Why I Became a Coach

I didn't think that at 28 years old I could find something I was as passionate about as teaching elementary school kids, but I have.  I've never really been a big health and fitness person.  To be honest, I would only workout right before summer and after having the babies.  The health part was really full of chocolate and junk food. Ha!  BUT after finishing up my first fitness challenge back in March I fell in love.  I felt so good... mind, body, and soul.  It led to me being an official Beach Body coach... yup that's my I'm now a coach picture.

The challenge was awe-inspiring.  Sticking to something for 30 days [now 90 days] taught me discipline in a lot of areas in my life, especially my faith  [another topic for another day].  I found my soul mate workout, PIYO [it's hands down the best].  I've learned a lot about food and how to work different areas of my body.  My family is eating better and the hubby and I have found another something we can enjoy together.  Sure, he's running at an 8-9 speed on the treadmill and I'm at a 5-6 but we get to run together and even do circuit training side by side.  Shakeology smoothies afterwards [insert cheesy happy wifey smile]. 

Not only have I found a new passion and a fitness plan that worked for me, but I fell in love with the accountability groups.  This is really the reason why I became a coach.  I became a coach for you. Yup YOU!

Even before deciding to be an official coach, I already told my coach Salma I want to run the accountability groups.  That's how passionate I am about them,  I really enjoy getting to know people.  I'm all for encouraging and inspiring one another.  I want to be there to support you in your journey.  I want to help you reach those goals, one week at a time.  I'm a bit of a pusher, in hopes it motivates you to make it happen!  And through the process, it brings me so as much joy to see the changes in the challengers.  It's not only their bodies and eating habits, but mentality.  To hear someone say, I didn't think I could, and the I've never stuck to something for this long.  It is simply amazing!

I've finished my first month and running my very first challenge, but it's only the beginning. It affirmed that this is exactly where I'm suppose to be and this is exactly what I am suppose to be doing.  One day, I hope to get PIYO certified and take some nutrition classes.  I am looking forward to the many more challenges and success stories that I know will happen this year.  Looking forward to meeting new faces and taking this passion further.

 And a shameless plug... if you want to join in on any of the challenges,email me!  I'd love to meet you.  Know that I will be committed to you as much as you are committed to me.

Until next time.  Toodles!

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Have Your Own Quaker Chewy Playdate

Sometimes life gets so busy going from one scheduled activity to the next, I forget how nice it is  to just go outside and play.  I mean really play, like we did back when I was a kid with all the neighborhood kids.  Roller blading, jump roping, chalk on the sidewalk, baseball in the street.  As a kid, these are the memories I still hold onto and I know my kids will cherish too.  Quaker Chewy wants to bring playtime back to families and to neighborhoods with an awesome Playdate Kit Giveaway.  

The little lady was under the weather but it sure cheered her to up to be able to open her Playdate kit!  Her reaction just cracks me up.

A video posted by Patty (@makeitcozeee) on May 21, 2015 at 1:15pm PDT

Quaker is a company after my own heart because they even included invitations!  If you follow me on Instagram you've been able to see all the fun we've had together outside at the block party and on the weekday. 

Over the weekend, we had a huge block party with all our neighbors.  It was awesome!  Everything I love about summer and playing outside.  Yup that's me in the yellow shorts jump roping with the little ones.  I'm always the biggest kid out there.  Hubby was playing baseball and trying to avoid breaking windows, and of course an adorable dance party.  

The kiddos love snacking on Quaker® Chewy® Granola Bars and I love how easy they are when we are on the go.  They contain 8 grams of whole grain in every bar and come in all the yummy flavors.  Chocolate Chip, S'mores and Oatmeal Raisin.  Though I have to admit only the baby ate the Oatmeal Raisin bar.  

I love that the corner of the boxes come off making it easy to get the bars.  

And have you seen the Big Chewy!? These are my favorites!  I love that they are bigger and contain chunks of popcorn or pretzels.  Oh so yummy!!  

There is a Quaker Chewy perfect for everyone in the family.  It's a hassle-free snack that provides us with the fuel we need to keep playing and making these memories together. This little stud muffin loves them.

We had such a blast at the block party we had another playdate!  Can we tell we  love to play?!  The kiddos did bubbles, chalk, played soccer....

When they got hungry, I dumped out all the Quaker Chewy bars for each on of them to pick from.  

