KC Kid’s Directory would like to present Etiquette Kansas City and their upcoming manners classes to our readers! The workshops on etiquette and manners will be held at Nordstrom’s Oak Park Mall. The classes begin this Friday, September 25th… so enroll today!

This is a fun way to teach your child manners and etiquette! During the sessions, they will learn that practicing good manners should be a way of life. Poise and self-confidence help young people feel good about themselves. The child with a healthy self-esteem becomes the adult with a positive sense of self. By learning to blend contemporary manners with traditional etiquette, all participants are at ease with adults, with their peers, and most importantly, with themselves.

For more information visit the Etiquette Kansas City website at www.etiquettekansascity.com

Join BabyBumps.net at tomorrow’s Babies R Us unadvertised ONE DAY SALE!!!

This special event, to be held Friday, April 10th will offer super savings in-store and online. The event will feature incredible sales on some of their most popular items. Join them for special deals throughout the store all day! For a sneak peak at some of the savings, click here.

We hope to see you there!!!

Looking for some family fun?!? How about an egg hunt? Everyone who plays will win something, and it’s fun for the entire family!

On Friday, April 3rd, participating Hawthorn Plaza merchants will be hosting a new version of the Easter Egg Hunt from 10am to 5pm. Children can go from store to store and receive plastic eggs filled with candy for themselves and coupons for their parents. More eggs will be hanging from trees and bushes. One egg from each store, the Golden Egg, will contain a gift certificate or prize from that store. And from 3-5pm, the Easter Bunny will be available for photos at Eber Jeeber (119th and Roe).

Hope to see you there!

Everyone is tired of hearing about the doom and gloom of the economy. Why not focus on a bright spot, a feel good story? There are people in Kansas City doing their best not only to support themselves and their families, but who are also using their business to help others.

On Thursday, April 2nd, several locally owned and operated boutiques carrying children’s clothing and accessories, will be donating a percentage of their day’s sales to Newborns in Need, Inc., a charity that specializes in the needs of premature and newborn babies that are sick or in crisis. The boutiques will also be collecting new or gently used infant items for donation.

Newborns in Need, Inc., is a national non-profit charity with the local Kansas City Chapter founded in 2006. Its purpose is to supply essential baby items to hospitals and other organizations that provide care for sick and needy newborns. New and gently used infant items such as clothing, diapers, blankets, cribs, etc. are provided through donations. In 2008, over 16,000 baby items were delivered to local infants. Newborns in Need works with local agencies as well as individual families to provide the basic necessities. Some current donation sites include Children’s Mercy NICU, Truman Medical Center and the Johnson County Health Department.

Boutiques participating in the charity event are:
Eber Jeeber in Hawthorn Plaza (119th and Roe)
GoBug Baby and Kids in Park Place (117th and Nall)
Mady and Me in The Village on Tomahawk Road
The Little House (East 55th Street)
Lauren Alexandra in Brookside and Briarcliff
Alexandria’s Place in Waldo (73rd Terrace and Wornall)
It’s Only Natural at Gregory Boulevard

What a wonderful event! All of us here at BabyBumps.net will look forward to supporting such a worthwhile cause!!!

Heather’s Happy Hour, a new business featured on BabyBumps.net, would love to introduce you to a neat new product… Wine Glace’!

In using Wine Glace’, you add half of the bag or wine glace or peach bellini with 12 ounces of your favorite wine and ice in a blender to create a WINE-A-RITA. How much fun is that?!? If you like Margaritas and you like wine you will LOVE Wine Glace’.

In addition to Wine Glace’, Heather’s Happy Hour sells an assortment of products and fun add-ons with funny acronyms like PB&J (Pregnant, Big and Justified), S.H.O.P. (Splurging Heals Our Pain), or even F.E.A.S.T. (Friends Enjoying a Splendid Time).

You can visit Heather’s website for these great products and more at http://www.heathershappyhour.com

Be the life of the party at your next happy hour!

The Annual “Baby, It’s Going to Be Crazy” Sale begins tonight at midnight! Special sales will include toys, clothing and other BabyCrazy items… some for as low at $.95! Shop early for the best selection.

To get started shopping visit the website of your nearest BabyCrazy representative! Choose your location in the banner below!

