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Off Topic Mom

A mommy blog for babes and pups.


  • September 20, 2016

    Customers and Their Spirit Animals

    Customers and Their Spirit Animals

    I’ve mentioned a number of times what I do for a living; I’m an artist. Specifically, I sell paintings of animals and specialize in pet portraits. My style varies, depending on the painting, but my custom portraits are messy watercolors and generally quite colorful, focusing on the vibrant personalities of our pets. The colors that…

  • September 16, 2016

    Sewing for the Dogs

    Sewing for the Dogs

    Years ago my mother-in-law bought me a sewing machine for Christmas. It wasn’t really on my wish list, but she’s a practical person and gets a lot of use out of her sewing machine (especially with 11 grandkids and one great grandkid). She even sewed the dresses for my bridesmaids and flower girl at our…

  • September 14, 2016

    Benign and Cancerous Tumors on our Dog

    Benign and Cancerous Tumors on our Dog

    Our dog has had benign tumors for a while, but when some new growths appeared and began growing at an alarming rate, we knew it was cancer.

  • September 13, 2016

    A Brief Visit to Pennsylvania

    A Brief Visit to Pennsylvania

    A few weeks ago I went to Pennsylvania for a couple days. It had been my plan to visit my hometown this fall, but Ivan’s schedule is unpredictable, to put it mildly. His call shifts end up being 14+ hours overnight at the hospital and that’s outside of his usual weekday hours. I couldn’t leave…

  • August 20, 2016

    The Separation of Health and Fitness

    The Separation of Health and Fitness

    The Balance I’ve mentioned plenty of times that I try to stay fit. But, let’s be honest, fitness is tough. Sure, I exercise a lot. I run at least 5 times each week and try to do some strength training as well. We eat pretty well, avoiding prepared foods and eating meals centered around vegetables and whole…

  • August 17, 2016

    Out With the Old, In With the New (toys, that is)

    Out With the Old, In With the New (toys, that is)

    Babe doesn’t get excited about toys. She never has. Occasionally she’ll lay down and chew on a rubber toy, but that only happens once or twice a month. Babe is more of a food-driven pup. And when she’s not eating, she’s snoozing. It’s a nice, even life for her. Banjo is extremely toy-driven. When she’s…

  • August 5, 2016

    Dog Days of Summer

    Dog Days of Summer

    The dog days of summer are upon us. They have been, I suppose, for just over a month now, according to the expression, and there are still a few days left. We’ve certainly noticed the heat. With a full week in the 90s, the grass turned brittle, the trees drooped and the dogs were less…

  • July 21, 2016

    Cooling Off

    Cooling Off

    We’ve had some pretty hot days recently, temps hovering in the low to mid-90s. Our house stays pretty cool, thankfully, maintaining the chilly evening air that we let in as we sleep. First thing in the mornings, we close up all of the windows and draw some blinds. It works pretty well. We’ve only used…

  • July 18, 2016

    Whipped Cream for the Win

    Whipped Cream for the Win

    I posted not too long ago about a little trip we took with Babe to Starbucks. We treated ourselves to some lovely caffeinated drinks and Babe got her own cup of house-made whipped cream. Babe loves whipped cream and, as it turns out, so does Banjo. We try not to give them too much since…

  • July 12, 2016

    10 Things All Dog Owners Know

    10 Things All Dog Owners Know

    If you have ever had a dog, you know what I’m talking about. These guys bring so much love into my life, I can almost overlook the utter insanity that they embody… almost.

  • July 11, 2016

    I Tested Watercolor Pencils With My Pet Art

    I Tested Watercolor Pencils With My Pet Art

    Painting pet portraits is my full time job. Although I usually use watercolor paint for my art, I also enjoy trying out new products, like watercolor pencils.

  • July 8, 2016

    A Backyard of One’s Own

    A Backyard of One’s Own

    For 2 years we lived in a 2-bedroom apartment on the third floor of a Brooklyn walk-up. We did not have a backyard, like most people in Brooklyn. We shared the streets. We shared the parks. For 2 years before Brooklyn, we lived in the Caribbean. Our studio apartment in Grenada afforded us many things:…

  • July 7, 2016

    That Whipped Cream ‘Stache

    That Whipped Cream ‘Stache

    Babe is a spoiled little pig, so she gets all of the noms.

  • July 6, 2016

    Connecticut, How Do I Love Thee?

    Connecticut, How Do I Love Thee?

    Well, Let Me Count the Ways The People. Look, I’ve spent the past 2 years living in the unhappiest city in the country, according to the CDC. And maybe that’s not something I was acutely aware of, but I have been very aware of how friendly and helpful everyone has been here in Connecticut. Aside from…

  • July 5, 2016

    And Now, New England

    And Now, New England

    So Much Has Changed For four months I’ve been telling myself that I need to post something. And it’s not that I don’t have anything to say. And it certainly isn’t that I haven’t taken photos to tell the story. It’s just that so much has changed, where do I start and where do I…

  • February 24, 2016

    This is the Birthday Cake We Gave Our Dog

    This is the Birthday Cake We Gave Our Dog

    Our dog’s birthdays are celebrated in the same fashion as human’s–with cake and festive hats. We get dog-safe cakes at specialty shops and our pups love them.

  • February 17, 2016

    A Light Dims: Saying Goodbye to My Grandma

    A Light Dims: Saying Goodbye to My Grandma

    Trying to cope with the sudden death of my grandma, I wrote a consideration of life as a light that doesn’t go out with death, but merely dims. Memory endures.

  • February 4, 2016

    Life is Crazy, But the Dogs Still Love Me

    Life is Crazy, But the Dogs Still Love Me

    I’m going to make a little admission here: my life is somewhat insane right now. In 6 weeks (holy crap balls!) Ivan will be receiving an email that is going to change our lives. He’s been interviewing for the past 2 months for residency positions all over the country. Ivan’s not the only one, either. Medical…

  • February 2, 2016

    Banjo’s First Winter

    Banjo’s First Winter

    It’s been over a week now since the big winter storm hit Brooklyn (and the entire northeast coast). It was the first real snowfall we’ve received all winter and Banjo’s first experience with winter. Babe is not a huge fan of snow or cold or leaving the warmth of our bed when either snow or…

  • January 31, 2016

    Babe is a Blonde… or Maybe a Brunette

    Babe is a Blonde… or Maybe a Brunette

    I got some wigs. I’m not really sure why except that I really enjoy using props when I take photos and I’m always looking for something fun and new. For example, I have a roll of burlap, two 10×20-ft. sheets of muslin fabric, a 6×35-ft. roll of white paper and three 2-ft.-sq. vinyl decorative background…

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