Have you finished your holiday shopping yet? Better question: have you STARTED your holiday shopping yet? You’re certainly not alone if you haven’t even gotten a list together. Before you finalize that list, KC Kids Fun encourages you to take a look at the wonderful and unique items that fill Kansas City’s locally-owned toy stores.

C’mon - skip Toys R Us and Target this year. Check out the super-cool things you’ll find at Brookside Toy & Science or The Learning Tree or even Moon Marble. Your kids will never miss that new Bakugan or Barbie styling head when they open the awesome stuff you bought from one of our hometown stores.

Here are a few places you shouldn’t miss:

Brookside Toy and Science (Kansas City, MO) - This store has been around since 1964. It is filled from top to bottom with interesting things. Brio and Thomas the Tank Engine are here. Lincoln Logs and Erector sets too. And where else can you buy butterfly specimens, alligator heads and toad purses?!

HMS Beagle (Parkville, MO) - “The Ultimate Science Store” has TONS of fossils, dinosaur models, chemistry sets, rocket kits, telescopes, rocks, minerals and shells.

Moon Marble (Bonner Springs, KS) - Run out to Moon Marble, watch some marbles being made, buy some phenomenal handmade marbles and pick up some really great retro toys and stocking stuffers.

The Learning Tree (Prairie Village, KS and Leawood, KS) - Some of the coolest and most fun educational toys around! Great kids’ art supplies and pretend play items. (If you stop by the Leawood location, take a spin around the new ice rink at Park Place just down the block!)

US Toy (Leawood, KS) - Yep! US Toy is locally owned! I LOVE US Toy for Christmas shopping. Over the years, I’ve bought puppets, pretend food, puzzles, art supplies, musical instruments, Thomas the Train track and trains, books, dress-up items and games. One year, I started and finished my shopping at this one location. You just can’t beat it!

And don’t forget about these folks too:

Reading Reptile (Kansas City, MO - Brookside)

Rainy Day Books (Fairway, KS)

The Toy Store (Lawrence and Topeka)

Zoom at Crown Center (Kansas City, MO)

The Doll Cradle (Shawnee, KS)

Mini Temptations Dollhouse Store (Overland Park, KS - Ranchmart)

Hey Moms! (Oh, Dads and grandparents - we know you’re here too! Hi!) Looking for something fun to do with the girlfriends this weekend? We’ve got two ideas and one of them is a GREAT DEAL!

Janet Jackson and LL Cool J will be heating up the Sprint Center on Friday night (October 24). If you want 2-for-1 lower level tickets, just click over to our SPECIAL OFFERS page for the promo code and directions. Two Seats for $77 - but act fast because the promo code is only good until Wednesday, October 22nd at 10pm. UPDATE: The concert is over…and the special offer, therefore, is closed!

Friday night is also the Holiday Mart Ladies’ Night Out! Food, friends, cocktails and SHOPPING! Sponsored by the Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri, the Holiday Mart features over 200 unique vendors and runs from Thursday, October 23 thru Sunday, October 26 at the Overland Park Convention Center.

Start planning your night out now, girls!

We usually use this space to tell you about fun things to do with your children around the Kansas City metro. But today, we thought we’d pass along a few good deals that some of our advertising partners are offering right now.

15 Percent Off All Purchases with Code HAA8 (Ends 11/2)

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BuyCostumes.com is offering 10% off of orders $50 or more:

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Get 10% off your order at Mini Boden (SOOOOO CUTE!):

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Take An Extra 15% Off Star Wars Halloween Costumes $35 Or More! Use Coupon Code SPOOKY15

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PhotoMama is offering the BEST price for digital photo prints on the ‘net - check it out:

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And don’t forget that Sprint Center is excited to offer KC Kids Fun a special discount on Sprint Center tickets!

• click HERE to get your discounted tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, December 19 thru 21
  
• click link stating “find tickets” on your selected date
• type kckids in the Special Offer Code box
• The first time you log in you will need to use the “Create an Account” box located on the right.
• Please use all lower case letters when logging on.
• No Ticketmaster fees will be added to the order. The only additional charge is a $1.25/ticket TicketFast charge. Purchased tickets are delivered via e-mail to print at work or home.

