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Hey sweet mama friend.. we need each other <3

Hey my new mama friend! I’m SO glad you’re here! Chances are, you may have just ordered your fresh off the press Real Mom Moments book, and for that I am so grateful we’ve found each other!

I’m really just a mom, JUST. LIKE. YOU. My kids are messy, crazy and don’t pick up their crap. (Yes, we say “crap” here.) They’re wide open, love big and drive us nuts all at the same time. Sound familiar? Mercy, I hope so.. I really think we’re all a bit more alike than we’d like to admit. šŸ™‚

I really just wanted to take a minute to pop on and introduce myself and this nifty little book in your hands. My hubs, 3 kiddos and pup and I live in sunny Florida. We’re both full time nurses and full time parents. We love to spend time outside in the sunshine, have epic game nights, and play FortNite.

This devo book came out of the ordinary, everyday moments of motherhood – the scariest HOOD there is, y’all! Motherhood is so beautifully unique to us all. We all do things differently and all come from different backgrounds. I’m so thankful God chooses to speak to us in the everyday moments, too often we take for granted.

I pray that you find peace in today, wherever it finds you. Today, I made a few minutes to sneak outside while the littles were in school and relax in the hammock playing catchup on our small group bible study (we’d love to have you at Wisdom Seekers on FB! We’re studying Esther right now. It’s been awesome so far!). You have to make time for you, girl. You HAVE to. Or you won’t be any good for your people.

It’s time to run and get the little people from school. In the meantime, I’d LOVE to get to know you! How did you come across this blog? Where did you get your book? Tell me something about yourself! Can’t wait to get to know you, mama! ā¤

Live Life Unscripted,

ā¤ Britt

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Iā€™m baaaaaaack!

Y’all, let me be the first to say – it has been a while. I’ve missed you guys so much!

Let’s catch up!

A took a long hiatus (about 3 years to be exact) to focus on school. I stepped back from everything to pursue an education as a RN. I quit my job, put everything on hold and began as a full time student. This year in May, I graduated with an Associates Degree as a Registered Nurse. Look at God!

Don’t ever limit yourself or question God’s plan. Sometimes He takes ordinary people with no experience and He trains them for the plans He has for them. I was just a stay at home mom who’s worked off and on for the past 12 years. Now, at 30 years old, I have my first degree in a career I absolutely LOVE!

When you put God first, it’s absolutely breathtaking the doors He will open for you and the places He’ll take you!

We had a fantastic family vacation to Florida with some amazing friends! The kids were excited to see some dolphins, swim until they had pruny toes and soaked up some rays.

Well guys, that’s it for now. Be patient with me as I get back into the groove of blogging.

This is a short post, but I wanted to share with you where I’ve been and what we’ve been up to. I hope you’re doing well friends! I’m back and so ready to get back in the saddle here! I’ve missed you so much!

“For I know the plans I have for you,ā€ declares the LORD, ā€œplans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Live Life Unscripted,

– Britt

Little Joy Thief

Real Life:

  • yesterdayā€™s makeup fading
  • laundry thatā€™s been on my bed all week (at least itā€™s clean!)
  • sink full of dishes and Saturdayā€™s stuck on lasagna
  • weird smell in garage..
  • wacky hair
  • couch also full of laundry (folded! winning!)

Can we be real this morning? Not everything you see on social media represents their daily grind. You see what people want you to see.

Yes we took the fam to the beach yesterday but you donā€™t see sandy, damp truck seats or messy bathrooms after showers. You see smiles but you donā€™t see complaints from the kids about who threw sand.

Right before sand wars. Insert deep breath prior to little screams.



Stop comparing yourself with someoneā€™s highlight real. Itā€™s. Not. Real. And it is a quick joy stealer.

Embrace the mess and sticky hugs and where you are, mama. It wonā€™t always be like this. And maybe, just maybe, weā€™ll miss this season.

Invite that mama over. Enjoy some conversation. Grab somebody and walk this out together. Because I promise you this – that other mama has been praying someone else would reach out and make her feel like sheā€™s not the only one. ā¤ļø
.

mom #mama #mommy #motherhood #realmommoments #mum #mess #chaos #season #joy #sticky #kids #family #hope #wereinthistogether #hugs #dontwalkalone #mondayvibes

Be real, mama. Or bruh. Or whatever your kids are calling you these days. šŸ˜‚

– Britt xo

Tired..

Current situationā€¦..



Not going to lie, this afternoon has been a bit cray.

My little people have been off the chain. (Did I miss a full moon somewhere?)

Loud, crazy, messy and did I say LOUD?

