IMVU 3D Chat World

Just a few days ago, I joined a 3D chatting online community called IMVU. I have to say.. I LOVE IT! It's sort of like mixing the SIMS with a regular IM program. You can dress up in different outfits, change your hair and look and you get to chat with people.

The best part is, I'm having fun and it's helping me promote the store. Tomorrow I will be purchasing my avatar's name and I will begin making customized clothes for the "game" featuring some of the designs you see in my store. So if you love my designs and can't afford to buy them.. why not check out IMVU and wear them there!?

I've met some really cool people. I was a bit concerned that I would run into nothing but weird perverts or 12 and 13 year olds cybering.. but I have been pleasantly suprised. Most of the people I have chatted with have been 25-40. And it's been really nice to chat with them about stuff other than baby poop or Britney Spears.. lol I chatted about politics, movies, music, World of Warcraft, Art, MySpace.. lots of things that I am interested in.

Check it out and have some fun. You can earn points the first 4 days just by chatting. Then you can spend it on cool clothes, furniture and other cool accessories! Sign up HERE and I will gain some points myself for inviting a friend! And be sure to look me up and chat with me! :)

Labels: chatting, fun, IMVU, Online

Halloween Costumes

So what were your children for Halloween? How old are they?

I saw some super cute costumes this year. It seemed like Spider Man is still the heavy favorite for the little boys and princess fairies the natural hit for the girls. However, every year I seem to see more and more provocative costumes on the girls that I cannot imagine letting my daughter wear.

I see no reason for a 5 year old to be in platform shoes, hip hugger bell bottoms and a cropped, sequent shirt with her belly hanging out. It's inappropriate and just doesn't look tasteful on a young lady. Maybe I'm just old fashioned. I realize it was Halloween and a time to dress up, but it really didn't look good. What are your views on this? I'm curious to know!

Labels: costumes, first halloween, halloween

The Holidays Are Coming!

With Halloween over, we have bigger holidays to look forward to. I'm super excited about Christmas. Our daughter was less than a month old last year on Christmas, so she really didn't get anything out of it. But this year, she's at least old enough to understand the concept of new toys to play with!

Sad thing is... Our tree is still up. Yes, you read that right. We really don't have room in our small town home for a full size tree, so we got one of those small trees about 3 feet high, decorated it with lights and small ornaments and then put it on an end table. It's been there ever since. I tried putting it away a few weeks after Christmas. Hailey was still a new born at the time, so I had little time to fuss with things like that. Once I gave in and tried to put it away, I realized I would never get it back in its box the way it came and soon gave up the battle! I guess at least this means less work for this year! (Hey, at least we took down the actual Christmas lights in the window!)

I'm gearing up for the holidays in my store. I'm super excited about it. I already ordered a Christmas shirt I designed for Hailey. I plan on ordering me one as well (or maybe the Definitely Naughty one instead). You check check those out here: Definitely Nice and Definitely Naughty. I love them.. I just haven't decided which one I want!


We're getting Hailey's birthday pictures done in a few weeks, and her Christmas pictures as well. I plan on designing some custom Christmas cards to send out to the family. That way, everyone can get a precious keepsake in the form of a card and everyone can have an updated picture of Hailey. I simply cannot afford to purchase that many pictures and gifts for such a large family! So, this will kill two birds with one stone. If you like this idea, message me at KimisKustoms@yahoo.com and I will be more than happy to design some holiday cards for you - whatever you'd like. I know how tight money gets around the holidays trying to cater to everyone!

What are you doing for the holidays this year? Leave a comment!

Labels: advertising, babies, cafe press, cafepress, christmas, clothes, family, gifts, Hailey, Kimi, marketing, money, parenting, pictures, stores

So Much Going On!

I'm so excited that the price changer on CafePress is fixed! I'm on a roll with new designs and hopefully I can manage a bunch more before the holiday rush!

This next design, I think I'm gonna buy for my daughter Hailey in the form of a Toddler Tee. It reads My Mommy Says I'm Messy. I Say I'm Artistic! It comes in five different colors - pink, blue, green, purple and orange. I can of course add more if you'd like it in a different color. It's super cute and features a messy splat in the background.





I have seen this joke time and time again and just had to have a shirt for it. I wanted it to encompass all military because I believe all military is equally important (and should be equally loved and supported). The shirt reads I Love Messing With Government Property. Proud Military Supporter. It features text in both light green and light grey. It makes a great shirt for anyone in your family, no matter what military branch you support!






With my husband going through the Medical Board process, I will soon no longer be an Army wife. It's bittersweet really. But, once an Army wife - ALWAYS an Army wife, as they say. So, I made this shirt! I'll probably make different versions of it later, but for now this design feature bright pink (almost neon) text with the Army star symbol in the corner. It's both vibrant and fresh! Check out the Retired Army Wife shirt and gifts!

Labels: advertising, army, cafe press, cafepress, clothes, family, funny, gifts, kids, military, parenting, shopping, stores

Booty Bay Bait and Tackle World of Warcraft Shirt!

This design is fueled by my husband's love of fishing on World of Warcraft. He drives me absolutely insane with it and fusses at me to level my fishing (and I think fishing is so boring lol).

He loves fishing on the game so much, that he had to have the special fishing chair so he could sit in it and fish on the game. He fishes all the dang time. Every Sunday, he has to participate in the fishing tournament in Booty Bay. He's 512 fishing with all of his specialized fishing gear on. Yes.. he's obsessed!

I like this shirt. The little fish is cute! I especially like it on the shirt type shown to the right. I think it flows well with the color. It's offered on all of the shirts and many of the gifts like tote bags, magnets, buttons, mini buttons, tile coasters and much more. Definitely check it out HERE!

Labels: bait, cafe press, cafepress, clothes, fishing, shopping, stores, tackle, women, world of warcraft

Sexy Frostitute Shirt For Mages!

I have to say, I'm in love with this shirt. While my main on World of Warcraft is a level 70 Feral (DPS) Druid, I'm quickly falling in love with my little Mage. I enjoy freezing stuff down and blowing it up!

