More Than Just a Run

 Back in 2012 I decided that I wanted to start running.  I thought it was something fun the hubby and I could do together since he enjoys running.  I was really into it and wanted to run a 5K.  He saw my commitment and even bought me a nice jogging stroller.

 Then just like that, after a few months of being in the best physical shape, I dislocated my knee moving a couch.

That injury didn't just hurt my knee but it damaged my confidence.  I didn't tear anything but the doctor told me that I really should get surgery and I was one bad step away from another dislocation.  That scared me.  Just this past December I was wearing a brace again because of the pain. 

In March I made a commitment to get healthy and even shared with you my fitness journey.  Found the perfect workout [Piyo] to help rehabilitate my knee.  This month didn't just get my "body back" but gave me my confidence back.  It made me stronger as a whole, showed me how to be consistent and discipline.  It gave me the courage to sign us up for the 5K I wanted to run three years ago.

This wasn't just a fun 5K.  It was me finishing what I had started back in 2012.  Telling my mind that my body was capable of doing this.  I was proving that doctor wrong that my knee should be operated on.  I was proving to myself that I can do more than what I had thought. 

It was a glow run so I of course dressed up.  I was excited and nervous.  

  I was happy that after 6 years of marriage, this desire [for us to workout together] was really becoming a reality.  There isn't anyone else I would have wanted to share this night with.  My better half.  The one who supports my crazy dreams and pushes me to want to be a better me.  

The run was way more challenging than what I had expected.  Through the woods and up a few hills.  

Mile two was a mental battle but I had him pushing me to keep going.  By the final mile, I was ready to walk but again I had that strong voice telling me we don't stop!  I really wanted to punch him at this point.  

But once I saw that finish line I was so excited.  We set a goal to run it in 40 minutes and thanks to my pushy hubby I did it in 35.  He was so sweet he even slowed down to take pictures of me finishing.

I was proud of me and I could tell he was proud of me.  It was a sweet moment we got to share together.

We joked and laughed over ice cream about how I almost didn't make it and how mad I was at him at that 3 mile mark.  Hands down one of the best date nights.

All this to say, Don't let your dreams just be dreams.  You'd be amazed at what you could do if only you would stop telling yourself I can't because... 

Never let a stumble in the road be the end of the journey.

A video posted by P A T T Y (@makeitcozeee) on Jun 6, 2015 at 7:56pm PDT

Are there any dreams you have that you've been wanting to accomplish?

Until next time.  Toodles! 

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Hormel Turkey Avocado Sandwich

When it comes to food I try to choose what is tasty and nutritious for our family and friends.  As best as we can I try to avoid preservatives and something wholesome.  That's why I love HORMEL®NATURAL CHOICE® deli meats.  I love the taste and the convenience.  The deli meats are sliced to the right thickness, there are no nitrates or added hormones, and the options make it easy to create a sandwich or snack everyone would love.  This turkey avocado is a hands down hit every time!  Once you've had this you'll want to make the naturalchoice too. 

It's simple but so yummy.

Ingredients:

Bread of your choice
Cheese  

HORMEL®NATURAL CHOICE® Smoked Deli Turkey

Baby Lettuce 

Avocado

Mayo

Salt

  I mix a little mayo and avocado with some salt.  Layer everything in a tasty bread of your choice and in no time you have a delicious lunch!

I had a mommy lunch date today and I can tell you this simple sandwich was a hit!  She loved it and so did her daughter.

  It's easy to make, looks pretty and so delicious! 

HORMEL®NATURAL CHOICE® products are made with a recyclable box so you'll be able to recognize them right away in the grocery store.  It's easy to find and available right down the street at our local grocery store!  No need for me to head to any specialty store.

Be sure to like HORMEL®NATURAL CHOICE® on Facebook and Hormel Natural Choiceon Pinterest. 

This post brought to you by Hormel Foods, LLC.. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Make it Cozee

Healthy Mind, Body and Soul

Each day I try my best to take care of my mind, body and soul.  I take care of my body because God created it but I realized that when I take care of me, when I have energy and feel confident for the day, I can better take care of everyone else.  I try to make it a routine and a habit, but of course not every day looks perfect.  The important thing is I am always making an effort to spend time with God, eat right, and exercise.

I wake up every morning before everyone else.  Not necessarily by choice, but I've learned to embrace it.  Little stud muffin has to have a bottle at 5:30am.  I start with a glass of water and a little reading, a little worship, and a little praying.  My Bible, a devotional, and a book to help my business.  Probably the quietest time of the day.  Get my mind right.  Learning how to be disciplined in my workouts and eating has resulted in me getting disciplined about my faith.  They aren't separate but go hand in hand for me.

I usually get my workout done in the morning.  Working out from home is the easiest for me with the kids.  I push play when little guy is taking his first nap.  Just 25-35 minutes.

Done and sweating.  Piyo is still and will always be my favorite but now that I have Beach Body on demand I also do Turbo Fire and the 21 day fix workouts.  Feels so good afterwards!