They raised their voices. I raised mine. No one was being heard. Tiny people quickly release those frustrations and they look to us for help to regroup.

But today this mama was tiredā€¦



Tired is one of the biggest enemies of our souls.

When weā€™re tired, we donā€™t guard our mouths as well. When weā€™re tired, we donā€™t come across as gracious. When weā€™re tired, we let our guard down and sin can creep in. And baby that mouth again..

Honey, if youā€™re tired, step back and check out for a minute. My kids are inside playing now. (I think.. I donā€™t hear any screaming so I think weā€™re good..) Sometimes you need a quiet moment all swaddled in a hammock just watching the clouds as the breeze refreshes your dry, parched soul.

Are you tired?

Matthew 11:28 says to come to him and he will give you rest.

Part of that coming to him means we have to step away from the chaos so we can hear his still small voice speaking sweet, redemptive peace over us.

Check out for a minute. I promise the world can wait.

Life Life Unscripted,

ā¤ļøBritt

#calminthechaos #sundayafternoon #relax #justbreathe #breeze #Godlovesyou #Hewillgiveyourest #stepback #checkingout #tired

Do you trust your Pilot?

Sitting here waiting for the airplane to take off and my mind starts wandering as I look around. Itā€™s so easy to see everyone comes from a different walk of life.

Little ones sitting beside their parents playing games quietly on their iPads.

Medium sized ones talking to the ones next to them about their travels.

Teenagers in gym shorts with hoodies pulled tightly around their faces and napping to pass the time.

Ladies to the right reading their novels with their little pooch cuddled up in their lap.

Men talking and laughing looking out the window next to them as we glide through the clouds.

Families traveling together to celebrate with loved ones.

Couples visiting sick family members with scary diagnoses saying goodbye for the last time.

It hit me that we all have a few things in common.

We donā€™t see the pilot, but we trust him.

Weā€™re all traveling at the same time, side by side and we all have full confidence that weā€™re going to get where weā€™re going.

We trust the pilot to navigate us where we need to go and that heā€™s fully capable of handling whatever comes our way as weā€™re making our way to our destination.

We canā€™t fly the plane. Itā€™s absurd to think weā€™re capable. If we waltzed into the cockpit and said ā€œhey bud, Iā€™d like to give this a try,ā€ weā€™d be tackled and reprimanded and be the next viral video hit.

How is it that we trust a total stranger that sits behind a closed door to take us at a tremendous rate of speed and thousands of miles above the ground, but we have such a hard time trusting God?

God is all knowing – he already has mastered our past, present and future. He knows all the details and Heā€™s not intimidated.

God is so very present – He is with us 24/7. Come hell or high waters, He has never and will never leave our side. Weā€™re safe in His embrace.

God is all powerful – no diagnosis, hopeless situation or present circumstances overwhelm Him, nor does He back down from them.

The Bible reminds us in Proverbs 3:5-6 to trust in the Lord with ALL our hearts and lean not into our own understanding. He already knows the outcome. He has seen how this plays out because Heā€™s the One who wrote the ending.

If we can trust a complete stranger behind a closed door, surely we can put our faith and trust in the One who formed us together in our motherā€™s womb. The One who never makes mistakes and loves us through our biggest successes and our greatest failures.

Iā€™m not sure what youā€™re walking through today, but weā€™re all walking this out together. Iā€™m not perfect and neither are you. We may do things differently, but we all have been blessed to see another day.

The skies may be full of turbulence and fear may be gripping your heart from circumstances that overwhelm and paralyze you, but please know you have a ā€œPilotā€ you may not be able to get a full glimpse of yet, but Heā€™s always there to guide you and lead you in the right direction! He loves you, Heā€™s cheering you on and Heā€™s got you in the palm of His hand! You are not alone, my friend! Look beside you and youā€™ll see that were all in this together!

Live Life Unscripted,

<Brittany

Do you know your WHY?

Somebody needs to hear this today:

Youā€™re not just a teacher.

Youā€™re not just a nurse.

Youā€™re not just a mom/dad.

Youā€™re not just a truck driver.

Youā€™re not just a secretary.

Youā€™re not just a ___________. (Fill in your blank here)

You have purpose exactly where you are – right in this very moment. It doesnā€™t matter how old, young, experienced, or brand new into the field you are. God has a distinct calling and destiny in your life. The question is, what are you doing with it?

We have a choice daily. We can either choose to do something (it doesnā€™t have to be this huge ginormous thing) to bring the people around us closer to God or we can choose to show off actions that bring them further from God.

Our nursing instructors got this. Several of them went truly above and beyond their job description as an instructor and really impacted our lives. I still keep in contact with most of them. One in particular sends us encouraging texts here and there and she has no idea how much it impacts us.

