Koasty Kids

Cutest Personalize-able USCG Stamps

2012-01-30T13:58:00.000-05:00

This idea popped into my head the other night while watching my friends kid. I absolutely enjoyed designing these, and think everyone should have one. You can write whatever you want in it because each one is individually made. Personalize it further by changing the colors. Plus, they are supper affordable (especially when you think you only need to buy one for the rest of your life), and their function is so diverse...

You can stamp just about anything, but these are the ideas we had:
books
text books
home made tags for lunch boxes, backpacks, bags (with some colorful cardstock and some contact paper)
DVDs
t-shirts
onesies (great for pictures!)
scrap booking
photo albums

This custom product will definitely go down as one of our favorites!

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The Distressed Flag Collection...Coming Soon

2012-01-30T13:43:00.000-05:00

Oh its been a quiet few weeks, but not really. Its been quite a rush (in every sense of the word rush) here to debut the 3rd Koasty Kids original collection...Distressed Flag. This is the 1st of two designs that are scheduled to be released this year. Its also the second design we have that incorporates a distressed look to a familiar logo. If the shirt was a person it would be an old salty dog with an encyclopedia worth of knowledge about the maritime industry, a remarkable ability to predict the weather, and a plethora of insight on a life, love and happiness. He has a beard because it beats having to wear sunscreen, and if you look in his eyes they will tell you to sit down and shut up. I don't want to have to save your a** (you know, rhymes with brass) again. Most will overlook him, but some...some will know EXACTLY who he is and the great things he has done.

This design is defiantly one of my favorites because you can't find it anywhere - that I have been able to find anyways. Its a classic look, its fun, and it works for the whole family. I can only hope that you like it as much as I do.

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For sophisticated Coast Guardsmen (and women) only

2011-12-07T00:47:00.001-05:00

We have a new accessory that will be a perfect little detail for your next cocktail affair. Check out these super slick Anchor Cufflinks we scored for you at a great price. They have gotten two thumbs up from every gal and guy that has seen them, and they make a perfect gift for your new grad or maybe your dad. Whoever it is, we are SURE he/she will love them.

Anchor Cufflinks - $30

Check out these and some other little things we've added lately by clicking on the following link:

Take me to the cufflinks now!

Thanks again for supporting our cause!

Great Affordable Kid's Gifts for the Holidays!

2011-12-06T17:42:00.001-05:00

We just received this special offer from our sponsor - Discount School Supply - and of course we are going to share this one ASAP because we think arts and crafts are an intricate part of a child's development. They also conveniently double as awesome affordable gifts for kids of all ages...

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but our sales are so delightful! For one week only, shoppers can save an EXTRA 15% on select Arts & Crafts items perfect for holiday projects! Use code SHINEBIG at checkout. Hurry, offer ends December 12th!

To see all their wonderful selection of arts and crafts supplies please click on the following link:

Happy Holidays!

Who doesn't like white teeth?

2011-12-06T12:33:00.001-05:00

We found this special on Groupon and just had to share it with you...

Smiling Bright – Redeem From Home

$29 for Teeth-Whitening Kit with LED Light ($180 Value)

Teeth-Whitening Kit combines mouth tray & specialty gel with LED light that allows

customers to whiten teeth themselves in 20 minutes.

This is the company website so you can read up on the product since we really don't know anything about it:
Smile Bright website

We liked it because it is redeemable from home, its affordable, and its something cosmetic (which means no insurance). If this is something you are interested in follow the link below:
Groupon Teeth Whitening Deal

We have no experience with this product, so we can't give you a thumbs up or thumbs down on it. BUT...if you or someone you know has had any experience with this product please feel free to leave comments about this post!

Oh what fun, it is to ... PLAY AND LEARN!!!

2011-12-03T15:19:00.001-05:00

'Twas three weeks before Christmas,
and all through the station,
the Coast Guard spouses and children,
to the galley were racin'.

The room was filled,
with arts and crafts galore,
so parents could mingle,
and the kids could learn and explore!

Then someone opens the door,
in a bright red sweater.
Santa Clause came to see us,
and now our day was even better!

What an awesome time,
we have to agree,
all made possible,
by the staff and parents of our USCG.

If you can't already tell, we had a great time with the kids at our Holiday Party!!! Thanks so much to the USCG staff and parents that put it together, and for letting us be a part of it. We think it was a great success! Here are some pictures from one of the arts and crafts tables...