To change things up, I can sometimes make it to the gym.  There I usually run on the tradmill or take a class.  Really loving Zumba and Barre.

  

And for pre and post workout snacks I fuel my body with Shakeology.  It's packed with super foods and protein.  Has your serving of fruits and veggies and vitamins.  I LOVE the chocolate one but sometimes do vanilla mocha and strawberry berry.  It curbs my large sweet tooth.  After drinking a huge bottle of a chocolate, banana, peanut butter shake the last thing I want is more chocolate.  If you're not super familiar with protein shakes there are tons out there like ETB who offers a huge variety of supplements of powder.  Do your research and find the one that is best for you!  If you need help and have question about it shoot me an email and I'd be happy to help! 

If I can get these three into my day and before the madness of the day starts, no matter what comes my way it will be a good day!

I'd love to hear from you!  How do you stay healthy mind, body and soul?

6 Time Saving Tips

There are seasons in life when I'm super duper pooper busy and time when there just isn't that much to do.  When I was pregnant with little guy there was lots of down time.  Now I'm in the busy season.  Since I am a new coach and still blogging it's just a little more time now.  I know it won't always be like this but for now I had to find ways to save my some time.

If you're anything like me and you're in your busy season too, you may be looking for ways to save time.  The one thing that always gets pushed to the bottom end of the priority list is always the house work. But I'm finding small ways to combat that with simple things like making sure I put in a load of laundry a day and put away a basket a day.  Or even something as simple as doing the dishes every night.  Each little teeny bit helps. Here are six other ways to save time:

1. Strap them in!

I'm kind of a slacker when it comes to making sure that my little stud muffin is in his high chair for snacks and meals... well this just means messy floors and crumbs everywhere.  You get the idea.

3. You Don't Have to be Fancy

To minimize dishes during the day, we eat on paper plates and at night on on the weekends when daddy is home we use the fancy stuff.

3.  Toilet cleaners

This is silly but these are awesome!  I don't constantly have to keep cleaning toilet bowls and the bathroom always smells good!

4. Crockpot it Up

Our crock pot has been a lifesaver when we have busy days and the last thing I want to do is cook.  It's amazing.

5. Grocery Shop Online

This and number six go hand in hand.  Oh my gosh this has to be my favorite time saving tip!  Not having to deal with two kids at the grocery store, saves money because we only get what we need.

I meal prep, add everything to my online cart and DONE. 

Yup this is what it looks like to go grocery shopping now a days.

They even load it for me!  I will happily pay 5 bucks for someone to grocery shop for me and save me an hour and thirty minutes.

6.  Meal Prep

You can't really take advantage of the grocery shopping online without being able to meal prep each week.  Meal prepping has been an essential for us.  It not only saves us so much money since I pack lunches everyday but we also eat and snack much healthier.  

I cook up meats to use in dinners for week, cut up veggies and fruits, prep lunchs, and prep the kids breakfasts.  I have to set aside time to do it and sometimes I have hubby watch the kids so I can BUT I NEVER regret it.  Saves me having to wash the same dishes over and over, saves time cooking at night, hubby feels loved by his amazing lunches everyday.  Hopefully will get to post more about it in the future.  Plus our fridge always looks more organized and I love that.

Dannielle and I teamed up on this one and you can check out her time saving tips at Quite Dainty! 

So, share your wisdom with me!  How do you save time each week?

Until next time.  Toodles! 

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Kids Replay What You Display

It's a little odd but the treadmill is a place of reflection and thoughts.  I put my head phones in, run and listen to my "Jesus" music [as the little lady calls it].  These thoughts are completely random just like me.  Ha!  But today I was thinking about the kiddos [total mom with the who knows what stain on my shirt and loose thread on my shoe.]

Maybe it's because this morning she walked down the stairs with one of my workout headbands on her head and said she was ready to go to the gym.  But as I am running this question came to my mind.

What is that one thing I want my kids to learn from me the most?   Is it my creativity, love for school, books, sports, fitness... 

Kid's watch everything we do.  We know that they listen to what we say but DO what we DO.  They replay what we display.  I do want them to grow up and be smart, athletic, healthy, giving, kind [and the list is endless] but the biggest thing I want them to learn from me is this...

How to love God and how to love others.  

I don't mean that cliche kind of love... but the love that shows commitment, gives times, and takes sacrifice.  The deep kind of love.  

I want them to see that my relationship with Jesus is as real as my relationship with them and their daddy.  I love Him.  I spend time with him.  I talk to him.  Sing to him.  Share exciting things going on in my life with him... daily.  They have seen me drop to my knees and cry to him when things get tough [seriously].  He's part of every decision I make.  I ask him for advice.  I pray to him on behalf of others.  Ask him for forgiveness when I mess him.  I listen to the things he says to me.  My desire is to make Him happy.  I love him.  