Baby Banz is thrilled and honored to receive the Melanoma International Foundation’s first ever endorsement of children’s sunglasses.

The mission of the Melanoma International Foundation is to ease the burden and bring hope to the journey of melanoma through patient support, early detection education and advocacy. They provide hope and guidance to melanoma patients and families by empowering them with correct up-to-date information. The organization is on the cutting edge of creating and supporting the most effective melanoma programs for the prevention, early detection, and treatment of melanoma.

Baby Banz shares a commitment to prevention of melanoma and sun damage and is proud to be recognized for the quality of their products and their protection benefits.

Have you finally caught your breath after the holidays? Just realizing you didn’t get those Christmas cards out in the mail with photos of the kids? How about some Valentine’s Day photos now that things aren’t as frantic?!?

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Christina Lundeen Photography is excited to offer a gorgeous set of three framed photos FREE with your portrait session. This is a $100 value! Ready to hang, the high quality photo frame contains three 4×6 inch prints from your photo shoot. As the sweetest of all holidays approaches, take this opportunity to create timeless photographs for your home.

The offer is extended to both new and returning customers. Customers must purchase Christina’s Package A or Package B. The Valentine’s Day Special is valid for appointments booked between January 9th and February 13. The special cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers or discounts.

For more information of to book your appointment call today at 816-807-1003. You can also book your appointments and see some of Christina’s work at www.christinalundeen.com

Join BabyBumps.net at tomorrow’s Babies R Us Super Saturday Holiday Sale!!!

This special event, to be held Saturday, December 6th is a one day sale special. The event will feature incredible savings on some of their most popular items. Join them for special deals throughout the store all day! For a sneak peak at some of the savings, click here.

We hope to see you there!!!

Common advice to “nap when your baby naps” may not be the best for new moms battling fatigue and postpartum depression. The Annuals of Behavioral Medicine recently published a study that found a home-based exercise program can reduce physical and mental fatigue in postpartum depressed women.

Fatigue is a common symptom experienced during the postpartum period (4-38 weeks) with up to 67% of women reporting severe fatigue at 12 months post delivery. This rate is considerably higher than those reported in primary care (13.6%).

“Baby Boot Camp is known for our program’s ability to combat symptoms of postpartum depression,” says Jodie Vickers, Olathe, Kansas franchise owner and certified fitness instructor of the nation’s premier stroller-fitness program. “Over seven years of anecdotal evidence from our students has shown a significant increase in energy among moms attending Baby Boot Camp classes at least two times a week for 12 weeks.”

“The best part about Baby Boot Camp classes is learning simple new exercises we can do at home,” says Tori Hirner, Overland Park, KS. “My instructor has taught me how to complete kiss-the-baby push ups and partner plank at home with my baby.”

“My daughter was just 12 weeks old when I started attending Baby Boot Camp. The atmosphere was supportive of my insecurities about being a new mom. I met so many other women struggling with the same issues that I no longer felt anxious and alone,” says the long-time student and mom to now 14 month old Sophia.

The study was comprised of 88 postpartum women (4-38 weeks) who had significant symptoms of postpartum depression, including fatigue. The exercise group was assigned to a 12-week individualized home-based exercise program that required participants to perform 60-120 minutes per week of aerobic exercise within their target heart rate zone. The control group completed a questionnaire assessing their exercise participation once a month for three consecutive months.

Women in the exercise group showed significantly greater reduction in physical fatigue at post-treatment and 3 months post-treatment. In addition, reductions in mental fatigue with exercise were observed at post-treatment for women reporting lower physical fatigue during the initial interview.

About Baby Boot Camp

Baby Boot Camp was created in San Francisco in 2001 by fitness expert Kristen Horler. After the birth of her first child, Horler searched the San Francisco Bay Area for a postnatal fitness class. After extensive research, she was unable to find a challenging workout that didn’t require hiring a personal trainer and a babysitter or purchasing a gym membership. Utilizing her experience as a group fitness instructor, personal trainer, triathlete and mother, she developed the Baby Boot Camp program to balance the fitness needs of new moms with their desire to spend time with their baby. All Baby Boot Camp classes follow the guidelines set forth by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Council on Exercise. For more information visit www.babybootcamp.com