We had a blast and seeing the baby crack up at the bubbles hitting his face is a memory I'll cherish.

A video posted by Patty (@makeitcozeee) on May 22, 2015 at 1:26pm PDT

Now it's your turn!  Quaker wants you to host your own Playdate and give one lucky family their very own Playdate kit.  The kit is awesome and full of goodies for outdoor or indoor play. 

It includes:

Chewy Playdate invitation pack to plan your next playdate

A classic Bocce Ball set for endless hours of outdoor summer play

A Gazillion Bubble Monsoon bubble machine for the whole family to enjoy

Sidewalk chalk set to get creative outdoors

A puzzle perfect for indoor or outdoor play

A red storage bin for storing your family’s favorite toys

A NERF Bash Ball for easy family fun

A variety of Chewy Granola Bars to help fuel family play, including, Big Chewy Sweet & Salty Bars and Chewy Granola Bars Variety Pack

The total giveaway value is approximately $100

*Note: Chewy Granola Bars may contain traces of peanuts and tree nuts. As a playdate host, please be sure to inform your guests in case of food allergies

It's super easy to enter!  Just leave me a comment and tell me what is your favorite play time activity to do with your family and friends and what is your favorite Quaker Chewy granola bar flavor.  That's it!!  Please leave your email so I can contact you. 

A bonus entry for sharing on any social media how you #keepplaying with the kiddos.  Be sure to use the hashtag and leave the link in a separate comment.  I will randomly select one lucky winner [US entries only] and Quaker will send you your own Playdate kit. 

Quaker is providing the prizes for this program at no cost to me. This program is not administered or sponsored by Quaker or its affiliates, but solely by Make It Cozee

And the giving doesn't end there!  Quaker is also inviting parents to participate in the Keep PLaying! With Chewy promotion for a chance to win $25,000 to make over their family's play space.  How amazing would that be?!  It's really easy to enter, of course I did. To enter visit  www.ChewyKeepPlaying.com and share your photo, and why you would love to win.  

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Quaker Oats for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

A Little Older and A Little Wiser

Today is my birthday.  Yup that's me at my favorite place, doing my favorite thing, drinking my favorite drink, in my birthday dress.  Nothing fancy this year just keepin' it simple doing all the little things I love.  I don't always feel so compelled to share from my heart and soul but today is an exception [and of all days, my birthday.]

For the first time on my birthday I actually feel a little more mature.  A little older, a little wiser, and a lot closer to God.

This season in my life I've reached that "adult" relationship with Jesus.  I'm not just running to him when I need help or thanking him because I got something.  It's deeper than that.  This year He has helped me to mature a lot.

I can't fully explain it but I know God has helped me to become a better wife, a mom, a friend, a sister, a person.  I'm still growing because by no means am I at the end.  I've come to realize that it's not about perfection, but real.  God is showing me how to be real, honest with myself in areas I need growth.  I feel a little less doing a million things aimlessly and more focused.  Focused on my mission to let my light shine.

There are songs for times like this that describe what I'm going through.  This season,  it's Start a Fire.  It perfectly describes "me" right now.  I've always been very shy and meek about my faith.  I'm just not wired to be a great evangelist.  There is a lyric in the song that says over and over again, I hear your voice in my head, let your light shine, let your light shine for all to see.  

       

It's not just about telling people I'm a Christian, it means more to me than that.  It means sharing the talents, the passion, the gifts that God has given me.  To share this overwhelming love that I get from Him.  To encourage others and bring them joy.  To give back to people in whatever way I can because I am so grateful for all the things He has blessed my little family with. 

I can tell you that God has started a fire in my soul.  It's been 12 years and now this little flame is finally starting to grow.  I'm not too jazzed about getting older but I am excited to see where God bring me in the next few years.  

So here is to growing a little older, a little wiser, and a lot closer to God.  Happy Tuesday!

Until next time.  Toodles!

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Chiquita Banana Sing-Off

If there is one healthy snack I never have trouble getting the kids to eat, it's Chiquita Bananas.  I have oodles of little monkeys in my house because we go through two bunches of Chiquita Bananas a week!  This stash of bananas will only last a few days in our house....

One of the reasons why is because this cutie and his big sister can eat up to three bananas a day just the two of them.  

He absolutely loves them!  That's some serious banana eating. 

