About

D and D wedding I grew up in Germany and moved to Los Angeles over 16 years ago. I knew I would stay for good. After a year of studying acting in Hollywood, I enrolled at Pasadena City College more out of necessity than desire. No one was more surprised than me that it spit me out as the Valedictorian! Always having been a mediocre student in Germany, I now loved learning and went on to receive my BA in English from UCLA, where I worked as a staff copyeditor for the Daily Bruin.

One fateful day in October 2004 I tried a new yoga class and met my future husband, the instructor! Two months later, Don flew me to meet the large Bleasdale clan in Westchester, New York, where he grew up and his family still lives. Back in Los Angeles, Don asked, “So when are we flying to Germany so I can ask your father for your hand in marriage?” and studied two semester of German to do just that! When he meet my parents, he won them over with his first “Hallo.” We got married at Lyndhurst Castle in Tarrytown 11 months later, and exactly one year later our son Landon was born. He is the most beautiful little blue-eyed boy, now 2 years and 9 months old.

This might sounds like a fairy tale, but it’s not. We are just like any other family trying to make ends meet after moving to Westchester two years ago, one of the most expensive areas in the country — Martha Stewart and Richard Gere live nearby (I love having breakfast at his restaurant!). It didn’t make any sense to raise Landon in California, so far away from all his cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandma. Don works as a finish carpenter/project manager, and I work from home as a freelance editor, proofreader, and now blogger!

Why I blog and why Dagmar’s momsense:

I have always been unafraid to voice my opinion, and now I have a whole slew of new ones about being a stay-at-home mom who also juggles a freelance editor career. With this blog I want to share with you what I learned works and doesn’t work, what benefits your child and you. I want to become a resource and trusted “friend” you can rely on for information. I don’t want to be one of those moms who just writes about the newest, cutest antics of her child, I believe in giving my readers something valuable to read. I am making sense of motherhood, and I write about it :)

I write about what I am passionate about since becoming a mom three years ago. I hope you enjoy my entries about: Doula-assisted/Bradley/unmedicated childbirth (you can do it!), breastfeeding, attachment parenting, co-sleeping, natural remedies, frugal/green living, raising a healthy, creative, well-adjusted, bilingual child without an XBox. You don’t have to agree with my opinion, but be assured that I am posting it because I believe what I have to share will help other moms. I wish somebody had told me these things when I needed help and guidance, or just a little laugh after the baby spit up all over me! Enjoy my entries on the home page. Let me know what you think and visit again soon!

Please grab my button!

I am also a contributor to NYC Moms Blog.

Sincerely,

I hope to provide well-written, well-researched information in my articles, or at least make you smile once in a while. If you would like to donate to Landon’s piggy bank, here is an easy, safe way to do so. All donations are very much appreciated. Thanks!

Five percent of your donations will be passed on to green causes.

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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Dee (2 comments) February 10, 2010 at 2:14 AM: I am just getting to know your blog but love it! My father, stepmother, aunts, uncles, stepsisters, all live in Dusseldorf, Hamburg, and other places in Norway or Iceland, but we live in Boston. I am taking my 2 children there for 3 weeks this summer. I SO wish I had caught on to more natural, organic lifestyles sooner, but better late than never. I’m only 40! I am excited that I can pass this on to my kids, ages 5 and 8, at an early age so it becomes second nature to them.
2 CaraJen (2 comments) December 31, 2009 at 4:02 PM: Hi! I follow you on twitter and love reading your blogs! I’ve never tried for one of your giveaways, but I thought,what the heck…So now I’m a subscriber too. I look forward to sharing this journey of motherhood with you and your many readers:) Thanks for all you do to help us all come together.
3 susanna (2 comments) December 17, 2009 at 4:12 AM: When I saw your blog – I was thinking: OMG! There is someone else in America with the weird name Dagmar. My kids relentlessly make fun of my middle name. More interesting to find out that you also grew up in Germany, so maybe it is just a German thing LOL.
4 Vivien (1 comments) November 8, 2009 at 12:48 AM: Wie lustig- hab Dich auf Twitter gefunden und Du bist auch eine meiner Followers (Newmomsexaminer). Hat mir schon gedacht, dass Dagmar ein etwas ungewöhnlicher Name für die USA ist…
I love everything you write- keep up the fabulous work!
5 daddy bookins (2 comments) August 11, 2009 at 3:57 AM: What a GREAT story!!! Where in Germany are you from? I have a bunch of family over there, Biebertal/Giessen…it has been ages since I’ve been!

Send me @ on twitter or fb if you get a chance.

Cheers!
~daddy b
6 sarasophia (2 comments) May 31, 2009 at 6:38 AM: Hi Dagmar,
We do have so much in common<3 I was unmedicated for all four of our births, have breastfed each of my children–still nursing Pixie–until they were ready to stop at age two (or nearly two).

I am trying to live the greenest life possible in as cost effective manner as I can….and I love working from home as a freelance writer so much. It has given me the freedom to homeschool.

So nice to meet you!

<3 sarasophia
7 Ruth (1 comments) May 18, 2009 at 5:49 PM: Hey Dagmar,

With Memorial Day coming up, I thought you might like an easily prepared and family-friendly recipe your guests (and blog followers!) will love.

SLOW COOKER BBQ COUNTRY RIBS – 8 SERVINGS WITH 2 CUPS GRAVY
Prep Time: 20 min. Cook Time: 4 hours

4 lbs. country-style pork ribs, trimmed; seasoned with salt and pepper to taste
1 (18 oz.) bottle prepared honey barbecue sauce
1/2 cup FRENCH’S® Classic Yellow® Mustard
1 tsp. garlic powder

1. PLACE ribs into 6-qt. slow cooker.
2. MIX barbecue sauce, mustard and garlic in medium bowl. Pour over ribs and turn ribs to coat.
3. COVER and cook on LOW for 8 hrs. (or on HIGH for 4 hours) until ribs are fork-tender. Transfer ribs to platter.
4. SKIM fat from sauce. Stir sauce and serve with ribs.

Tip: Press a paper towel on top surface of sauce to skim fat. Repeat as necessary.

I have some more recipes from French’s including a quick recipe for Classic Baked Beans and some from Vlasic Pickles with high-res pictures of all dishes, let me know if you’d like them!

Thanks,
Ruthie