Of course I had to make a bit of a joke... and this shirt just says it all. Mages are known for being Water, Food and Portal vendors and really, Mages are so useful, they really are worth more gold than you could farm (unless of course, you do the dailies every dang day lol).

This shirt would work well for both men and women. It is slightly feminine, but hey.. we like sensitive guys who play WoW! The design is offered on lots of other products as well: coffee mugs for those all nighters, mouse pads so you can enjoy it while you play, stickers for your car or maybe a school notebook, throw pillows so you can dream of playing your Mage while you're sleeping, and odds n' ends like buttons, magnets, etc!

Definitely check out this design, as well as our other World of Warcaft Designs in our store.

Labels: advertising, cafe press, cafepress, clothes, gamers, gaming, shirts, world of warcraft

Huey Pro

My husband purchased me a Huey Pro earlier in the week and I just installed it. Purpose being, to make my graphics for my shirts more true to life on the screen so they can come out even better in print on the shirts you buy!

I like it. It'll take some getting used to because some of my colors (like white) are much more bright, while other hues now appear more rich in depth. But it's amazing the difference already! The shirts still look good, just aren't quite the color I thought they were. My monitor obviously wasn't calibrated correctly - few are.

I don't know how much it'll really help, but so far I like it. It's making graphics far more legible! I just have to re-calibrate my monitor once a month or so. I'll probably do it more often. My computer gets A LOT of use!

Labels: Huey pro, monitors, shirts

2005 Suzuki Reno - For Sale

We're selling my car. There's not a darn thing wrong with it.. we just could use the extra money. The long and skinny... I didn't need a new car. I had a completely paid off 2002 Ford Focus. My husband decided that I needed a new car that was "bigger, more reliable and safer" for the baby and I. So, he traded in my Focus and got me this new car in May 2006.

I LOVE the car. It's a red, 2005 Suzuki Reno. We bought it off the lot brand new with about 80 test driven miles on it. It still smells like a new car! No scratches. No bumps. No dents. It has less than 2k miles. That's no typo.. less than 2,000 miles. Why so little? Because I got fat and pregnant and my husband didn't want me driving. Then I got un-pregnant (still fat haha) and my husband didn't want me driving. I don't really have anywhere to drive it to so I haven't needed it really.

We move it around because we don't want the poor car to sit and fall apart. But it really doesn't get as much use as it should for the car note we pay. So, we're looking to sell it. We could really use the extra money since we are primarily living off of one income.

Here are some specs..

Air Conditioning
Power Steering
Power Windows
Front Side Air Bags
Power Door Locks
Dual Front Air Bags
F&R Side Air Bags
Tilt Wheel
ABS (4-Wheel)
Cruise Control
AM/FM Stereo
Sun Roof
MP3 (Single CD)
Rear Spoiler
Alloy Wheels
Audio Controls on Steering Wheel
Upgraded K&N Air Filter

That's all I can really think of at the moment. We're asking for $13k Or best offer (within reason of course).

We will not deliver this car to anyone. I'm sorry, I just cannot afford to cart a car to and from anywhere, otherwise, I wouldn't be selling it. We live in the Augusta / Fort Gordon area. If you are interested, you can contact me, Kimberly Tewksbury at kimiskustoms@yahoo.com

Labels: 2005, advertising, auto, cars, Kelley Blue Book, Kimi, reno, sales, suzuki

Back In Business!

The CafePress gods have finally smiled upon us and the Store wide Price changer is FINALLY fixed. It's a little wonky, but as long as it works..I'm THRILLED! I cannot believe how long it took them to fix it. I've been waiting since September 13th! Argh! I can finally start adding to the store again. It just wasn't worth it to do all of that dang work and none of the prices be right.

In light of things finally being fixed, I'm doing some hard core promoting of BOTH stores.

www.kimiskustoms.com
Kimi's Kustoms Family Store
Kimi's Kustoms Adult Store

Here are the cut off dates for ordering your Halloween stuff!


Be sure to check out our great selection of Halloween shirts and especially our tote bags - perfect for your first time trick or treaters!

Labels: advertising, cafe press, cafepress, clothes, commission junction, costumes, first halloween, halloween, holidays, kids, Kimi, marketing, money, Online, shirts, shopping, stores

Joe's Ankle Surgery

I know I've been really behind on the blogs. I actually blogged about this on MySpace, but just haven't made my way here. Bad Kimi..Bad! Things have just been so hectic and now I'm taking care of two babies instead of one (Hailey and now Joe!). So here is the long and skinny on how Joe's ankle surgery went:

We left here a little late - figures. We got to the sixth floor of the hospital and they immediately stuck me in a waiting room with no toys, a hard tile floor, a TV with no channels (only a VCR and like 5 movies) and there was one other person there already waiting. Great..looked fun *sarcasm*.

They get Joe's paperwork all ready to go and they come and get me and we go to get him all dressed up. OMG He was SO cute in his little outfit.. I wish I'd taken a picture! A doctor came and wrote on his left ankle, making sure it was marked that that was the ankle for surgery (although I had already used a permanent marker on Joe's right ankle and wrote "OTHER ANKLE" on it. haha

We wait there for a little while and they stick me in the waiting room again - so fast that I had NO clue what was going on and wasn't even given the chance to say goodbye to Joe at all - which is absolute BULLSHIT. Anything could have gone wrong and they should have given us time together as a family. I swear.. I'm like the only damn person with common sense and a heart around here!

Joe left... and I didn't see him again nor hear if he was okay for another SIX HOURS. What was supposed to be a "three hour surgery" turned out to be much, much longer. Apparently, Joe had a lot of trouble during the surgery because his oxygen levels kept dropping really low and he would almost completely forget to breathe (well no shit.. he has SLEEP APNEA and I have known that for a while although he's never been officially diagnosed). But now.. a doctor has even told him "You have sleep apnea. You have got to get that sleep study done so we can get you sleeping properly again... no wonder you are always so damn tired." So anyways....