When I heard about the Chiquita Jingle Contest I was all for it because who wouldn't want to win $5,000 or even a years worth of bananas?!  You can go ahead and Register here.  Chiquita is reintroducing their legendary Chiquita Jingle and chances are you have heard it.  The song hit airwaves in 1944.  Interestingly, it was written to hope Americans how to ripen and use bananas, which were at the time an exotic fruit.  Today it is still the "top banana" in jingles and Chiquita is looking for the next sing-off star!  You can enter with a music video, sing-along or Banana-Gram.  There are seven winners in all with the grand prize video winning $5,000!  Wow awesome is that?!

We really wanted to create a video like the ones in the Video Gallery , but if you follow my Instagram, you know the kiddos got super sick and so I am settling for trying to win the banana gram prize of free Chiquita Bananas for a year. That would still be awesome!  We might try to create our own video later on but for now here is our little lady's banana gram!  Be sure to head over HERE and like it!  

And as Chiquita Banana says there are so many ways you can eat bananas!  I like to put them in my salad.

It's not a pie but it's just as tasty,  I love my bananas in my chocolate shakeology shake.

I'm just dreaming of all the ways I could use a year's worth of bananas.... pancakes, bread, ice cream, muffins, pie, chips, the possibilities are endless.  

So head over, Register hereand enter for a chance to win the Chiquita Jingle Contest

 !  The contest ends May 27, 2015.  

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Chiquita Bananas for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

We Raised Caterpillars to Butterflies

Last year we did this really awesome activity with Cindy where we watched caterpillars turn into butterflies.  We didn't do it this spring because they did it at her preschool.  It was a memorable experience for her and so I wanted to share it with you all in case you would want to do it with your kiddos.  Be warned though because it can be a little sad to let the butterflies go.  

I will admit this was completely OUT of my comfort zone.  I hate bugs, they make me squirmish and queezy.  The hubby took one for the team with this one because he did most of the dirty work.  We got a kit, paid the $5 for shipping and got our caterpillars mailed to us in this container. 

Thankfully you never have to open it.  They eat the food at the bottom and get bigger and bigger each day!  Really all I want to say is gross.  

When they are ready, they start to crawl to the top of the cup where they will form their chrysalis. 

And before you know it. they are in and ready to be transformed. 

The hubby was such a trooper, bless his heart!  He took the paper off the lid and pinned it into our habitat.

We made sugar water for butterflies so they could eat when they came out. 

A few days later they started to break through.  It was really interesting to see how slow and messy it was.  Yes and also very creepy to me.  

We watched each one of our five caterpillars turn into butterflies!  It was pretty awesome. 

Then of course the hardest part would be letting them go.  This is the part she remembers the most.  She was only three then but she still talks about how sad it was to let her butterflies go and how she wished they could have stayed with us.  A thought that boggles my mind because she was just as grossed out as I was. 

One last pep talk...

Unzipped... [he had to give them a little shake too].

And off they went!

This is really a great activity for the kiddos and a neat way for them to experience metamorphosis first hand.  I will for sure be doing this again with her and now that she is older she can be a little scientist and record data each day we observe these icky little creatures. 

Until next time.  Toodles!

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Lessons From My Kids

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mamas out there!!

When I had my babies I didn't realize that over the years I would learn as much as I would teach.  Both these munckins may not realize it but they have helped to shape the person I am today.  Even now as I write this they are helping me let go of my selfishness because this years Mother's Day I'll be nursing them back to good health [and that's what moms are for!]. 

There was nothing that tested my patience like potty training.  Tamed my temper like public tantrums.  Told my type A side to be more flexible and understanding.  I learned how to love deeper and ask for forgiveness.  Yes, verbally ask them for forgiveness because even though I am the adult in our relationship I'm not perfect and I've made mistakes.  

They taught me how to be prepared for just about anything.  Why do you think my bag is so big? Forgetting diapers and wipes could be detrimental because it would be the one time she has a poop blow out in her pants [yup it happened].

They taught me how to share.  Share my time, space, food, drinks, possessions, my bed, my everything.  I've learned to let go of perfection.  A perfectly clean house, perfectly behaved kids, perfect body, perfect outfit, perfect family.

This year, they have taught me the importance of having time to myself.  That my health and wellness is as important as theirs.  When I am doing well spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally, it overflows to them.

 

I'm proud and honored that they call me mom.  These crazy kids inspire me to be a better mom.  A better wife.  A better person.

 Until next time.  Toodles!

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