Reliv for Kids: My 3 Month Journey to My Children's Health

11 Wednesday May 2011

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Yes! It is a direct marketing program. Let’s just get that out of the way, out in the open, let’s address the elephant in the room. It is what it is. But, I’m not here to sell you on it. I’m not even a distributor. I was invited by an acquaintance of mine to listen to her schpeel on the Reliv product for kids. She is an assistant to a Kindergarten teacher, so she’s around these frisky, energetic angels all day, and sees first hand how the lack of nutrition, no matter how hard we try, affects the body and minds of our children.

This invitation couldn’t have come at a better time. The current topics in the media in regards to chemicals, dyes, fillers, etc. being linked directly to our kids’ behaviors, got me thinking that I’m not providing my own children with enough nutrition to keep them strong and healthy and use all of their brain power, and their energy, at the right time of day. In addition, a girlfriend of mine has been spending the last 30 days eliminating all of these nasty toxins from her child’s diet in hopes it would give her some kind of answer to the unbalanced energy transfer her daughter was experiencing as well. A painstaking, time consuming task, that has actually started to pay off for her. Eventhough I habitually read labels and only allow my kids to eat certain types of food…directing them to healthier options vs fatty, sugary artificial ones…I knew I couldn’t go at it alone. Even buying organic doesn’t always promise that the tomato wasn’t picked off the vine before it ripened enough to provide our bodies with the lycopene we think we are getting. They needed something more, and I wanted a one-stop-shop of all the vitamins, minerals, Omega-3s, DHA, ARA whatever they needed. I am tired of dispensing 12 vitamins a day, and finding half of them shoved in the crayon box after they’ve left for school. I also had concerns about how much was actually being absorbed into their blood stream and what their body was utilizing.

Enter Reliv Now for Kids. It is a US distributed product, which can also be purchased in Canada and Australia as well, and has been available to the market for 22 years. It is a powder form, so it makes it even more soluble (98-99% is absorbed) and the contents are blended to create a synergistic compound, meaning they all flow and connect and groove together so they are not fighting each other once consumed. The vitamins and minerals work together to help the product do its thing.

Kelly gave me all kinds of information and real-life stories about miracle regressions and physical transformations…but she had me sold in the first few minutes of her presentation. And, I must say, I use the word “sold” lightly, because she is truly passionate about this product and really just wants others to know about it. It helped her, she believes in it, she has seen it help others, and therefore, she wants to share it with the world. She believes in this product so much, that she has graciously offered to support both of my older kids on it for three months, which is the recommended length of the trial period. This is not a cheap product! It is a lifestyle commitment, and a choice Kelly is commited to with her own family. In fact, she insists on being my consultant for the three month period to ensure that I am using Reliv for Kids properly to get the ultimate results. In return, she wants my honest opinion and review of her product, which I have offered to give her. I promised her it would not be biased, swayed or tempered in anyway. It will come straight from my own experience with it, as I know my readers trust what I have to say, and I respect that trust.

So without further ado…I give you Reliv Now for Kids! I will be posting updates periodically on my FaceBook page and Twitter, as well as posting on my blog a weekly summary of results. Again, this is a 3 month process, so a fun journey it will be! I’m so excited to try this product, I ordered some for myself! So, I’ll share that insight with you as well. In the meantime, if you want to start learning more about Reliv, check out their website and FaceBook pages.

Cheers to Nutrition!

 

 

Rock Star Date at the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

11 Wednesday May 2011

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The hubs and I had a planned dinner date with some customers of his on Saturday night at the Greek restaurant, Milo’s, in the new Cosmopolitanhotel. It is supposed to be fabulous, so I was super excited to go there, even though the last two weeks have been jammed pack with dinners, travelling, and events. It’s always fun to try something new, especially in Vegas. This way you get to stay in the know when people ask, “Where should we go/eat/stay?”

Had the babysitter all set up, got myself motivated and all dolled up for a night on the town (we were going to hit up Marquee, the nightclub at the same hotel), and drove the distance to the Strip from my house fighting So Cal traffic on the I-15. When I arrived at the valet at Aria, Rock Star hubby was waiting outside for me with the news that our plans for the evening had been cancelled. To which I informed him that he was taking me out anyway. Though I would have been perfectly content to be at home in my jammies, in bed, catching up on my recorded shows, I had also taken a shower, shaved my legs, did my hair and put on make-up, so I wasn’t racing home to get all un-done either!

