House of A Writer

Welcome to my blog where I share my special needs parenting journey with my heart, truth, and love, one story at a time. ❤️

Nov 16

Celebrate Blogging Linkup Party #20

by Jeanine Lebsack
WELCOME TO THE PARTY!!!
Is it just me or is November flying by?!
I can’t believe Thanksgiving is less than a couple weeks away.
This past weekend we did our thankful jar and made some
leaf rubbing books. 

I also did a little Christmas shopping! I got the kids Christmas
pajamas, Christmas books, advent activity books and other little things.
I love a Target Christmas run…don’t you?!-Arianne

LET’S START CELEBRATING…!
Grab a button for your blog sidebar!

CELEBRATE BLOGGING LINK-UP PARTY!

CELEBRATE WITH US…JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP:
FOLLOW OUR PINTEREST BOARD:
We pin every link to our board every week!!!

ARIANNE FROM FAMILY JOYS:

JEANINE FROM JSACK’S MOM’S BLOG

BIBI FROM SIMPLE SUMMIT:

SHANNON FROM CRAFTY MAMA IN ME:

MARILYN FROM FINANCIALLY SHOPPING:





https://static.inlinkz.com/cs2.js

photo
Arianne
Family Joys

life

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Jan 10

5 ways to make 2016 my year 

by Jeanine Lebsack

Happy new year blessings to you!  I rang the new year in the same way I do every year cuddling with my sleeping children. They try to make it to midnight and watch the ball drop in Times Square on Dick Clark’s Rocking New Years Eve party. Earlier I spent an hour in the hot tub with my husband talking about our goals for the new year. This is a list I’ve come up with as result of that conversation. I’m in restoration than resolution mode as these are ongoing gifts I will be giving myself and my family. 

1. I will love myself more. 

I’ve gone through a lot of self reflection and introspection throughout last year. Every problem, issue, or obstacle that stopped me in my tracks is at the core of my not loving myself enough. I will be changing that from this day forward as I deserve to look in the mirror and say I love you and really mean it! 

2. I won’t let fear hold me back from my persuing my goals. 

I’ve accomplished a lot of amazing things in 2015. Submitting my writing to various websites, guest blogging, growing my blog and social media followings, being accepted into the Wellness Universe community to spread love and positivity, and being published as a contributor in Lose The Cape-(Never Will I Ever than I had Kids). 

  

Available on Amazon Kindle store in ebook and print format

I’m so grateful for these fabulous opportunities in my life! This has been amazing to know I did all these wonderful things yet I know I could’ve done more if I didn’t let my fears and anxiety take over. 

3. I will have faith in myself and my abilities. 

I had a tremendous cheerleader in my life and that was my beloved Mama. After she died I felt a piece of me die with her. She always told me I could do anything I set my mind to. I did do that in the instances I wrote of above, but I had so much fear! I fought through it the best I could but this year I will put faith in God, myself, and the project at hand at the forefront. 

4. I will continue to put my self care as a priority in my life. 

I did this in 2015 which led me to being 30 lbs and 20 inches lighter! I’m very proud of this accomplishment as I learned more about myself on this health journey while getting my stress levels in check. I did this with the help of some amazing people like my coaches on each fitness challenge. Game changers have changed my life for the better and made me a Beach Body Coach. I’m excited to reach even more fitness goals for myself and my family. 

5. I will continue to write out my goal list every day to give me incentive and accountability to keep persuing what I desire. 



I did this for 90 days, everyday for 3 months and my life did indeed change! I was able to start writing my book and work on various other passion projects, be published with the Lose The Cape Team, find an amazing publisher who wants to see me reach for the stars with her guidance and expertise. For my son I was able to secure funding for his therapy team at preschool and at home, and recently got accepted for funding for our family to have respite care. For my husband and I our couple is our goal to make more a priority and stronger in the new year. It’s easy to lose sight of each other as special needs parents. Our children deserve to see us closer, united, and in love more than ever. 

Thank you 2015 for all the life lessons, learning, and showing me I’m stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally than I ever thought possible. Hello 2016 I’m ready for your love, gifts, guidance, and abundance of awesome! 

  This has been submission to the January Blog Hop with Blogs & Business-Mom’s who do it all there are a lot of other talented bloggers who joined in check them and their blogs out today. Thank you! 

January Blog Hop List #1

1. Mrs and Momma

2. Souls Searcher Mom

3. Blessed be the tie

4. Tiggy Poes and Flutterbys

5. Kids Kicks and Cloth

6. Cook with 5 Kids

7. Stay at Home Yogi

8. Harlem Parent Xpress

9. Kids Money Lessons

10. Mommy Gone Tropical

11. Western Newyorker

12. A Kreative Whim

13. Life Lemons and Lemonade

14. Hello Little Bean

15. Sequins in the South

16. Beck List

17. Messy Cutting Board

18. My Dysautonomia

19. Aileen Cooks

20. Jsack’s Mom’s Blog 

life

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Apr 21

Lose your Cape-Book Review

by Jeanine Lebsack

  