It’s that time…oh yes, the much beloved or much dreaded search for Halloween costumes is on. Admit it moms and dads - you either LOVE Halloween or you HATE Halloween. KC Kids Fun has given you a list of every pumpkin patch and every apple, harvest, pumpkin or fall festival within a 50 mile radius already. And now we’re moving on to costumes.

Of course, there’s always Target, WalMart and the seasonal Halloween costume shops at the malls and strip centers. But if you’re looking for something more, something different - and you’re not a whiz at the sewing machine - we’ve got a few suggestions for places to check out.

Thrift Stores

Thrift stores like Goodwill, Salvation Army and 2nd Chance (City Union Mission) are a treasure trove of interesting, inspiring and funky clothing which could easily turn into your child’s favorite Halloween costume ever. And you are bound to find something awesome to wear to the adults-only costume party that you’ve been dreading. The best part about thrift store finds? Cheap!

Costume Shops

Sure you can run into Party City and Party America and find a quick costume for your little ones - but there are a lot of places around town to find some a little more unique than what you’ll find at the discount and party stores. The strangely-named Have Guns Will Rent costume shop in Kansas City, Kansas has costumes available for purchase and more elaborate costumes for rent. Costumes and More in North Kansas City also has some interesting selections - including a great variety of historic period costumes. If you REALLY want to go all out, peruse the thousands of costumes available for rent at Kansas City Costume Company. This is the place where stage productions go for costumes - you’re bound to find something fabulous!

My Favorites

My two favorite spots in Kansas City for costume-hunting are Dottie Mae’s at 83rd and Wornall and U.S. Toy at 103rd-ish and State Line. Dottie Mae’s has been around for quite a while and is truly an experience. Not a shop for your littlest goblins but your older elementary, middle school and high schoolers are bound to find lots of fun things to choose from. You and your spouse will find some ridiculously fun options here too.

U.S. Toy has costumes for all ages, wigs, make up and accessories galore. While they have a dedicated costume shop which is great, I often find more for costumes in the party/carnival section of the store. Tiaras, magic wands, fancy gloves, silly hats, swords, bandanas and more can be found - and usually relatively inexpensively.

On the Internet

If you dread the stores, there are TONS of online costume options this year. Many sites have sales and/or shipping deals right about now - but don’t delay! Some of our favorite online spots for costumes are:

• Amazon.com Costume Shop - Offering FREE SHIPPING on orders over $25 thru October 23rd

• Free Shipping On Orders of $50 Or More at The Official CNShop! - check out the Star Wars-Clone Wars and Ben 10 costumes

• Free Shipping On Orders of $50 or More at WBShop.com! - don’t miss the Batman: The Dark Knight, superheroes, Looney Tunes, Harry Potter, Scooby Doo, Flintstones and Wizard of Oz costumes! Oh, I just LOVE the Wizard of Oz costumes - I might have to try to talk my kids into some of those…

• Shop BuyCostumes.com - fulfill all your costume needs! - this is the website I got my son’s Harry Potter robe from last year. (Yes, those are my kids in the photo at the top - not sure why my daughter was making that face!) They were quick, efficient and pretty reasonable. And they have every costume imaginable.

• Costume SuperCenter rivals BuyCostumes.com in selection.

• Check out Nick’s Halloween Shop for your Favorite Characters’ Costumes at Shop.NickJr.com! - They’re offering FREE SHIPPING on Halloween costumes like Dora, Diego, Blue’s Clues, Backyardigans and SpongeBob.

• The Children’s Place has some super cute costumes - especially for babies. You can even get $5 Flat Rate Standard Shipping on all orders at ChildrensPlace.com. Oh! And you can get 15% off of your order (actually off of all ChildrensPlace.com orders)! Just use CODE HAA8 at checkout.

• And there are some really cool princess and knight costumes at FAO Schwarz - you’ll need to search “costumes” to find them.

KC Kids Fun is pleased to announce our newest advertising partner, AEG/Sprint Center. Sprint Center will host many upcoming family-friendly events, and KC Kids Fun will tell you everything you need to know about them!