The kids had a great time learning how to make mobiles.
Nautical Mobile was sponsored by Koasty Kids and
is a Koasty Kids original design.

Physician Survey Responses

2011-12-02T13:07:00.001-05:00

Bringing you GREAT DEALS!

2011-11-14T23:27:00.001-05:00

Check out this special little item. Perfect affordable gift for the nearing holiday season. We just had to share it with you! It is a personalized hardcover storybook that uses illustrations to spell out kids' names letter-by-letter. Super adorable idea! Click on the following link to check it out...

"I See Me" custom book from GroupOn

Enjoy,
KK

lil' skippers collection

2011-11-06T23:05:00.003-05:00

Now available at... KoastyKids.com

Free Shipping for the rest of the year!?!

2011-10-22T13:53:00.000-04:00

We have had such great support from our family, friends and neighbors that we decided to give you something back. Not only are we putting out 2 more designs soon but, we are offering
free shipping on orders of $25 or more for the rest of the year. YAY!!!!!! Now, instead of buying a shirt and paying for shipping...you can buy 2 shirts and pay nothing for shipping. Now that is some exciting news. To purchase your shirt go to...

www.KoastyKids.com

Thanks to all have supported our foundation...KK

School Survey Responses

2011-10-16T09:45:00.003-04:00

Watch our list grow! We are tallying up your responses as they come in. As it gets bigger we will make it easier to navigate, but for now we just want to make it available. Thanks to everyone who has participated thus far...who ever you are. :) And of course the more the merrier.If you would like to take the survey please click on the following link...

The survey results will always be available to you, and is set up to update automatically. You can view it by clicking on the "Schools in Your Area" link on the right side of the main page, or clicking the link at the end of this post. Hope it helps!

http://koastykids.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

VERY EXCITING GIVEAWAY!!!!!

2011-10-03T23:49:00.002-04:00

For those of you that have not been lucky enough to have ever stumbled upon this little treasure, may we suggest that you look up a blog called 'Wyoming girl *turned* Coastie Wife'. A fun, light hearted, quick break-in-your-day written by Nicole (who is also a mother of two) that ranges from family matters to product reviews. She even sprinkles in some great giveaways!!!!

Speaking of giveaways...

Koasty Kids is being featured this week on her blog.This mean that for the next few days you can enter to win a Koasty Kids T-shirt or Onesie. YAY!!!

To enter follow this link:
Koasty Kids give away on Wyoming girl *turned* Coastie Wife

2011-10-02T18:04:00.000-04:00

My grandmother died a few years ago, and she left me with a piece of advice that never rang so true until I married the Coast Guard (they threw in a great guy too!). She said that just about everything can be taken from you except your education. You can loose house, you can loose your car, you can loose someone your love, but you can not loose knowledge you have attained. I stopped like a deer in headlights...partly because I was not completly sure if I was supposed to be the recipient of that comment, and partly because it was coming from her - the same 92 year old granny that had been nick-named "the crotch snatcher" after the new hobby she acquired in her senile years. And yet it makes so much sense to me.

Education, formal or not, allows us to pick up the pieces and adapt to knew environments. It involves a willingness to constantly learn and grow. It is, I find, an important trait for us (Coast Guard and other military like families) to have in order to survive.

What are your thoughts?

2011-10-01T11:36:00.005-04:00

This special will only run from 10/1 to 10/20. You are getting 4 shirts for 2!!! The white undershirts are plain white and not sewn in. This makes them easier to wash and they can also be used under other garments. Now thats a great deal!

Long Sleeve T's Just in Time for Winter!

2011-09-28T23:17:00.000-04:00

To get yours today follow this link:

http://www.KoastyKids.com

2011-09-24T17:12:00.002-04:00

We found this really cute (but way out dated) coloring book highlighting important lessons from the Coast Guard. We posted it on our Facebook wall, and decided later to add it to our blog so that you all can have access to it with out having to search too much.

Flow this link to open the entire book as a webpage:

http://www.uscg.mil/top/downloads/coloring_books/dog/coastie.pdf

2011-09-23T22:51:00.000-04:00

WOW! We can hardly believe it. Our second design is out, and people are loving them. We couldn't be more excited. They are flying off the shelves so quickly that we are already going to put in a reorder. This is our favorite design (although the next few designs are just as awesome...we can hardly wait to share).

They are ready and waiting!