Today I’m going to tell you about a wonderful book that I read this month, and fell in love with. I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC (Aquired Reading Copy) for my honest review. I knew with my first child that I wanted to be a super Mom so badly. I stayed home and spent endless hours reading and researching on how to be a good Mom. As I look back on it now I realize all I had to do was love my son, feed, change, protect, and put him first and that was being a good Mom. In Alexa Bigwarfe and Kerry Rivera’s book I saw myself as a first time Mom relating to the anecdotal responses from other Mom’s like me. And all the mistakes that I made trying to wear that cape and be that Super Mom. From the newborn to the toddler stage they cover each part of parenthood with honesty, joy, and humourous anecdotes. I felt so connected with their advice and the advice of bloggers they interviewed. Each chapter begins with a quote and for a quote junkie like me I loved it. Chapters covered are preparing for life with a newborn, spousal support at home, tackling chores, keeping organized, and family mealtimes. Also included are information on single parenting, getting the help you need to tame that laundry beast. I appreciated the pertinent information for surviving in today’s world as a modern day Mom. Including all the excellent websites, blogs, and books recommended. I loved this book so much with its’s honest approach to just loving and accepting who I am as a Mom, and just lose the cape because to my kids I’m already a SUPER  hero MOM without it. My favourite tip was the chapter on family organization. Learning about the different calendars and apps to help my family get coordinated with our busy schedules. As well as all the tips on mealtimes and how to appease picky eaters. Which I could write a book on myself with my son’s food texture issues!  Special thanks to Alexa and Kerry’s blog tour coordinator Alison for granting me the pleasure of beta reading this wonderful book. And to the authors for writing such a fabulous, candid, heartfelt book. ?

You can preorder your copy here release date April. 26 th 2015

 Amazon link
You can follow Alexa and Kerry on social media sharing their book here:

http://losethecape.com/

https://twitter.com/LosetheCape

https://www.facebook.com/LoseTheCape

https://www.pinterest.com/losethecape/

Authors Background Information

Alexa Bigwarfe


Alexa Bigwarfe is a freelance writer, wife, and mother of three children and a dog. In addition to raising her children, managing her home, and writing, Alexa’s heart is in advocacy and raising funds to support nonprofit organizations involved with infant, children and women’s issues. Alexa launched her writing with her personal blog No Holding Back, (katbiggie.com). Here she chronicles topics including health and wellness, living with autoimmune diseases, and most importantly, her grief after the loss of one of her twin daughters to complications from Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). Alexa took the experience from that painful life event and channeled it into a compilation book for grieving mothers entitled Sunshine After the Storm: A Survival Guide for the Grieving Mother. She has also been published in two anthologies, The Mother of All Meltdowns and The HerStories Project. Alexa enjoys writing articles about parenting and children’s health and wellness topics for regional parenting publications and online magazines. In her “spare” time, you can find Alexa enjoying time with her girlfriends or hiding in her closet for some “alone” time.


You can follow Alexa here:


http://katbiggie.com/

https://www.facebook.com/NoHoldingBack1212

https://twitter.com/katbiggie

Kerry Rivera


Kerry Rivera is a full-time working mom of three kids with a to-do list that stretches to “infinity and beyond.” Between a demanding corporate gig, the nightly homework and kids’ activities, and managing a household with her full-time working husband, she blogs about the “juggle” at BreadwinningMama.com. Her career journey started in the newsroom trenches and has since transitioned to working for one of the largest global automotive companies. She additionally writes for corporations, government agencies and brands in her “spare” time, and especially enjoys sharing the joys of modern parenthood around the web. Her love for content creation is only trumped by her love for content consumption. Her Kindle and nightstand are equally full, and a stack of magazines can be found in every room of the house. As a Southern California native, she takes advantage of the outdoors, enjoying both the beaches and mountains with family and friends, and loves to caffeinate with Starbucks Refreshers and Coke. She aspires to perfect a handstand in yoga, but is still working on touching her toes.


You can follow Kerry here:


http://breadwinningmama.com

https://www.facebook.com/BreadwinningMama

https://twitter.com/breadwinningmom

 

Now go on a get your ebook preorder link here: release date April.26 th 2015. 


http://www.amazon.com/Lose-Cape-Realities-Strategies-Survive-ebook/dp/B00UWCLY9M/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1427760438&sr=8-1&keywords=lose+the+cape




life

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Jan 29

One Liner Wednesday

by Jeanine Lebsack

In honour of Bell Lets Talk day I will share an inspirational quote from my favourite messenger for mental health awareness. Former Olympic athlete Clara Hughes

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This has been my submission to http://Lindaghill.com. Please check out her one liner and all the other talent who link up. Thank you. ?

life

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Jan 14

Bunker Punk Tour

by Jeanine Lebsack

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The very talented and creative hhttp://thebeardedjs.wordpress.com has come up with this amazing idea for the Bunker Punks (a group and wonderful blogger family that I’m proud to belong to) to get to know one another and share our Bunker Punk pride! There’s a list of questions that follows so here’s your getting to know Jsack Mom a little better.

What is your most prized possession?