I want them to grow up and love people.  To decipher how this love looks differently between our family, friends, strangers.  That no matter how different someone is we can still show them love, compassion, joy, mercy.  I want them to see what it looks like for a husband to love his wife and vice versa through our marriage.  That this love isn't perfect, sometimes it argues, it takes work and compromise.  Forgiveness.  Resolution.  I want them to see that they have been blessed with so much that these blessings should flow to others.  I want them to love with encouraging words, smiles, giving to others their time and talents and physical things.  

If there is one thing I want them to learn from me I hope it's how to love God and how to love others.

And on that note I will end it with one more selfie of the three of us.

Happy Wednesday!! Until next time.  Toodles!

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Down Time with DoubleDown

We all have that one thing we love to do for fun and I like to call it "me time".  Some people like to sew, paint, crochet, I like to craft and workout.  My hubby likes to read a book and sometimes play games.  All sorts of different games!  We play cribbage and 21, he likes to play games online too.  Playing games is one fun way to relax and have fun.   DoubleDown Casino is for people who love playing casino games for their downtime or as I like to call it "me time".  If you love slots it may be perfect for you.

DoubleDown is the only online casino that offers an authentic Vegas experience to the world.  Everyone is welcome to play the real casino games with friends all in one place.  You could get your friends together from all across the country for a fun social casino that feel like a real casino.   I remember when we were first married I jumped on a really popular Facebook game and had a blast playing with my friends who I just graduated college with.  It was a way for us to stay connected even though we were all so far away from each other.

 It's that easy to sign up for DoubleDown Casino too!  Sign in with your Facebook and you'll be ready to play.  

You don't have to be sitting right next to friends and family to enjoy playing a game together. The best part is you can play from anywhere, from your computer, tablet, or even phone.   That means you can also play anytime!  Stuck in a doctor’s office, waiting at the DMV?  Why not jump on, grab a friend, and play together!  DoubleDown lets you share the fun in taking a chance and win!  Who doesn't like to win? 

 
The games are free to play!  I think I love free even more than I do winning.  Anyone can join in and you don't have to be an expert.  I think my bestie and I would be cracking up at how bad we are at poker.  Okay, she would probably be cracking up at me because I have no idea what I am doing.  Sometimes that’s the fun of the game!  I would definitely have to learn as I go.  Each new player receives 1 Million Free Chips.  You can use your chips to play whatever game you love.  There ar Daily Slot Tournaments, Poker, Game King, Video Poker.  My mom and I use to love playing Black Jack together when I was kid and they have that too!  My older sister would love Roulette.  When we went to a casino night for her work we had a blast playing and learning how to play together.  The first time you play, you can come back daily for the daily wheel spin.  This is a chance to earn free chips!  And again who doesn’t love free?  There are tons of slots and games to choose from and something for everyone to play.  You can play solo or grab a friend to join in.  Check it out on Facebook, get your free 1 million chips and play now

So what is it that you like to do as your “me time”?

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

Loving Her Machine Washable Stride Rite Shoes

When my little lady was just a baby, my mother in law always emphasized the value of shoes for baby's and kids.  She told me that when my hubby was little she would make sure he was wearing comfortable shoes that would last through his countless hours of play and she always chose Stride Rite.  The first high quality pair of shoes my daughter ever got were from my mother in law and you better believe that they were from Stride Rite.  Now it's mommy's turn to get her the next pair.  

She's much older now and that means she plays even harder so shoes are taking a beating.  Running, biking, playing soccer in the street with her friends, and zooming on the sidewalk in her scooter.  This summer I knew she was going to need a good but also very cute pair of shoes because now it matters to her what she wear.  Safe to say she loves them!  As soon as she opened them she wanted to wear them around the house all day. 

A video posted by Patty (@makeitcozeee) on May 26, 2015 at 2:38pm PDT

I chose the Scarlet from the Made 2 Play Collection.  The number one reason why is because they are Machine Washable.  Let me say that again, machine washable!  If you have an active kid like mine you know these shoes will get dirty and these are designed with dirt shredding soles. They also have an anti-stink lining that helps keep the shoe odor free.  I love how adorable they are. 

They can easily be worn with pants, a summer dress, or leggings.  There are so many cute options from Stride Rite Made 2 Play for girls   She loves the colors...

and the fact that she can easily put them on herself.  The Grip and go strap makes it easy for her little fingers and in no time we can be out the door.  

The toe is reinforced for durability.

They are comfortable for jumping and playing because of the memory foam insoles.  

We are loving these shoes and I'll be getting some for the little man too.  Have you seen Stride Rite Made 2 Play for boys.  I can see why they consistently get a 4.5-5 star rating.  They were really thinking of mom's and kids when designing these great shoes.  Did I mention they are machine washable?  That really was what sold me on these cute shoes. 

So head over to Stride Rite and check out the Made 2 Play line!  There are so many different styles and options to choose from from baby to big kid.  The best part is from June 1st- June 30th you can use my personal 20% off code!  Enter COZEEKICKS at checkout for the discount.  

You can also find more about Stride Rite shoes by visiting their Facebook and Instagram pages.