Usually, we would have just grabbed a drink and something to eat at Aria, but since we already had plans to leave the property, we thought we would venture to somewhere we hadn’t been before. Rock Star hubby is not so much into the scene at the Cosmopolitan….it’s a little young and loud for his taste….we decided to hit up one our favorite international and national hotels, the Mandarin Oriental, located in the City Center.

The Door Man at the Mandarin Oriental

We love the Mandarin Oriental hotels for many reasons…the style, the elegance, the service…but mostly because it brings us back to our honeymoon spent travelling through South East Asia and our stay at the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, Thailand. We had never been to the one in Vegas before, and have heard amazing things about their 23rd floor lounge. Since we were dressed for it, we decided to check it out, and make it our Valentine’s Day date, since we knew we would be spending the real thing with our kids.

The Mandarin never ceases to amaze me with it’s timeless style. From the minute we left the Aria resort and entered onto the Mandarin property, we knew we were in a different place, a place that seemed like miles from the Las Vegas Strip. As we walked up to the front doors, we were greeted by men in overcoats and top hats, on stand by to direct us to wherever we wanted to go inside the hotel. The lobby itself was sleek and simple. Almost to the point that we weren’t exactly sure if we were in a lobby, as the Concierge and Front Desk are not in the line of sight. We found the elevators, cleverly designed to blend into the wall decor, which reminded me of a trompe l’oeil you would find in an old European building, but in a modern, chic way. Though the hotel itself may reflect the designs and decor to match that of the City Center, you can’t escape the traditional luxury that is a constant with the Mandarin Oriental. This was specifically noted when we stepped into the elevator to take us up to the 23rd floor, and waiting inside for us was a plush, red velvet bench for two.

 

Relaxing on the ride up

With only two buttons available in the elevator, we chose the one that would take us to the lounge on the 23rd floor, known as the Mandarin Bar. It is amazing. Again, greeted by not a soul as we entered the Sky Lobby, but in awe of its profound beauty, we made our way over to the left side of the building where the sounds of their in-house DJ was beckoning us. We were seated at a table for two that looked directly over the Strip, and onto the visual arts provided by the buildings in the City Center, the Cosmopolitan and the Planet Hollywood hotels. What designer wouldn’t take advantage of such a breath taking view? Windows floor to ceiling, chic Asian decor, and beautifully concocted drinks, this had turned into the perfect date night.

DJ spinning the mood

 

I’m not going to lie, the drinks, though delicious and interesting, are a little pricey. But it’s what to be expected at such a high class joint. We were served a lovely tray of munchies to keep us satisfied until our dinner…Wasabi Peanuts, Asian Trail Mix and Smoked Almonds. Rock Star hubby ordered his usual, Absolut Mandarin and soda, while I decided to be a little adventurous and try their signature cocktail, The Golden Leaf Martini. The original recipe calls for Hendricks gin, but since I’m not a gin drinker, I opted for the Hanagr One Citron vodka, which they blended with mandarin, pineapple, fresh lime juice and simple syrup. For a special occasion, it was worth the $20.

After marvelous, uninterrupted, adult conversation, we headed back over to the Aria for dinner. The Aria has many fabulous restaurants, but one of my favorites is Union. The menu changes often, and the night I brought my college girlfriends there for dinner, they had a bone-in fillet on the menu that was seriously, to die for. As we were walking into the restaurant, I noticed several people with huge lobsters on the table, and they looked incredibly delicious as well. I also love how they seat a party for two in an oversized booth, looking out into the casino. It keeps you stimulated, yet feels private enough for a great conversation, while their in-house DJ (obviously a trend) keeps your energy up for anything! It is Vegas, anything could happen…and the mood in Union keeps it fun and exciting. Unfortunately, the bone-in fillet was not on the menu that night, but Rock Star hubby knew what to order and we indulged in a fillet and shared a lobster tail, that was so memorably delicious. I really wanted the “Ritz” stuffed lobster, which I have been told is out of this world, but RSH likes to keep things simple, so we went with the tail, still awesome.