Around noon, a guy in uniform came into the waiting room and told me "Your husband is out of operation, and is being taken into recovery. That phone over there will ring and when it's for you, they will let you know where to go to be with him." First off.. that was the most poorly worded after surgery update I've ever heard. Okay.. so I've actually never heard one before, but still. No word on is he were awake, alive or anything... and telling me I could go "be with him" made me think my husband was dead and I was going to go claim the damn body. I was freaked out enough.. I didn't need that crap!

The phone must have rang 100 times.. the waiting room had filled up and people were in and out all day. The phone was never for me. At 2pm, another guy in uniform game in to talk to me... and even took me out of the waiting room to the reception desk because he couldn't figure out why I hadn't been taken to my husband (me either..). But the receptionist got REALLY huffy with me and told I needed to "be patient and go sit in the waiting room" and I was like "Whoah bitch..I didn't come out here on my damn own...he's the one who brought me out here!" I went BACK into the damned waiting room.

By this time, I'm in a panic. I'm thinking he's dead and they are rounding up a team to talk to me, getting me a therapist set up and all sorts of stuff and figuring out how they are going to tell a woman who has been sitting in a waiting room for eight hours with her daughter, that her husband died during an ankle surgery.

Thirty minutes pass, and a little old woman comes in and tells me to come with her and by this time, I'm so irritated I could hurt someone. But she opened the door... and there was Joe - groggy, but awake. So then I was really irked... THRILLED to see him, but irked. Why in the world was I bounced every which way if he was going to be wheeled past the waiting room!?

So they wheel him down the hall to Recovery Phase 2, where he's allowed to try to use the bathroom and to get dressed. This part made me realize that I want to be married to Joe when we're 100 years old. Helping him pull up his underwear and pants, put on his sock and shoe for him was pretty much the funniest thing to happen to me all day and it was certainly the first time I really laughed in several days. I get him all dressed and went down to get his prescriptions.

Now this is the weird part. The Army LOVES giving out Motrin. It's like the favorite drug. So of course, they gave us a friggin ton of it - probably more than he'll ever need. They also gave him MORE percocet (he's been taking that for WEEKS already for the pain lol) and then stool softeners since supposedly, percocet can make you constipated (um...he's been taking it for several weeks and trust me.. this hasn't happened! lmao).

Anyways.. I get back to him and for the first time...... EVER in our marriage, the Army wanted MY signature. I had to sign away because he could be deemed to incoherent to do it. So shocking. I swear.. if I needed my uterus removed, I would need Joe's signature. TriCare and the Army are so weird.

So I get him all ready to go, and need to go get the car. Great....this is the part I knew would suck. But I actually surprised myself. I got Hailey in her car seat and folded the stroller back up - stuck it in the back of the car. I got in and adjusted all of Joe's nonsense and turned the car on. Then I sat there for a second so I could remember how to drive (dear lord.. it's been at LEAST six months since I've driven lol). A slight push of the gas and I remembered how to drive and managed to get up to the front so Joe could get into the car.

Apparently, he doesn't like me driving. He was all concerned about how well I could see. I'll admit, I cannot see as sharply as possible right now, but I can totally see well enough to drive. Actually, it was a lot better than I was expecting. Road signs with small wording on them is my problem...but I didn't need those anyways!

I swung by Checkers and got us some lunch...it's what he wanted. Got us home, grabbed Hailey and took her inside to her bedroom so she would be safe and then ran outside for Joe. I helped him down the stairs outside and got him into his bed set up in the living room, then finished unloading the car. We had some lunch (actually, by this time it was like 5pm and was really more like dinner.. but neither of us really had eaten all day). I put Hailey down to sleep. She's STILL sleeping right now.

She was an absolute ANGEL. I swear, I couldn't possibly have been blessed with a better child. We were in that waiting room from 6am until 2pm - EIGHT HOURS. She cried ONCE. She was really, really tired and I didn't blame her. She had been up since 4:30am! She had about a 30 minute nap in her stroller. I laid it back and gave her a warm bottle and she passed out for a little while. She really needed it. Otherwise, we watched some of the movies in the waiting room and she WAVED at people all day. Well, her "wave" is more of a Hitler wave where she just holds her hand out at people. lol But still.. she gets the idea of what it's for.

Anyways... Joe and I took a nap - together for a while, and then I went upstairs to be closer to Hailey in case she woke up. Joe got up a little while later and was up and about - although he has a soft cast and is pretty pissed about it because it's so much easier to bump his foot and get hurt.

They gave him THIRTY days leave. I think that's bullshit. I thought the 6 weeks we were originally told wasn't enough... thirty days is insane. He thinks it's because they ended up not having to drill into him. I don't really care. He is going to have to learn how to walk again no matter what. But he's up and getting about on his crutches.

Labels: ankle, ankle surgery, army, blogging, crabby, dads, fathers, iraq, Joe, Kimi, military

The Most Important Blog I've Ever Written

So Joe and I hadn't really discussed his surgery much up until tonight. The word "surgery" scares the shit out of me, but deep down I figured it was no big deal. I mean.. it's just an ankle, right? Basically, all I knew is that they were going in his ankle, shortening some ligaments and some other medical stuff that I don't understand. But apparently, it's much bigger than that.. and that's the reason I'm still up at it's 3am.

Joe informed me tonight that they are putting him under. That terrifies me. I was under the impression that he'd get a local anesthetic.. maybe some laughing gas or something. I had no idea they would completely knock him out and put him under, or that he would have his leg open for three hours.

And then it occurred to me that today may have been my last full day with my husband. Sometimes, people don't wake up from that shit. I don't know how common it is or isn't.. and frankly, I don't care. A .01% chance is high enough for me and really threw a lot into perspective. For the past three nights, I've been yelling at Joe to stop snoring.. when I may never hear that snoring again. And maybe we should have spent today doing something special. We didn't.. and I can never get today back. That made me realize that I should treat every day as if it's special.. because it may be the last one we ever get.

So then Joe starts talking about how he doesn't have a living will - which made it all the more real to me that this is really going to happen and it's serious enough that he really should have a living will written out and that something could very well go very wrong. He wouldn't have even made mention of needing one if he didn't think it might be necessary.

