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Stefanie Van Aken

~ RSMLVTravel- Luxury Travel Design

Stefanie Van Aken

Category Archives: Fun

Sugar Factory Las Vegas

08 Friday Jul 2011

Posted by Stefanie Van Aken (RSMLVTravel) in Fun

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, Red Velvet Cupcakes, restaurant reviews, Sugar Factory, Sugar Factory Las Vegas

Sugar Sugar!  You know how my girlfriends and I like to do a birthday brunch, lunch or dinner together?  Well, in celebration of my birthday this month, I chose the Sugar Factory American Brasserie at The Paris Hotel Las Vegas for dejeuner (lunch!).

After seeing all the fabulous celebrities strut their stuff and show off their blinged out lollipops purchased in the Sugar Factory Retail Store, I couldn’t wait to taste their tempting desserts and sip a candy themed cocktail.  There are several options available to do this.  There is an Outdoor Cafe where you can purchase sandwiches, salads and desserts to go and have a seat at one of their outdoor counter tops overlooking the Las Vegas Strip.  There is the Sugar Factory Chocolate Lounge where you can sit and enjoy the many fondue options, or there is the Brasserie and Bar.  Since we had Marchie’s two little girls with us, we chose the Brasserie and Bar which is more like a restaurant with a combination of over-sized, French looking chairs, tables and booths.

The decor itself was very pleasing.  J’adore Paris, so naturally, I was partial to the Parisian colors, and fabrics.  The light fixtures, bar and furniture were fun and funky.  The menu was a book.  Literally.  It was reminiscent of the menu from the Cheesecake Factory…when you are starving and there are a thousand options, it’s kind of annoying.  But, what better way to engage the customer in their desserts, drinks, salads, sandwiches and entrees.

Steak Sandwich and French Onion Soup

We all chose sandwiches:  Marchie~ The Club, and started with the French Onion Soup; September~ The Turkey Burger with a side of Sweet Potato Fries; I went with the Brasserie Steak Sandwich and Pommes Frites.  Since Marchie had her girls with her, September and I ordered Kir Royals, which between the waitress and the bartender, took a little bit of time trying to figure out.  The end result was sweet though as we ended up getting 2 drinks for the price of 1, and the service was good, so we couldn’t complain.

S'Mores Crepe: Chocolate Sauce and Chunks, Toasted Marshmallows, Graham Cracker Crumbs, Whipped Cream and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Yum.

We all felt our meals to be satisfactory-good.  I noticed that we all talked about how great the French Fries were, and Marchie loved her soup.  One of the little girls ordered a Red Velvet cupcake, which was aesthetically pleasing, though none of us were fond of their Cream Cheese Frosting.  The dessert for the big girls was the S’Mores Crepe, which I have to say, was pretty darn good.

Afterwards, September and I walked through the Retail Store to check out these famous suckers.  Though they were cute and clever, and the Retail Clerks were really pushing them on us…we just couldn’t justify the $25 for the blinged out stick, and another $12 for the refills (3 to a box).  And we tried!  We kept going back to them, checking them out, pondering what we would use them for.  Finally, we decided to bring our kids home a little treat instead and call it a day.  I can’t lie though, it would be kind of fun to have those Couture Pops for a Bachelorette Party or a Dirty Thirty or Flirty Forty…so we Rola-dexed it for next time.  My daughter would have loved their Hello Kitty themed pop, but I couldn’t convince myself to spend $30 on it knowing it would go missing in a few weeks.  So I opted for the Hello Kitty Pez instead.  The Retail Store itself was fun to look through…lots of cute candy-themed clothes and trinkets, as well as some throw backs to old school candies.  A gigantic gummy bear sells for around $30, handmade lollipops as big as your head start at $23, I bought my kids oversized-dots, and they had some fun items like Zots, Razzles, and Pez.  You can also purchase candy pails to fill with their bulk candy selections, again, Hello Kitty being a pail-theme option.  (Pails start around $9, then candy is priced per pound).

Red Velvet Cupcake comes in two sizes...individual and to share. (To Share size seen here.)

The one thing my girlfriend and I did notice was the quality and freshness of the desserts and some of the candies throughout the Retail Store were somewhat unappealing.  They looked old.  Not good when that is supposed to be your forte.