You’ll want to check in frequently as we will be offering exclusive TICKET GIVEAWAYS, EVENT DISCOUNTS and SPECIAL OFFERS…available only to KC Kids Fun readers! Don’t want to miss out? Subscribe to our RSS feed or sign up for our email subscription list. Check out the orange boxes in the left sidebar for subscription options. With either one, you’ll be the first to know about these fantastic, family-friendly Sprint Center offers!

You won’t want to miss the fast paced action as Sprint Center hosts its first-ever NHL event: the Los Angeles Kings vs. the St. Louis Blues in a pre-season showdown on September 22 at 7:00pm. KC Kids Fun is pleased to offer a special discount on event tickets–enjoy a $5-$15 savings PER TICKET!

To purchase discounted NHL tickets - just for KC Kids Fun readers, just click here and enter “kckids” when prompted for a special offer code. Offer expires Friday, Sept. 12th at 7:00pm or while supplies last.

Congratulations, Moms and Dads.  You did it.  You made it through another summer.  You made it through the “When are we gonna be there?” and the “It’s too hot to play outside!” comments.  The skinned knees, the mosquito bites, the battles over the video games, the bicycle crashes, the rained-out ballgames.  NOW WHAT?  Have some fun, I say!

1.  Spend an afternoon window shopping–alone, or with a good friend.  NOT with a child.  Get cleaned up and put on an outfit that you feel great in.  Head someplace you enjoy (or have hoped to enjoy) and park your car.  Pay no attention to how close you’ve parked, or if there’s a sidewalk for the stroller, or if there’s a McDonalds nearby.  This is all about you.  Hit the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, or Independence Square (here’s another Independence Square website to check out) in Eastern Jackson County.  Grab your favorite iced drink, your sunglasses, and walk.  Leisurely.

2.  Hit that class at the gym you’ve always wanted to try–but the line at the day care had always been too long, or perhaps the class was during your darling’s nap.  No worries now!  The kids are in school!

3.  Take a cooking class.  There are some fabulous offerings at Overland Park’s Culinary Center of Kansas City.  Many are offered over lunchtime…what better way to spend a part of your afternoon and get filled up at the same time!  BONUS–try for a Wednesday class, and you can take in the Downtown O.P. Farmer’s Market before your cooking class!

4.  Take a knitting class.  My mother-in-law once told me that you need to be able to do something repetitive and fairly mindless for your sanity.  Try knitting!  It’s great fun, the yarn bag travels well and it is very relaxing.  Get a jump start on your Christmas gifts!  For inexpensive beginner classes, try Jo-Ann Fabrics or Michael’s.

5.  Get out your cookbook and make a delicious lunch for a friend.  One caveat:  the lunch may NOT include the following (not even imposters):  chicken nuggets, peanut butter and jelly, french fries, sliced turkey, grapes or hot dogs.  Pay special attention to serving foods of various colors.  (My son tends to eat only things in the beige-yellow-brown family.)  And one last thing:  you may NOT serve juice boxes.  A nice glass of wine would do just fine.

6.  Pick a passion or an interest and give some of your time to the community.  Crazy about animals?  Give Wayside Waifs a call.  Have a knack for playing the piano?  Any number of nursing and/or retirement homes would welcome a live concert!  Are you sports-minded?  Fall soccer leagues are underway and basketball leagues are forming.  Volunteer to be the coach, or a referee.  Don’t let others go hungry–try giving some of your time to Meals on Wheels and make someone’s day by filling both body and spirit!

7.  Do something your little ones would whine about - take a leisurely stroll through a museum.  Admission to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is FREE!  They open at 10am - you can drop the kids off, sit and have a cup of coffee at your neighborhood coffee shop and then head towards the museum.  OR…check out the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial.  Admission is $8 for adults.  I haven’t been yet but am dying to go.  I hear that it is FABULOUS!

8.  Talk about decadent - how about spending the rest of the morning curled up in bed with a great book?!  Stop by the library or Rainy Day Books in Fairway sometime this week.  The next day, get the kids off and sneak back under the covers with a good read.  You might even catch a few more ZZZZs.  Really, the kitchen floor can wait until tomorrow.