And then I thought of Hailey, and watching her play with her daddy and how much I love watching them play and hearing her squeals of laughter.. and how Monday night may be my last chance to ever hear that again. And she loves her daddy SO much and I know he loves her - even if he sometimes has a hard time showing it.

I feel like I have a knife in my heart and someone is just twisting, stabbing and wrenching it repeatedly. I feel sick.. and dinner is in the toilet. I don't know what to think or do. I've never experienced this sort of thing before and will have no time to cope or prepare before Tuesday. I mean, I wish I'd known all of this sooner, although I doubt that would have done any good. How does one prepare for this sort of thing!?

I have no idea how I'm going to make it through Tuesday. I keep playing scenarios through my head and just bawling my eyes out. My mind is racing. I just don't know how I'm supposed to get through a day in a hospital with a near 10 month old and knowing that they are going to put my husband into a sleep he may never wake up from. I'd apologize for being dramatic.. but this is serious shit.

Great.. and now he's mad at me for being upset. Of course I'm upset! Why wouldn't I be upset!? I've never been SO worried about anything in my entire life. I'm afraid of having to wake up without him. I'm afraid of being 22 years old and having to bury my 26 year old husband. OF COURSE I'M FUCKING UPSET!!! Why in the world would I not be? He told me "don't worry about me". Uhh, too late!

And Hailey is having a bad night I guess. She's up for the fourth time. This isn't like her at all. She's so crabby tonight. I let her dance in her bed a while when she got upset. She wore herself out and went back to sleep. But now she's up again and crying. *sigh* I'm sure it could be worse... but I wish she hadn't picked tonight and I wish Joe had told me all of this shit sooner - although I don't know what difference it would have made.

Usually my blogs make me feel better. Not tonight. I'm gonna try to go sleep, although I doubt that's gonna happen. :(

Labels: ankle, ankle surgery, army, dads, family, fathers, Hailey, Joe, kids, Kimi, life, marriage, military, parenting, surgery

Prepping for Surgery

I haven't blogged in a few days. My mind seems to be swimming lately and my ADHD is driving me insane. I try so hard to control it, but I'm having a horrible time concentrating on anything. Stress plays a major factor... and with my husband's ankle surgery coming up, I have plenty of that!

I don't even know what time the surgery is for. That's the Army for ya...give you a place and date, but no time! We won't know until tomorrow - which means getting a babysitter is completely out of the question. I have no idea how well Hailey will handle the hospital. I just don't feel right dropping Joe off and telling him to call me when they are ready to send him home. :( But at the same time, I can't spend the whole day at the hospital with her. That's not going to go well at all and will just make the whole situation more stressful.

I think Joe will come home Thursday at the latest. I'm not 100% sure. I just know that he's supposed to stay at least overnight. I'm gonna miss him SO much. Geez.. we've only really been apart for a couple of weeks total - and that was when we first started dating.

We have a lot to do, but Joe is pretty into sleeping and lounging around. I can understand that.. because he must be nervous. Hell..I'm nervous and I'm not getting my ankle cut into. I wanna get downstairs more living friendly. Joe will be sleeping on the pull out bed/couch for a while and I have no idea how in the world we're getting him upstairs to shower. He'll need to shower at least once a dang week or I may need to evict his stinky self. lol

I'll be doing a lot of driving and bill paying myself. Scary. I never pay our bills. Joe always does it. But there is no way he can go out and do those things in a cast. I'm not even sure how long he'll have the cast...but he'll have leave from work for six weeks so he can heal and learn how to walk again.

I was hoping we could borrow some money from someone and simply pay all of the bills way ahead of time so it would be covered, but I guess that isn't going to happen. At least most of them can be paid online.. which helps a bit.

Anyways.. please keep our family in your thoughts on Tuesday. This is the first of what will probably be many surgeries for my husband!

Labels: ankle, ankle surgery, army, blogging, dads, family, fathers, life, military, money

Yuwie.com!

I'm always looking for more ways to network and get the word out about my store. I came across Yuwie.com about a month ago, but didn't really look into it much. I'm not sure how much I'll use it since I'm such a MySpace addict, but it looks promising!

Basically, it's like MySpace, but you get paid for referring people as well as for using the site. I'll be honest... yes, if you join, I'm going to make money. But hey.. you'll make money if a friend joins under you too! You can listen to the little guy chat about all of this by going HERE. He explains everything, from payment to when you get paid..what for and everything you need to know.

I'm excited about it.. and you should be too dangit! I'm always looking for ways to make even a little bit of money. Who knows.. maybe you only make $10/month but it's $10 ya didn't have, right? lol So Sign Up and then tell your friends. Who knows.. we may all make some decent money together. :)

What can you do with Yuwie? Well like I said.. it's pretty much just like MySpace. You have a profile, pictures, blogs and even groups too (although I'll be honest and say that I prefer MySpace for groups, but that's just personal preference). You can leave comments for friends, chat with people through mail, join clubs, etc. You can customize your profile and everything too!

You can check out my Yuwie profile at www.yuwie.com/kimiskustoms if you are interested.

Labels: advertising, affiliates, blogging, cafe press, cafepress, Kimi, money, MySpace, performance, yuwie

What Makes a Parent

I'm member to so many parenting groups on MySpace (not to mention, I moderate six of them). But one that I'm most active of is a group called "Young Parents" - which is basically what it sounds like. The ladies in there are as young as 15 and as old as 30 (the 30 year olds are either there to be bitches and judge, or they were once a young parent as well). The group has a few trolls - people who use fake profiles simply to come in and stir trouble, but for the most part is a rather productive group.

We've had our share of stupid people in the group. I have been a member for two years now and I've certainly seen my share. But what came up last night, takes the cake for me.

There is a 19 year old girl in the group (we'll call her Bri) who has no children, has never had children, and will not be having any children in the near to distant future. She works in a day care, and actually believes that working in a day care makes her qualified to give advice to people about kids. She's made this claim before, and the mod asked her to leave the group a whole year ago (she didn't ban her..in case she ever did have children).

