decided to lose control (if you know what I mean) right on the carpet and as for Georgie, well he just wanted to introduce himself by showing his 'manliness' if you get my drift! All in all, as you can imagine, it ended in a 'It's your dogs fault' type argument, before I scooped Georgie up in defence and took him back to my mums, leaving the then fiancée to clear up the 'incident' on the carpet. Next time we met, it was outside!

Then, there was the time when I was on the phone to a journalist, speaking about my latest book when out of the corner of my eye, I saw my desk starting to wobble. I blinked and blinked, rubbing my eye, feeling somewhat nauseous but still trying to maintain 'Successful author in control' mode as I spoke confidently about the perils that busy women face and how I effectively overcome stressful situations. Meanwhile, I'm wondering if a) I was feeling the effects of shock waves from a nearby earthquake (I've felt one before when living abroad, and the feeling of the whole room moving was exactly the same) or b) I was having a stroke, and should I at some point mention this to the journalist and seek urgent medical attention. Fortunately, just before I said something to the journalist, I looked down to find Barney having a good old scratch as he leant again my desk making it wobble! A stroke indeed!

I cannot write an article such as this though without telling you the fantastic sides to working from home and living with my 3 boys. For instance, the day that Georgie decided to sit at the kerb was definitely a mile stone in our relationship. 'We've finally done it!', I exclaimed to The Chosen One on the phone, 'He now sits at the kerb!' I tell you I couldn't have been more proud of him if he'd jumped through hoops at Crufts - not that he ever would of course, Georgie leaves more energy wasting activities like that to Barney. Getting back to the business of kerb sitting though, I was as proud as punch, firm in the knowledge that no matter what other peoples dogs did, mine would sit obediently, as if he'd been doing it all his life. Of course, he does need a little wrist action on the lead to remind him, but he definitely does it and (for most of the time), will wait for another swift flick of the wrist as he's given the nod to cross safely. Oh you've no idea the years, it's taken both him and me to get to this stage!

Chows you see, are notoriously difficult to train - well interact with even. They're the doggy equivalent of cats. They'll do what they want, when they want and unlike most canines, have virtually no desire to please their owner with small tricks such as kerb sitting, paw giving or even looking in your direction if they're not overly inclined to do so! You actually get very little response from Chows for most of the time and so, when they do look at you, directly in the eye and waggle their tail, you know it's because they love you, your heart melts and all the time spend calling them, persuading them and bribing them with Bonio's, freshly cooked chicken and extra mature cheddar, to come in from the garden at midnight, has all been worth it!

p.s. It has to be said that during the writing of this article, both boys have been fast asleep at my feet in my office, good as gold! I think they knew I was writing about them…ah! Catch my next column in September, when I'll be dishing out more tips on how busy women can get through life with their sense of humour and businesses in tact! Happy August everyone.

Photos of Barney and George courtesy of Jason Bergdahl Photography.

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