9.  Now this one, I can’t wait to do!  Grab a handful of quarters, some Windex and some old towels, and head to a coin-operated car wash.  Since May, your car has been a house, restaurant, toy store and play pen on wheels!!  Clean it!!  This is no job for the Dustbuster hanging in your garage–you need the industrial strength vacuum to suck up those three month old french fries and Cheerios.  Take your time, vacuum every nook and cranny and enjoy your clean car!  (It should look good until at least tomorrow, right?)

10.  Dive into one of those projects that you continually put on the back burner because there’s never a 3 or 4 hour block of available time.  I DON’T MEAN CLEANING THE OVEN OR VACUUMING THE DRAPES.  I mean one of those fun things that’s just for you.  Work on organizing your digital pictures.  Or your recipes.  Or your iPod.  Email or call your friends from college.  Update your scrapbook.  Work in your garden.  Read.  Sew.  Sit on the couch with a pint of ice cream and get reacquainted with some old friends– Tyra, Dr. Phil and Oprah!!  The kids are back in school!!

Shifra Stein’s 15th edition of Day Trips from Kansas City: Getaway Ideas for the Local Traveler is officially released tomorrow, July 1, 2008. 

Stein passed away recently but was well-respected in local and national publishing circles.  I read recently that Stein started the Day Trips books based upon her own experiences on local adventures with her son when he was a child.  Most of the trips in this book are within a two hour drive of Kansas City.  I haven’t read this newest volume yet but when a book is around for almost 30 years and regularly updated and re-released, that generally means that a lot of people like it!

Some other titles you might want to check out:

Insider’s Guide to Kansas City, 3rd Edition by Katie Van Luchene (executive editor at Anthem Publishing, publisher of KC Magazine)

Kansas: Off the Beaten Path, 8th Edition by Patti DeLano

Missouri: Off the Beaten Path, 8th Edition by Patti DeLano

Frommer’s Walt Disney World and Orlando with Kids by Laura Lea Miller

Frommer’s Washington D.C. with Kids by Beth Rubin

Open Road’s New York City with Kids by Laurie Bain Wilson

Frommer’s National Parks with Kids by Kurt Repanshek

Frommer’s Chicago with Kids by Laura Tiebert

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One last totally random product recommendation:  I went to an outdoor charity function last weekend and we were given rubber wristbandswhen we walked in.  At first, I thought that these were ID-check-type wristbands but quickly discovered that they were much more functional.  They were citronella-scented and wearing it on my wrist kept the mosquitos away!  I was highly skeptical that they would work - but I didn’t have a single insect bite after spending six hours in the grass and gardens near a large pond.  The ones pictured here aren’t exactly like the one I was given at the party but it’s the same basic idea. 

I’ve gotta believe that these rubber wristbandswould be fantastic to throw on the kids this weekend while they’re running around like maniacs at the Fourth of July picnics and fireworks displays!  (They even come in Family Packs!)

FREE! This summer, that’s a great thing. With gas at $4.00 a gallon, you’ve got to take advantage of FREE wherever you can find it! One FREE activity to share with your kids around Kansas City this summer is MOVIES! There have been free outdoor movies offered in Kansas City for a long time (I’m looking at you, Crown Center) but this summer has seen an explosion in the number of different locations for free outdoor family movies.

Most of the movies are in parks or parking lots - so bring your own lawn chairs and blankets. Many locations have concessions - but not all of them. So, pack a few drinks and snacks for the crew before you go (my guess is that most of these spots prohibit alcohol for liability reasons).

Be sure to check out the website of each program for more information. Many of these showings have a free concert or kids’ activities going on before the show. Crown Center even has fireworks!

Be sure to check out the KC Kids Fun Events Calendar in the toolbar at the top of the page for more great kid- and family-friendly events around Kansas City this summer!

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL SUMMER SCHEDULE OF MOVIES!

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We’ve already discussed ‘going out-of-town, in town’ as well as road-tripping it to Omaha.  Both would be great options for you and your kid(s) this summer!  Today, I’m going to introduce you to several fun (and easy on the gas tank) trips in eastern Kansas.  You could plan several day-trips, or combine for a fun weekend away. 