But last night, things got "worse" if you will. Bri actually suggested that she is raising the children she watches at work a few hours per day. You're joking..right? Let's examine her first thought...

"I have to say that there are some jobs out there that are harder than taking care of a child. I'm not saying taking care of a child isn't hard, it is. I care for alot of children everyday. The nice thing about not working outside of your home, is you get to work in the comfort of your own home. There are children annoying me all day. LOTS of children. If I am alone w/o help, I can't pee whenever I need to. You can at home though..."

First off, there is NO harder job in this world than raising a child. There just isn't. Not only is physically demanding, but it's mentally and emotionally demanding as well. We are shaping people...REAL PEOPLE. We are teaching right from wrong and literally raising the future of this world. There is no harder job, and there is no job more important either. Being a parent is the most fulfilling job I have ever known and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

We don't get to just pee whenever we need to. Either someone is trying to stick their little fingers under the door to wave at us, tries to go in the bathroom with us to "help" or they sit outside the door screaming while you just take 2 minutes to yourself to do your business. Before you are a parent, you don't even realize how precious alone time in the bathroom - even for a couple of minutes, really is.

So then, this girl starts ragging on stay at home mothers as well, basically suggesting that we have it the easiest of all. Oh, how very little she knows.

"I am sure I could handle being a stay at home mom and I still wouldn't call it a harder job than someone else's. It depends on the job. Yeah, it's a hard job, but once you get the hang of it, it gets easier and you adjust."

Oh really? I don't recall it getting any easier. Being at home all day with our children means not paying someone else to take them for even a couple of hours each day. We have them ALL day, which means very little time for ourselves. Don't get me wrong..I adore being a SAHM, but it doesn't just get easier. It gets harder, because the children grow up and the job is always changing. It's not like working at McDonald's where every day in the same and you simply get used to the routine. No..children make every day completely different from the last!

The next issue will make you laugh. A woman told her that raising children is a lot different than taking care of children like day care workers do and her response was just hilarious.

"We do raise these children. We teach them everything. We teach them how to walk, talk, use the potty, etc. It's more than just taking care of a child. This isn't babysitting for a couple of hours where you sit on a couch and throw some toys on the living room floor until the parent(s) come home."

Well, I don't know what kind of babysitting she's been doing, but I sure as hell never sat on the couch and simply threw the kids a few toys, waiting for the kid's parents to come home. That part of her comment makes me wonder what she really thinks of being a parent, and if that's what she thinks we really do all day.

As for "raising" the kids in day care. Um..I don't think so! You are NOT raising those children!!! That's what they have parents for! You are simply paid to watch over them, change them, feed them and keep them safe while their parents are out earning money to be able to support their faimilies. Watching a kid a few hours each day is not raising them. Oh boo hoo, you had to change a diaper or clean up spilled juice. That is not parenting!

Here is what it means to be a parent (Thanks to Lindsay for a few of these).

You know more about medicine than most doctors.

You discover your parents were right, damn it.

You find yourself doing and saying things your parents did and said to you despite your childhood vows to the contrary.

8:30pm seems like an ungodly hour but 5am does not.

There is a three letter word that beats sex: bed.

You can hold a conversation, monitor 360 degrees around you, eat, hold a baby and think it all normal.

You can spot another parent without speaking or even knowing them.

The idea of a good night is no phone calls, all errands done and everyone in bed before 8pm.

You miss hangovers.

The sight of vomit/blood/poo/pish/drool and any other bodily fluids have no impact on you whatsoever.

You can video, take a photo with a separate camera, sing happy birthday and blow out the candles at the same time.

You can patronize your single and childless friends with "just wait until you have kids"

You realize what non-returnable really means.

Adult interaction consists of reading emails...including spam.

The thought of watching kids sing old songs out of tune for an hour fills you with excitement and pride.

Juggling looks easy.

You can actually be not two but three places at once.

You can hand out advice like this.

You can watch your kids make and do all the same stupid things you did.

You can listen to your kids going through the same with their kids as you went through with them...and laugh about it.

You can sing the theme songs and know the characters of 72 different kids shows and movies.

Your TV is permanently set on the cartoon channel.

When you have to drive 30 minutes to go get a teddy bear you forgot because your 3 year old WILL NOT sleep without it at 2 am, then you are a mom.

When you HAVE to buy an extra ice cream because Billy (the imaginary friend) needs one too.... and you do it because it's just easier, then you are a mom.

When you are playing "ariplane" and laughing because your precious little child is laughing too and all of a sudden you have a mouth full of baby vomit without warning, then you are a mom.

When you are up until 1 am with a sick baby and you finally get them to sleep... 10 minutes later you go in to check and the diaper has exploded 5 different shades of brown and green shit ALL over the place... Now you are washing sheets until 3 am because they won't sleep without their favorite blankie, then you are a mom.

When you just finished mopping the kitchen floor and your lovely child drops the gallon of grape juice and watches it spread like wildfire under the table, fridge and stove... then says "Ohhh pretty purple!", then you're a mom.

When you wake up to giggling in the kitchen to find your child has 18 eggs cracked all over the table, chairs and floor (don't worry, one is on the plate) and the eggs are mixed with chocolate syrup... you're little chef looks at you proudly and says "Mommy I made breakfast for you" and you just smile, then you are a mom.

When your kid puts the cat in the toilet because they need to wash the marker off before you find out, and now you are kissing kitty scratch boo boo's covered in toilet water JUST to stop the crying, then you are a mom.

Until then... you are NOT a parent. And you have no idea what being a parent is.

And this is one of my favorite little stories about C.A.A.D.D.

C.A.A.D.D.

Recently, I was diagnosed with C. A. A. D. D. - Child Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests:

I decide to do the laundry. As I start toward the
basement, I notice that there are cheerios all over
the floor and my car keys are in the cereal bowl.