Would I go back?  Probably.  I would love to be a little more adventurous next time and try one of their fun looking cocktails.   I’d also like to experiment with the fondue…it sounded amazing!  Honestly, I preferred the Steak Sandwich from their neighbor, Mon Ami Gabi.  I think overall, the atmosphere and the menu choices were fun, and I would recommend it to a group of ladies or someone with a family to keep the kids interested and entertained.

Sugar Factory American Brasserie does not take reservations, but we had no problem getting in at lunch time on a Monday for a party of 5.  The price was pretty fair considering we had an appetizer, four meals (3 adults and 1 kids meal), two desserts and two glasses of champagne.  We split the bill 3-ways and each paid $50 including a 20% gratuity.

For more information on the Sugar Factory American Brasserie at the Paris Las Vegas, click here.

Feeding Twins

05 Tuesday Jul 2011

Posted by Stefanie Van Aken (RSMLVTravel) in Fun

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Feeding Multiples, How to Feed Twins, Multiples, Twins

My boys are 9 months old.  They are huge!  It’s actually the first comment out of anyone’s mouth when they see them.  They were big at birth and they continue to thrive and grow.  I was exclusively breast feeding them for the first three months, and even that didn’t slow them down.  Now they eat like crazy…whenever I have something on my plate, or in my hand, they want it, and if I don’t share it, they get angry!  I actually didn’t start feeding them food regularly until about a month ago.  I just felt like they didn’t need it, they were content with their bottles, and quite honestly, it’s a lot of work on my end to feed two babes at the same time.  So, selfishness aside, I decided it was time to start introducing them to food as a part of their regular routine.  I have the Beaba, which I have also talked about before.  I love making their food, and I’ve enrolled my nanny and husband in the act as well, and they seem to like it, too.  Now in addition to their bottles, they get fruit in the morning, veggies in the afternoon, and little finger snacks throughout the day.  I also put things in their little nets, like fruit, meat, things I would worry about them choking on, but I know they would enjoy.

People are always asking me how I do it.

How do I feed two at a time?  When they were first born, a friend of mine (also a RockStarMommy with twins) turned me on to these pillows: Got Bibs.  If these boys were my first, not sure if I would have gone down this path, but being more relaxed the third time around, I decided to give it a go.  I do want to say, that the best way to bottle feed your baby is to do it yourself, so there is constant supervision and care while the baby is eating.  With these pillows, you have to be even more on top of your game because when the babies are young, they don’t really know how to turn their heads or stop the flow of the bottle.  They may choke, or in my case, they may throw up an entire 8oz bottle all over you and your furniture and floor.  You still have to be cognisant in stopping to burp them, giving them small amounts at a time, and most of all, you don’t want to miss out on the nuturing and bonding you get when you are actually feeding your child…the skin to skin, the eye contact, all of those things are super important with newborns.  But having two at the same time, I have to say, these things were a lifesaver to me.

Got Bibs Feeding Pillows

When the babies first came home, we started them on a very strict feeding and sleeping schedule, which they adapted to quickly, and still follow today.  It has also made our lives SO much easier.  They are great eaters, great sleepers (started sleeping through the night at 3 months), and very laid-back personalities.  Someone asked me if I share their bottles, like would it matter if one got the other bottle on accident or purpose.  I was so grossed out at first.  Now, I don’t even care.  I feed them with the same spoon, if one finishes his bottle is still hungry and the other is done with half a bottle left, guess who gets the leftovers??  Not something I allow my older kids to do, but for some reason, I’m OK with it for the babies.  Maybe I need to rethink that, but you know what, it works for now, and why fix what’s not broke?

feeding_twins

I love my little guys so much!  We never intended on having two more, but we couldn’t imagine our lives without them.

Springs Preserve

01 Friday Jul 2011

Posted by Stefanie Van Aken (RSMLVTravel) in Fun

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Tags

Las Vegas, Springs Preserve

Places to rock in Vegas with or without your little entourage!  (c)

The Springs Preserve is one of my son’s most favorite places.  Built to be eco-friendly from top to bottom, as well as educational, there is a plethora of things to be seen, to learn and hands-on activities that will keep you and your kids busy for hours.  You can pay per visit or buy a membership.  A little off the Strip, it is definitely worth the trek if you are coming to Vegas with your family.  Even if you are a local, a trip to the Preserves is always worth the commute.  Here are some cool things happening in the month of July:

Springs Preserve Photo Contest

Venom!

Springs Preserve Summer Camps

Sunday Brunch at the Springs Cafe

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