First stop, Ft. Scott, KS.  It’s very easy to get to, located just over an hour south of KC on Highway 69.  The “Fort” in Ft. Scott refers to the military-constructed roadstop connecting Ft. Gibson, Oklahoma, to Ft. Leavenworth in Kansas.  Visitors to Ft. Scott’s National Historic Site can see how a frontier post from the 1800’s looked!  A little history lesson–the fort is located on a 17-acre parcel of land and saw many disagreements and fights between our country’s differing slavery factions:  free-Kansas and slave-Missouri.  (Missouri is only 5 minutes away from Ft. Scott.)

Aside from the terrific history lesson you can provide for your children, Ft. Scott boasts many quaint bed and breakfasts and old-fashioned shops, including great antique shops.  Families can be whisked around town in the neat trolley cars which are sure crowd-pleasers!  For more information on Ft. Scott, check out the town’s website, www.fortscott.com.

Two additional Kansas cities you’ll want to visit are Topeka, KS and Lawrence, KS.  Topeka is the state capitol of Kansas and is about an hour due west of KC on I-70.  You’ll want to check out www.topeka.org when planning your trip.  Some highlights:  The Topeka Zoological Park features a top-notch gorilla exhibit (”Discovering Apes”) and another highlight the kids will love is the Tropical Rainforest exhibit.  If libraries and museums are your thing, you won’t be disappointed.  Try the Combat Air Museum (www.combatairmuseum.org) which is located at Forbes Field and features one of the world’s best displays of operational combat aircraft.  Another fun option is Old Prairie Town at Ward-Meade Historic Site.  Old Prairie Town features a Victorian home, turn-of-the-century town, a log cabin, plus a botanical garden.  Get the kids away from their video games and rediscover the past! 

A mere 25 miles east on I-70 from Topeka lies Lawrence, KS–home of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Champion Jayhawks!  A good place to start is www.visitlawrence.com.  Lawrence boasts many world-class cultural, educational and entertainment options.  Downtown Lawrence (fondly known as “Mass Street”) is a distinctive, historical place brimming with unique shops, restaurants and music.  On select Fridays throughout the year, you can catch one of the popular Downtown Lawrence Gallery Walks from 7-9pm.  No visit to Lawrence would be complete without a tour of the KU campus.  The University of Kansas is situated high on a hill overlooking the city and the main artery running through it is Jayhawk Boulevard.  For a sports-related thrill, take the kids to Allen Fieldhouse–lots of basketball history there, from Phog Allen to Bill Self.  You’ll enjoy the onsite Sports Hall of Fame.  Eat lunch or dinner on Mass Street–a great option for the kids is Teller’s, which is located in an old bank building!  Kids will love seeing the original bank vault.  Community Mercantile on Iowa Street offers salads, sandwiches, fresh baked goods and coffee.  If you want to spend the night in Lawrence, there are several options for you and your family:  The Eldridge Hotel (www.eldridgehotel.com) is a beautiful hotel located in the middle of everything on Mass Street.  While on the pricey side, special packages can be purchased in advance.  Maybe you’d want to save the Eldridge for a special night away with your significant other!!  If you’re like my family, all you really want is a clean bed, a shower and an indoor pool–so you can check out the usual suspects–Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Holidome, etc.

Have fun without going too far away!!  Readers–feel free to post any suggestions or comments about the Weekend Getaway Series.  I’m sure there are many places I’ve neglected to mention, and many I’ve yet to visit!

We’ve been working hard on a great new site for Kansas City kids, parents, grandparents, caregivers and visitors!  And now it’s time!  We are two Kansas City-area moms who want to help YOU have fun with your family.  Bookmark us or add us to your feed reader to keep up-to-date on great activities to share with your kids.  We have links to the websites of TONS of great places for children and families in and around Kansas City.  We also have reviews by local moms of all kinds of hotspots - old and new.  Take us for a spin!  Come back often!  We’re gonna have lots and lots of FUN!

Contact us at kate@kckidsfun.com or kiran@kckidsfun.com or leave a comment if you have any questions or want us to know about someplace new around town.  Thanks!  We look forward to hearing from you!