I got one yesterday that was a video by Michael J. Fox that talked about knowing your ā€œwhy.ā€ You donā€™t do what you do for a paycheck. You donā€™t do it for recognition. There is a generally a reason deep down that fuels WHY we do what we do. Video link here.

Gary and I both pursued our nursing degrees because we knew our reach in the church (speaking only of the physical building) would be limited. We wanted to reach further outside the walls of a physical building. As a nurse, you see people when they are extremely vulnerable in so many senses of the word. They are generally willingly seeking help. They are broken, hurting and many times very afraid. And there you are – not just a nurse – but a child of the living God who has ā€œjust so happenedā€ to be assigned as their caregiver of the day.

What are you going to do with this opportunity?

Maybe youā€™re a teacher who invests countless hours of their time to help mold this upcoming generation. You spend your money, time and lives around these kids. You spend more time with them during the school day than their parents are able to sometimes.

What are you going to do with it?

When you know your WHY, a passion is ignited like pouring gasoline on a fire! It changes everything!

Fill in the blank:

I am a _______ BECAUSE _______.

If you donā€™t know your why, I encourage you to spend time today asking yourself and praying about WHY.

And when you know WHY – take every opportunity captive today and make a difference in the lives of those around you. Thereā€™s a reason you are where you are right now.

#knowyourWHY #impact

Live Life Unscripted,

ā¤ Britt

A little goes a looong way

Sometimes we make things so complicated. Our kids arenā€™t looking for the next Pinterest worthy accolade. Sometimes itā€™s a simple love note in a lunch box or crayon doodles on the back of a paper plate waiting to surprise them when they get up in the morning for their first day of school.

Itā€™s so easy to criticize. Iā€™ll hang my head low with guilt on that one.. smh.. but when God reminds you that we all need some grace and encouragement and creativity, you break out the kids craft box and store brand paper plates and get to work.

How can we make a difference today? What if we started at home?

So many are hurting. So many desperately need a kind word and a warm ā€œI care and Iā€™m hereā€ smile. Itā€™s good to help others, donā€™t get me wrong. I just hate we miss so many opportunities to share these kinds of good vibes and words on the home front. I think we think the mission field is ā€œout thereā€ and so far away but we miss our mission behind closed doors.

God, help us worn out mamas and daddies tonight to dig in a little deeper and find a way to knock our kids socks off with how much we love them tomorrow. Let each day be an exciting challenge to see how much we can make them smile and light up! Help us start today. Start small. Start humbly. Start impacting the ones You have entrusted us with. Help us cut back on the criticism and crank up the encouragement! Help us raise tiny planet shakers who are ready to share Your love and good news with the world! I pray we can raise encouragers and world changers!

Well, how about you, friend? I want to know – How do you encourage your kids? What do you do to let them know theyā€™re special?

#backtoschool #mom #realmommoments #sleepybutdetermined #encourage #motivate #raisingtinyhumans #missionaccepted

Live Life Unscripted,

Britt ā¤

“Where ya joy at?”

I kept trying to rename this post.  But I can’t get past these words. My heart is so burdened for us as the church this morning.

Where.  Is.  Our.  Joy?? 

When the world looks at us, do they see anything that makes them want what we have?  Heck, do we look like we want what we have?

The enemy knows what it takes to bring us to our knees (and I’m not talking about in prayer).  He’s had a bird’s eye view into our lives and into the lives of humanity for y.e.a.r.s.  He knows what it takes to knock you down.  And he wants to use that to keep us down and out.

  
He wants your joy.  He wants you to keep silent.  He wants to make you feel like you’re drowning in your struggle and that there’s no way out.  He wants you to be in a funk.  And he makes sure others take notice when you’re at your worst.

You need to watch this brief video.  God put it so heavy on my heart this morning and I pray it stirs you up.

Don’t let the enemy steal your joy.  The world needs to see this unfathomable, uncontainable joy that we have in Christ Jesus.

 

 

Now go out and spread some joy, guys!  ā¤

Live Life Unscripted,

ā¤ Brittany

To The Barren Woman { Special Guest Post by Loretta Yopp! }

Does Mother’s Day find you in an uncomfortable place?  It is not by chance you found these words today.  You need a few moments to be encouraged, beautiful friend.   Push that darling little brew button on your coffee maker and pull up a seat at the table and let’s talk through this thing.   

Because you are worth it.  And because God knew you needed to read these words today.   

I am so excited to share a letter from a dear friend.  Loretta has shared before and this has come at the perfect time.  Mother’s Day.  Here is Loretta’s heart titled “The Barren Woman.” 