I decide to pick up the cheerios before I do the
laundry. I lay my car keys down on the counter, put
the cheerios in the trash can under the counter,
and notice that the trash can is full. So, I decide to
take out the trash.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the
mailbox when I take out the trash I may as well pay
the bills first. I take my checkbook off the
table, and see that there is only one check left, my extra
checks are in my desk in the office/playroom, so I
go to my desk where I find a sippy cup full of
juice. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I
decide I should put the sippy cup in the
refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the sippy cup a
vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye --
they need to be watered. I set the sippy cup on the
counter, and I discover baby wipes that I've been
searching for all morning. I decide I better put
them back in the bathroom, but first I'm going to
water the flowers.

I set the wipes back down, fill a container with
water and suddenly I spot the TV remote, one of the
kids left it on the kitchen table. I realize that
after school when they go to watch TV, I will be
looking for the remote as they fight over who lost
it, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen
table, so I decide to put it back in the den where
it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.
I splash some water on the flowers, but most of it
spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back
down, get some paper towels and wipe up the spill.
Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I
was planning to do.
At the end of the day: the laundry isn't washed,
the bills aren't paid, there is a warm cup of juice
sitting on the counter, the flowers aren't watered,
there is still only one check in my checkbook, I
can't find the remote, I can't find the wipes, and
I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done
today, I'm really baffled because I know I was
busy all day long, and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try
to get some help for it, but first I'll check my
myspace.

Labels: adult, babies, dads, family, fathers, funny, kids, life, matenity, parenting, pregnancy, womanhood, women

Christmas Is Coming!

Can you believe that there are less than 100 days until Christmas!? Geez. This year will mark my daughter's real "first". I mean.. she was SO little last year (she was less than a month old). I doubt she'll get really, really into it, but I'm sure once all of her gifts are open, she'll have a blast!

We're supposed to go up to Connecticut for Christmas to spend it with my husband's family. We couldn't last year - Hailey was so small and Joe was working a weird schedule that couldn't allow for more time off from work (especially after taking 3 weeks paternity leave for the birth of Hailey). We spent it with my parents instead.

Unfortunately, this will be the first time anyone in Joe's family actually gets to see Hailey (aside from Joe's mom, dad and step dad). She'll already be over a year old by then. That makes me sad. Joe's family deserves to get to see her, but it's just impossible to get up there any sooner (although Joe joked about going up there while he's on compensation leave from his ankle surgery.. but I really don't think that's a good idea lol).

I'm really looking forward to going tho. I could use the vacation. I know, I know.. I don't really work - at least not outside of the home. But it's nice to get out and go out of town and have fun for a little while. Plus, I'm totally excited to see SNOW! Oh boy.. do I ever miss snow! And I can't wait to toss Hailey in it and watch her make baby snow angels!

We have so much to buy before our trip there - mostly winter clothes for Hailey and for myself. But we also are wanting to buy one of those storage bin things for the top of our car. I'm sure Hailey will get lots of gifts being the baby of the family (actually..she's the last Tewksbury [as of now anyways lol] so she's definitely the baby!). I know we'll probably stay at least a week, so that's a lot of clothes for the three of us to pack, plus Hailey's toys, bathroom essentials, pack n' play and the like. We have a Subaru Impreza - the hatchback version, and I just don't know how we're going to fit it all! So we definitely need one of those storage bin thingies!

I have no idea what to get her for Christmas. I know she'll get lots of toys from Joe's family... and that's a pretty darn big family. lol So, I know I can't go too overboard because she's already going to end up with enough to play with. lol As silly as it sounds, I'm definitely buying her a few shirts from my own store that I have made up for her. Clothes make a good gift anyways! lol I know I'm getting her the Definitely Nice shirt from my store. I LOVE it and might get myself the Definitely Naughty one to "match". I think that would be so cute!

Speaking of Christmas...

I had intended to write a sort of Family Christmas Letter and send it along with a Christmas card. I suppose we still could for family we may not see this year. But, I know the majority of Joe's family will be around come Christmas so it seems almost redundant since I really could just sit and talk to them. I'm still going to give cards of course. I'd love to buy everyone something, but I don't think I could afford it. :( Bleh.. Maybe I'll just write the letter and everyone can read it anyways, so I don't have to tell the same year long story 100 times! HaHa!

Well, get your lists ready folks. Christmas is coming up FAST! Living on a pretty strict budget, it's something I need to think about and plan for now while I still can!

Labels: cafe press, cafepress, christmas, clothes, family, holidays, kids, money, shirts, shopping, winter

Crutches

My husband was given his crutches today for his surgery next Tuesday. Now, I've never had surgery before (except the eye surgery when I was 2 weeks old) and I've never broken anything before.. but it seemed sort of odd that they give him his crutches a week in advance. I don't know what he's supposed to do with them until then. I assumed they would give them to him in the hospital to go home with.

So I guess now, we have to get a almost 10 month old, my broken husband AND his crutches to the hospital and back. Bleh. I don't think this is going to be a pleasant experience.. although I guess that's why it's surgery and not vacation.

It'll be nice to have him home, but it also made me realize how much more I will have to take on around here since he'll be unable to walk. I don't mind really, it's just that in addition to normal house stuff, I will have to drive him to the doctor and whatnot for a while. He won't really be able to get on the floor to play with the baby or anything. :(

Yeah.. I'm pretty sure that this is going to suck.

Labels: ankle, ankle surgery, army, dads, life, military, surgery

Removed The CBox

I removed the CBox. The drama is absolutely ridiculous and far from warranted. I don't even know the woman who was posting the derogatory comments. I had never been to her store prior to her little messages. I'm not sure what she thinks I did to her, nor do I really care since I obviously don't know her or have anything to do with her.

If someone has an issue with my store, my email is up for grabs. Go for it. You can spam my email box all day if you'd like. I'd much rather a person do that than go to the length of even trying to IMPERSONATE me in my own store and make snotty comments using the name "Kimi" to try to make me look bad.

Grow up.. seriously. I am 22 years old and far, far from the high school setting. I'm a wife and mother...not some 15 year old girl who stole your boyfriend. I run a business - one that I take seriously and to heart. I'm in no way looking to compete with anyone. I stick to my store, I do my own thing and I make good sales.