2011-04-05T20:39:00.002-04:00

That's right ... our inaugural line has hatched, and they are waiting to be purchased! Don't wait to long to purchase yours because this is a limited edition design. (And by the looks of it, they will be gone soon.) We only have onesies for now, but more sizes will be added to our next collection - only a few more weeks!!!

Thanks,

Thoughts for our heros in Haiti

2010-01-28T00:47:00.004-05:00

Our thoughts and prayers are with the members of the USCG (and others) that are helping with the relief efforts in Haiti, and their families who miss them. So far cutters FORWARD, TAHOMA, MOHAWK, and VALIANT have already responded, and cutters HAMILTON and LEGARE are on their way. We hope that they may be able to execute their missions successfully, and return home safely.

It's great to know that we have an organization that can respond as quick as the Coast Guard does, and to live in a country that is willing to help others without prejudices. I think the Commandant Admiral Thad Allen put it best when he wrote:

Our immediate and sustained response illustrates the value
of the Coast Guard's flexible command structure, ability to operate across the
interagency and international spectrums, and the initiative of our people to take action.
This is why the Coast Guard is so valuable to the American public and the global
maritime community.

The rest of this letter is worth reading if you have the extra few minutes. Click on the following link to read the Commandant's letter:

http://coastguardallhands.blogspot.com/2010/01/commandant-all-hands-coast-guard.html

Do you know the Ombudsman?

2009-12-29T09:33:00.002-05:00

What is that you ask?

In the Coast Guard (and maybe other branches) the Ombudsman is:

a volunteer (who may be a Spouse, Reservist, or Auxiliarist) that is designated by a Command to serve as a link between the command and families, assisting the command in its functions of providing information and related services to families regarding sources of assistance available to them, Coast Guard and command policies, and activities of interest to family members.

An Ombudsman can assist families in locating resources, communicate information from the command to the families, and take concerns of families to the command.

The ombudsman normally should not be the spouse of the CO, OIC, XO, or XPO, but in some cases will be. They are supposed to have taken a one-on-one basic training course in person or over the phone where they learn what is available, and how/where to get it.

I guess every ombudsman will take on different responsibilities according to their geographic location. She or he may have information on family assistance services like counseling, schools and doctors in your area, what neighborhood would be best for living in, and other useful things along those lines.

When moving to a new area it would be worth your while to find and speak to the Ombudsman before sailing off on a new adventure.

Do you know the Ombudsman in your unit?

The Welcome Mat

2009-12-18T13:43:00.000-05:00

Hello Coast Guard Family,

It's me, a member. A while back I went surfing (web surfing) for a Coast Guard related onesie for a friend of mine. Not for her of course, but her soon-to-be bundle-of-joy. Her husband (a VERY proud, but humble member of the Guard) was stationed with my husband, and I wanted to give them something to enjoy together.

Needless to say, I came up short. USCG related children's clothing ... ACTUALLY, USCG related clothing and accessories were nearly impossible to find. And what I did find fell under 2 categories:

1) blah

and

2) WHAT IN TARNATION IS THAT ...

Therein laid the spark, and the rest just fueled my fire. From that moment on a few things became very apparent.

First, and most obvious is that Coast Guard apparel might as well be non existent.

Secondly, was the lack of pride that exists among us (and yes I was a part of it) for what our husbands, wives, partners, kids, uncles, aunts, parents, guardians, brothers, sisters, and/or grandparents do. If that doesn't rub you the wrong way, think about this. Our guys' and girls' execute operations in the homeland and over seas just like the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and their affiliated groups. Our enemies not only include terrorists, but bad weather, broken beacons, missing channel markers, sinking ships, capsized sail boats, floating migrants, overfishing, endangered sea life, oil spills, drug cartels, lost fisherman ... and the list goes on.

If we, as adults, don't make the Coast Guard important, then how are our children going to know that Mom and/or Dad's job is important? Easy ... THEY WON'T! Add to that any parent that is missing for days, weeks, or months at a time. It is not a secret that this life is tense at times. Its a single parent household when they are gone.

Sooooooo, what do we hope to accomplish??? A starting point. A t-shirt that will inspire inquisition and more understanding. A onesie that will make him smile, and forget about his work day... week... month. A welcoming-home-committee uniform that would be sure to inspire tears or just picture perfect moments. We know we won't change our situation, but maybe just our perspective. And hopefully you will pay it forward so that your kids may be proud of what their parent(s) does/do.

We at Koasty Kids would like to redefine what it means to be part of the Coast Guard Family because your not alone, and if we don't care, who will?