———————-

To the Barren Woman,

I’m writing you this Mother’s Day to encourage you to keep moving forward and never give up on your dreams. I am not just another woman that doesn’t understand your pain. I’m a woman who has walked in your shoes. I’m a woman that has been through the fight of being barren and still battle it today. 

It is a struggle that can’t even be described in words. I’m one of the women that has faced the pain and suffered the loss of not being able to feel life growing inside of me. I’m one that has soaked my pillow many nights crying out to God asking Him “Why me, what did I do to deserve this pain?“. 

Quoting scripture after scripture to God as if God didn’t know what He promised in His Word. I was in every prayer line hoping and praying that someone would speak a word over my situation to encourage me that God heard me. Wanting nothing more to be pregnant, but always ending up empty handed. 

Yes, I have felt the pain and brokenness. I have had well meaning people say to me “how blessed” I was to not have to endure the pain of childbirth. Can I just say please don’t say that to a barren woman, because no matter how much you are trying to ease their pain it’s a kick in the face. 

I know the pain of walking around trying to be happy and rejoice for the rest of the pregnant women you meet. Please don’t think we are not glad for you, because we are it is just the human selfishness that surfaces no matter how hard we try to hide the truth that we face each day. You see this barrenness is a painful battle for us every day of our lives. 
  

I have been married to a wonderful man for 25 years and I am in my 40’s and I must tell you during the intimate moments it’s still emotionally painful at times. The feeling of failing my husband as a woman. The feelings within myself as not being a woman because something is wrong with me. 

It still is a slap in the face for me. I still have a longing for the experience of having a baby. I still cry and struggle with angry and rejection when I hear of or see someone pregnant. I encourage you that you are not alone. 

Don’t ever let someone tell you that you are having a pity party and that you should not feel this way… God made us woman to be fruitful and desire children. Your pain is real and Mother’s Day is a struggle and a grim reminder that you were chosen to be barren. 

But one thing that I have learned is that God knows what He is doing in my life and while I may feel loss and pain He is still God. I trust His direction for my life. 

In my case I changed my prayer for children… In September 2012, me and my husband adopted 3 children that God prepared for us. Katelyn, Victoria and Christian are blessings from God into our lives. I tell my children that while I was praying for children God was working on my behalf. 

  

Is the pain and desire still there to want to be pregnant? Yes, it is! But in all God’s goodness He gave me a blessing far greater than I could have ever imagined. 

So to the Barren Woman who is still Motherless on this Mother’s Day be encouraged that each day is a day closer to your destiny and purpose. God is not punishing you, but He is preparing you for greatness… 

Love in Christ my friend.

From Another Barren Woman

Fighting With Faith

You think it could never happen to you. Until you find a lump. And then everything changes.  

  

This is my friend, Sarah. Her and her husband have a beautiful little girl and two foster children. They also pastor a growing church in Braydenton, FL.  

She’s young. A healthy eater. And cancer doesn’t even run in her family. Yet tests came back positive. For the “C” word.  

Just because you have Jesus doesn’t mean you’ve been handed a ticket to a worry free life. Christians still face larger than life situations. But here’s the kicker – we don’t face them alone.  

There have only been a few times in my life I can say that God has allowed me to “feel” someone’s burden and carry it with them. Feel it to where I physically hurt. Where the tears come in such heavy down pours. When my heart feels like it’s been linked to theirs and I find myself begging God to intervene.  
  
Now I am not rolling in the dough. We are not loaded. I wanted to help but wasn’t sure what I could do to make a drop in the ocean of funds it would take to make a difference.   

  

When praying for a way to help my friend, God reminded me of this pretty cool resource He gave me last year. Real Mom Moments. And immediately I knew that this book project was way bigger than me. That God foreknew what Sarah would be facing and that help was already on the way. And that it would be a double whammy – helping Sarah fight cancer and help moms who would come together to help Sarah.  

I pray that you’re able to help in some way. Whether you purchase a book for yourself to help fund Sarah’s treatment or whether you make it your mission to not only help her, but also find a few moms in your inner circle who could use some inspiration and purchase a hand full of books, every penny of the profit during the month of April will go to Sarah’s cancer treatment.  

Sarah and I both thank you in advance for your support! Here’s to #fightingwithfaith !! 

  

Please click the link at the top of the page titled “Real Mom Moments Book” to order your copies today! Or click here to go directly to the publisher’s website to order! 

Please check out Sarah’s blog www.fightingwithfaith.org to follow her journey! She would love to connect with you! 
  

Thank you for supporting this amazing young woman and her journey fighting with faith! 
Live Life Unscripted, 

ā¤ Brittany

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