There are only TWO military shirts I have ever sold from my store. One of them is seen in the gallery, the other is a shirt no one else in the marketplace has. I know this for a fact. And if anyone has it now, it's because they copied me. Do I care? Not really. I hope they sell just as many of them as I do. My store is far more than military, yet it's the military niche stores that have such an issue with me. Maybe if y'all spent less time digging through each other's stores to see who has what and what might be a knock off of your own stuff, you'd have more time to devote to making new stuff and you might sell more.

I've learned that having a CafePress store doesn't mean competing with other shops. It doesn't mean that at all. It's about marketing and getting your name and brand out there. That's the key to this sort of business. So spend more time worrying about yourselves and less time worrying about what I'm doing today. And stop coming to my store every hour...I have 3 different traffic meters and I see you digging around constantly. Get over yourself.

Labels: adult, army, blogging, cafe press, cafepress, funny, Kimi, military, shirts, shopping, stores

New Store: Kimi's Kustoms - ADULT

How bizarre that I haven't really announced this "officially" yet, and already people are flocking to our new store - Kimi's Kustoms - ADULT

I know what you're thinking... "But Kimi, I thought you weren't going to open that until next year?" Well, I wasn't. But through some poking, prodding, encouragement and some down right begging, I finally caved and said "Oh well..why not?" So, the adult store is open and has gained popularity through very little work.

But what I can't figure out is how search engines have it indexed already. I mean, that usually takes at least a few days, if not longer. I did upload my items to Froogle, but I don't know how people are finding my store so easily. I thought I was looking at the wrong traffic report, but I triple checked (I thought I was losing my mind) and I'm not.

Either way, I'm excited for this stores overnight popularity (wouldn't it have been funny if I managed a sale already? lol). It was much easier to set up than Kimi's Kustoms - FAMILY. Maybe it was because I had a very specific niche in mind that took me ages to figure out with the Family store. Or maybe it's simply because I know what I'm doing this time.

My next step is to somehow integrate the new store into my stand alone site www.kimiskustoms.com although how, I'm not real sure yet. I went in last night and at least linked the two stores together as sister sites, but the main website and blog both need some sort of integrated look. I'm thinking of making a Shop Family / Shop Adult button for my website. I dunno.. we'll see. It'll happen today - and that's all I know!

Labels: adult, advertising, affiliates, cafe press, cafepress, clothes, funny, gifts, goals, kids, life, marketing, money, shopping, stores

They Really Are Nosey!

Didn't I write a post just the other day about store owners being nosey and not minding their own business? Apparently it's more true than I thought.

I use a little box in my store called a "CBox" that's basically a small chat box where I can post updates and people can ask questions. Things were GREAT with it and I had no problem until recently. I won't name names.. but their is a store (it's ALWAYS a military niche store..go figure) who won't stay off of my CBox.

First she wrote a snotty comment on it about how you could "find my Christmas cards at Walmart". I deleted the message because it was snotty and negative. Next she wrote about how she was "so glad my stuff my original and couldn't be found at the local dollar store" and was quite negative and sarcastic. It was the SAME IP address and I simply deleted it yet again.

Now today, she has used her REAL name, using the name of her store and making negative comments and even using MY name (I use "Kimi" when making posts in my CBox) basically talking crap as if I'm being rude to her. Come on! Seriously.. STOP. If you have a problem with my store, email me directly. It's SO easy to get hold of me. There is no need to be so damn immature.

No, you can't find my cards in Walmart. I wish.. because I'd be making a heck of a lot more money. No, my layout isn't someone else's. I made it myself - obviously. If you took the time to go through every page - including my own website, you'd see it all matches and I coded it all myself. And the girl in question shouldn't even dare ask such a thing... she and FIVE other military niche stores are using the SAME layout!!! Get over yourself.

Why is it always the military niche stores that give me problems? I don't know you and in all likely hood, I don't like you. I don't have a military store. I'm absolutely no competition for you. I haven't gone digging in your store or left snotty comments towards you or your stuff. I've never spoken to you. I've never said anything bad about you or to you. So why then have you targeted my store and why are you leaving me rotten comments daily and even trying to impersonate me!? It's childish and stupid. Leave me and my store alone.

Labels: cafe press, cafepress, clothes, crabby, military, women

Darn Store Price Changer!

For the past two days, the feature on CafePress that lets a shop keeper change their prices store wide, has been broken. This is driving me bonkers. I know they are working on it, but it doesn't look good on my end.

My prices haven't been "sticking" for a week or so now. Instead, I've been putting in the new designs and products and simply hiding the sections until I got the prices fixed - by using the store wide price changer. With that broken, I now have a bunch of hidden sections in my store because the prices are all wrong and it would take me years to change all of that to the correct prices. Bleh.

So now, it seems like I haven't added anything new in the past few days - when I really have. I usually add new stuff every week..at least one new design. I'm trying to finish gearing up for Christmas and have several designs just sitting and waiting to be put on my virtual shelves. And waiting is costing me time..and money. Poo on you CafePress store wide changer thingy ma bob! lol

Labels: blogging, cafe press, cafepress, christmas, commission junction, goals, google, holidays, kids, marketing, money, Online, search engine optimization, shirts, shopping

Happy Birthday, Love MySpace

I'm not sure why. I'm not sure how. But.. MySpace gave me my account back. Well.. they gave me my personal account back - not the other one. And I'm not in the least bit concerned over the old one. I mean, it didn't have 9 months of my daughter's life in blogs on it and this one did.

It started around 3pm yesterday (the 14th) when a friend of mine said "Um.. one of your groups is suddenly working?" and sure enough...every one of the groups I moderated was back and people were posting in them. All of my forum posts were back and everything. The kicker was.. my blogs weren't, I couldn't view my profile and I couldn't post with it anywhere. But okay.. it's a start. It took them quite a while to fully delete the other profile and figured it would take them a while to fully restore the account since that's what it seemed like they were doing.