At first I thought of my family, my husband and my children. Then I thought to myself I don’t possess them as much as they own my heart. So my answer is my memories, I was blessed to have my parents in my life loving and supporting me till I was in my 30’s. My dear Dad died in Feb. 2009 and my beloved Mama in Feb. 2011. 2 years and 2 weeks apart, not even death could break their bond. So to have them there on my wedding day walking me down the aisle towards my future, my love, is my most prized memory that I possess. ❤️

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How do you unwind after a long day?

Well it takes me a long time for me to relax as I’m a night owl awake in the moonlight. With my son having a sleep disorder, I listen for him till I know he’s sound asleep then I can relax. After I put my kids to bed, I have some cuddle and chat time with my husband if he hasn’t fallen asleep. Then I catch up on my Facebook pages and I love to sit on my couch and write. It’s just me, my phone, pen and paper, and a glass of wine in the still of the night.
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What is the one song that has followed you throughout your life?

This is an easy answer for me I love Fleetwood Mac and I’ve been listening to them since the late 80’s. I have much older siblings so I was raised on classic rock since I was a wee babe. The first time I heard Don’t Stop Believing I knew that incredible song was written for me. It has since become my theme song, and the whole Rumours album has entwined it’s way into my heart and soul. ??

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Seeing them in concert in Nov.2014 was the hi-light of my year. ?

If there’s was one piece of advice you could give to new bloggers in your field, what would it be?

A very great question, I would say always write from your heart and read a lot of blogs beforehand, and when you do get a following interact with them. I’ve made the best friendships just from appreciating, responding, and thanking everyone who has come to read my story.

Now that you’re famous now we need a quote from you. I love this and thank you for saying so! Even if I’m just a legend….in my own mind. ?

I wrote this and I believe and live this passionately. ?

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#bunkerpunksforlife ?

life

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Jan 12

Sparkle like the Star you Are

by Jeanine Lebsack

I’ve been talking, reading, and writing about breaking out of my comfort zone, spreading my wings and letting myself fly. I’m doing that for myself and for my children, to show them that they can do anything, and be anything they want to be. Whatever your mind can believe, you can achieve. I remember my oldest brother telling me that when I was 16 years old. I loved how those words rolled off his tongue and the feelings they created in me. I asked myself back then, is it possible if I just change my thoughts and abolish those negative tapes playing in my head I can achieve success?

I spent a lot of time thinking I wasn’t good enough. Not a intelligent math student or an gifted writer, or talented artist. I spent years living in others shadows because it was a safe, albeit sad place for me. I listened to those tapes playing in my head (before everything went digital) of a English teacher who told me my writing was trite, and wouldn’t amount to nothing but pulp to burn in a fire. He said this to me with his words dripping with disdain, in his Scottish accent. My heart was crushed because I really looked up to him and I was really angry as well. After that I started to write feverishly and I told my Mom and she wanted to march into the school and hurt him as much as he hurt me.

My beloved Mama could kill someone with kindbess or blister their ears with her words. So together as a team we worked on story after story writing songs and poems as well. She was my biggest fan, cheerleader, and main source of support. And then she got older, dementia set in, and she spent her final days there and died. A part of me died too when my beloved Mama left this world. And that belief I had in myself did too. I went into a grief recovery program as numb as I was. I knew I needed to in order to help myself and my children. I learned a lot while I was in that program, and solidified a friendship there that’s very special to me. And most importantly I started writing again. Pouring out my heart to my journal all the things I wanted to say to my Mom, God, and my family.

It felt so wonderful to have this release this safe place, I could come to when I was feeling sad. Which was a lot back then and through that self reflection I began to patch up my broken heart. I was living on little sleep, nutrition and raising my four year old son and his newborn baby brother. One journal led to another and I had my own little library. I read every grief book I could get my hands on and let the information absorb into to my fractured soul. I’ve always been a avid reader and writer at an early age, and I just started sharing my writing last year by starting this blog. I read tons of blogs, books, and articles and I thought maybe I could do that. I was trying to break through that negative blanket I wrapped myself in. Trying to silence my English teacher’s words. So the only dream I wished for was to believe in myself again. I’ve never shied away from a challenge in my life. I face it head on, even with a belly full of fear. Seeing my words this week appearing on the http://originalbunkerpunks.com website for the first time has filled me with so much pride and determination. I was an emotional mess I just cried and cried off and on all day. My husband took me out for a date night to celebrate and I could see the pride shining in his loving gaze. With that new found confidence I’ve been submitting my writing, and having a lot of positive feedback with it so I’m really happy. So I’ve been fortunate to be invited to do some guest blogging, and I’m returning the favour and opening up my blog this coming week to some guest bloggers. I appreciate all you dear readers being here and following along on my journey. I’ll still be here, I’m just going to take some time to work on my writing and start working on my book draft ideas. And most importantly I’ll be paying it forward to some amazing bloggers that I personally follow, adore, and I’m proud to call my friends. And with each story I share I heal a little more. I’ve begun to create this new normal in my life where the void has been. And with the love of my family, friends, and you my dear readers I’ll start to sparkle like the star I am. ?

life

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