To end the night, we topped it off with a visit to my favorite French

Banana Nuetella Crepe...need I say more?

bakery…Jean Phillipe. If you have never been to the one at the Aria or Bellagio, the home of the Chocolate Fountains, you really are missing out on the most aesthetic and decadent bakery in Las Vegas. From the handmade chocolates and gelato, to the bistro sandwiches, gorgeous pastries, cookies and the most insane fantasy cakes you could ever dream of, Jean Phillipe out-does himself every time. My hot spot is the crepe station. Crepes take me back to my days of travelling and living abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France, where I took the liberty to eat a crepe or two every day. It is also the place where I discovered Nuetella, and have been in love ever since. RSH treated me to my absolute fave, a banana and Nuetella crepe, to-go.

As we walked passed all the finely dressed specimens in line, vying for their chance to get into the nightclub, Haze, I was so grateful that wasn’t me. After two weeks of a crazy rock star life, I was more than happy to kick off my Gucci heals, wash all the smokey eye shadow off my face, pull my hair in a pony, jump in my comfy bed and watch my shows while enjoying my late night dessert. Our fast paced life had finally slowed down, and the night turned out to be rather enjoyable, and fun, in a non-rock star kind of way.

 

Crazy. Sexy. Drool. Three Hot Mama's Hit Up Kiki de Montparnasse

11 Wednesday May 2011

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Two of my best girlfriends and I hit the town last weekend. We always get together to celebrate our birthdays as they are spread apart perfectly….March, June, September…then come the holidays and a little downtime in January before things start to pick up again. It is one way to guarantee that we see each other at least once a quarter. Especially now that we are moving through our thirties pretty quickly and have growing families, these birthday celebrations become something we seriously look forward to. An escape from being the disciplinarian, the walking burp cloth, the feeding machine…it gives us time to plan a shower into our day, an outfit into our wardrobe, and check off our list of new places we want to try. Not to mention just blowing off some steam, sipping some cocktails and having some good old fashioned girl time!

Our Marchie chose Beso, in the Crystals at CityCenter, to chow down at. We were all so excited because none of us had been there before. And, I must say, it was quite divine. We started off with cocktails, a Strawbelini with fresh muddled strawberries, a classic Cadillac Margarita, and this amazing drink that was our absolute favorite and not listed on their website (it was made with vodka, blood orange juice, and chili peppers)…all priced at $15. For appetizers we chose the Lobster Cocktail ($25), Eva’s Avocado Guacamole ($10) and a delicious beet salad, again, not on their on-line menu. Four our main courses, September had the salmon ($31), March had the fillet with blue cheese crust ($34 + $8), and I chose the bone-in fillet ($50)…my new favorite steak, along with a side of Mac-n-Cheese ($9). Dessert was divine…Cinnamon Dusted Churros and Baked Alaska both $8 each. The room was beautiful, LEED, trendy, hip, chic…all that jazz, and we had an excellent waiter, Ahmed, who was funny, flirty and took his knowledge of the menu very seriously. He made some fantastic recommendations, and gave us a ton of insight into the meats and how items were prepared. It really made our night. If you are looking for a special high-end dinner with the girls, friends, or your SO, I would most definitely recommend Beso.

But on to more important things, and why we are here! Kiki d’s.

If you have been following my blog, you may recall an entry I did honoring my RockStarHubby. In that post, I talked about how he would bring me home lingerie from this shoppe in the Crystals…that spot is the infamous Kiki de Montparnasse. My Marchie friend is married to RSH’s BFF, and the weekend prior, we went out to dinner to celebrate the guys’ 40th birthday. At that dinner, we started talking about my weekend with the girls, and how we stumbled into Kiki d’s. My girlfriend said, “I want to go,” and that was that. RSH was on the BlackBerry texting his contact there, letting them know the three of us would be coming by after our dinner on Friday night. We sent a text to our September friend, and we penciled it in.