I'm not sure when they got through fixing it... but it's ALL back - down to the very last blog. Yes, I realize my excitement is a tad bit pathetic.. but seriously, these blogs mean a lot to me. Compare it to owning a journal for years, filling it up and having to start a new one... only for it to get stolen. Well, now it's been returned to me, and just in time for it to be one of the best birthday presents I've ever gotten. lol

Labels: blogging, life, MySpace

Cafe Press Community Forums

In my short time at CafePress (well, short in comparison to many shop keepers), I've learned a few things exceptionally vital to running and maintaining an online store.

One of the most important things was to really listen to the veteran shop keepers, read the community forums and keep an open mind to changing things to make them work best for your potential customers. I've done all of this, and it has helped me so much and is honestly the secret to my success thus far. But, is there a time when you need to simply walk away for a while and do your own thing?

I wonder this, because being apart of the community seems to leave you open for criticism you didn't ask for. It's one thing to go in the New Design / Shop Feedback forum and ask for it.. but to be given it on a near daily basis gets old. Being told that you aren't doing something "right" or another shop keeper telling you that a design would "look so much better if you did..." just gets old. Well maybe my customers prefer it my way...and in any case, I'm not selling it to you anyways.

Another issue I've come across is that half of the community is extremely nosey. I've never really had the desire to check up on other shops to see what they had or what they may be doing. I don't have that kind of time! My time is better spent making new designs and getting them up in my store. But yet, every day when I check my counters for traffic, a good portion of my visits come directly from the Cafe Press Community Forums. Why? I mean, I understand affiliates looking for stuff...and I can usually tell it's affiliates by what pages they looked at. But why all those other people?

Yet another issue in direct link to the forums are shop keepers desperate to find another shopkeeper with a similar design so they can get upset. I've seen it far too many times. One week, I had complaints about a pink journal with the word "LOVE" and dog tags on it. This week, it's my Dare to be Different shirt with the penguins on it. Come on! Give it a break people. Six billion people in this world.. more than one is bound to run across the same idea at some point. If the colors, pictures and everything about it physically are different and only the concept remains, then why get upset over it!? Other shop keepers have stuff recently made that looks like mine and I really don't care! I'm more worried about what I am doing...

I've also seen quite a few shop owners get upset over customer criticism. Um..they are purchasing stuff from you. If they don't like your stuff or it comes out badly, they have the right to their opinions and can say so. If someone likes Shop Owner A's shirt better than Shop Owner B's shirt, then oh well. Better luck next time!

Now don't get me wrong.. I've really enjoyed the forums for the most part. There are some very nice people there with tons of useful information! It's been a great place to chat with people who have common goals and interests. But I wonder if there is a time when you need to simply walk away for a while and do your own thing and be original - maybe offer up something that not every single shop has done 101 times over.

Labels: cafe press, cafepress, clothes, crabby, gifts, goals, marketing, shopping

Why Men Make Terrible Mothers

Deep down, my husband is a loving, caring Father who would do anything for his wife and daughter. But on a day to day basis, he's seriously lacking in the parenting department. Now, I'm not speaking for all men, because I realize there are some wonderful single fathers out there. But my husband has absolutely no common sense when it comes to our child.

My pregnancy was spent with the normal belly hugs, tummy rubs and excitement of becoming parents. My husband constantly told me how excited he was for the arrival of our daughter, and told stories of everything he would do with her - from playing in the park, to watching Sunday morning cartoons together. But something happened when my daughter came into this world... My husband suddenly lost all common sense and clearly has no idea what parenting is about.

Fast forward to today. Today was supposed to be a day for me, and Joe was going to watch our daughter Hailey all day until he had to go to work this afternoon. This included everything - from diaper changes to feeding and playing with her. Little did I know that in the 9 1/2 months our daughter has been in this world, that my husband had paid no attention and hasn't the first clue when it comes to providing for her...not even for just a day. That scares me of course. I mean, I'd like to know that if I croaked tomorrow, my husband could keep our child alive. I honestly don't see that happening.

Here is how the conversation went today when it was time for Hailey's breakfast:

Joe: So um, where's her food?
(I hand him some apple sauce for her to have with some cereal for breakfast)
Joe: Oh, She eats THAT?
Me: No Joseph.. I've been eating it for her.
Joe: Well doesn't she eat formula for like a few more months?
Me: Yes, but not as entire meals any more...and hasn't for a couple of months now.
Joe: So like, do I put it in a bowl...or.....
Me: Good Lord.. just give it to me!

Don't get me wrong, I WANT him to learn! That's why instead of making Hailey wait longer for breakfast, I took and prepared her meal (with him watching) and went to go feed her. He was supposed to pay attention and watch..but of course did not.

I wager that bath time tonight is going to be quite interesting. I'd like to give my husband more credit, but I feel that I will have to stand close by to watch to make sure he doesn't accidentally drown the poor kid.

Labels: babies, dads, family, fathers, funny, Hailey, Joe, kids, life, parenting, pregnancy, rest and relaxation, womanhood, women

Happy Birthday To Me

Okay, so my birthday isn't actually until tomorrow, but here's my birthday present anyways! It's SO pretty! It's pink and white sapphires set in a white gold heart. I love it! :)

Labels: birthday, gifts, Kimi, shopping

My Sticker Arrived!

My sticker finally came in! Yay! It was hiding in the mailbox this afternoon and my husband retrieved it on his way home. So here are a few pictures.. and I must say, the sticker looks FABULOUS. Even if you aren't looking to buy a Kimi's Kustoms Bumper Sticker, definitely look into getting a sticker from CafePress of some sort (especially from me..lol). It looks great!

Here is the package before I opened it (sorry y'all..I know you want badly to stalk me, but I edited out our address).



Of course my husband had to be annoying, take the camera and snap a picture of me opening it. Bleh.



Here is the sticker itself!!!


And here is the sticker again, Sorry it's on our living room floor. The sticker is slightly glossy to protect the print (it's a bumper sticker after all). So, it's a little hard to take a picture of.

Labels: bumper sticker, cafe press, cafepress, Kimi, UPS, USPS