I”m not writing about this to talk about my sex life, or theirs. I’m writing this because we had such a fun time…it was classy and grown up and sexy and totally girlie. I became a huge fan, and totally appreciate this store and what it does for people’s relationships…this sex shoppe is in a whole new class. I’ve been to Amsterdam and L.A., hell, I live in Vegas…I’ve been in your average run-in-the-mill sex shop. This is a boutique and it is not to be confused with those scuzzy super stores where all things sex is crammed into one place and in the next room over are some peep shows, and you are afraid to touch the fixtures…you know what I mean. Be open to the experience…if anything, get an update on your sex education course from high school, and enjoy the ride! (no pun intended…maybe?)

When we walked in, we were greeted by their best sales girl, in my opinion, Tif. Cute, petite, red-head with a wealth of information. She is extremely professional, yet personable and reads her customers like a book. With that being said, all the girls in there are lovely, my own experience has been with Tif, and I find her to be pretty amazing for being able to talk candidly about sex toys like she was selling me a new gadget for my stroller or diaper bag. She handed us all a glass of champagne, offered us some chocolate covered strawberries, and showed us into the backroom where she suggested we have some fun with dress up and photos. The backdrops, also doubling as displays, in the back were terrific…a lighted mirror, a tempting bed with crisp white sheets and down comforter topped with two pillowcases, one inviting you to “Sleep” the other…well, use your imagination, and a leather riding chair (yes, I said riding chair). She had smaller props like a top hat, masks, whips, feathers, a business man’s shirt, a corset…and with the champagne going directly to our heads, we relaxed a little and had some fun taking group photos and photos for our men. We looked through the gorgeous lingerie and tried on a few things. Tif showed us the Couples Dressing Room where you can have an intimate fashion show for your SO (no touching allowed). We were starting to get giddy…so she brought us into the main area of the store to the Jewelry Bar.

The jewelry is amazing. She eased us into some pieces, like the sleek pinkie rings in gold, rose gold and silver, some with diamonds, some without, some with sayings like, “Je t’aime” which was my favorite, and another saying for the sassier shopper. Then she busted out with the Pearls. A 10’strand of fresh water pearls, that she beautifully draped down my back and around my shoulders and explained they were body jewelry. Then with two swift movements, she had my wrists restrained and was showing me how quickly they could change to something even sexier.

Props...

From there, she moved us over to the Toy Display, where she once again, filled our glasses with champagne (man, she’s good!) and sat us down on comfy leather bar stools. She went through each and every one of the items in the case, never grimacing or blushing. She answered all of our little school girl questions, then as we became more confident, started laughing at our jokes. (They were big girl jokes!) I’m not sure if the champagne was a ploy to loosen us up so we could start to envision sex as something romantic and fun versus the act you do in order to have children, or so we would be more apt to throw down our credit cards without wincing at the prices. Probably a little of both. After having been in there for an hour, the store was starting to get busy, and it was almost midnight. We were feeling relaxed and flirty…for 60 minutes, we forgot about our real lives and were living in the moment of being the sexy goddesses our husbands fell in love with ten years ago. We didn’t have stretch marks, or leaky boobs, or an extra pooch tucked into our Spanx…we were confident, fearless, brazen thirty-somethings, and we were taking our goodies home to our husbands. And, man it felt so good to be those women for a fleeting moment.

  • They have three other boutiques~ Los Angeles, New York and Paris
  • If you call ahead, they can accommodate your party as well in the same fashion as ours
  • They do a Romance Concierge Service, meaning they can come to your room and decorate for Special Occasions, Bachelorette Parties, Wedding Nights

I just loved how this was something different than just sitting in a lounge or at a bar, having cocktails. We were interacting, being spontaneous, sharing and bonding…it was a grown up girls night! I’m not going to say what we bought, but I will tell you one item had something to do with Jell-o. They placed everything into a discreet black bag, and taped the top with black tape so no one could see inside. Their bag was probably a little more interesting than mine, as I threw in a few cautionary necessities remembering how I got my RockStarMom status in the first place.

 

The Las Vegas Boutique is located at:

Kiki de Montparnasse
Crystals at MGM CityCenter, Suite 226
3720 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

 

702.736.7883

 

Open: Sunday – Saturday 10am -11pm