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Ice Skating at Lake Las Vegas

27 Tuesday Dec 2011

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Places to rock in Vegas with or without your little entourage. ©

It might not be the Rockefeller Center rink as we so often associate with ice skating in the city, but when you are in Las Vegas, it’s the next best thing.

My kids have been begging my husband and I to take them ice skating all winter long.  With school being out for break, and my husband having a rare Monday with the kids, we decided to go for it the day after Christmas.  We weren’t totally sure where to go as none of us are pros, and my kids had never been on a rink before.  After a quick call to the Info Desk at the Monte Lago Village Resort, where the rink is actually affiliated with, I felt confident we could do this.  We bundelled up in our cutest ice skating clothes, and away we went.

Traffic getting out to Lake Las Vegas was a breeze.  It took us tops 20 minutes from our house to the valet at the Ravella Resort at Lake Las Vegas.  We like to park here because we are familiar with the grounds, but the Monte Lago Village Resort also offers convenient parking.  The economy has not missed the Lake Las Vegas Resort, which is so sad.  The beautiful green golf course that once greeted visitors entering the master planned community, is now dead and brown, though still well kept.  Houses are still beautiful, and the Village is just as before…windy cobble stone roads and Italian stuccoed buildings that beacon much more lively times.  There were a few shops still open available for hot chocolate, gelato, and coffee.  And, it appeared as though some of the retail shops were open as well.

We headed on down to the Floating Rink.  At the ticket and rental station, you get a pair of skates and a wrist band allowing you all day access.  Adults skate for $15 and children for $12.  The rink itself does float, but contrary to what I thought, it’s actually attached to the dock, so there is no boat ride out to the middle of the lake.  Which is convenient, although, that might be a cool idea! It is also made from real ice, so it is thick and your skates can actually dig in.  Because it is located right above the water, there is some condensation created and the rink experiences melted ice from time to time.  Especially with the weather not being actual “ice skating” temperatures, there tends to be some slush and water on the rink.  This was a bit challenging as my kids were having a great time on the ice, but of course, as I’m yelling, “Stay away from the water,” they, my son especially, are skating right through it, falling down and getting their clothes soaking wet.  It doesn’t seem either that they are doing regular Zamboni circuits on the ice, the rink is rather small, but the surface seemed to be just enough for everyone to enjoy their skating for the day.

 

I have to admit, I haven’t skated in years.  I put on a pair of roller skates the other day and almost broke my neck, so I was a little nervous about putting skates with blades on the bottom and gliding over ice.  My kids were excited, but nervous as well.  they had never skated before.  The nice thing is that the rink is small, so you feel like you are in a more controlled environment.  There are also large traffic cones on the ice, which is great for the kids.  My son grabbed one and though he could hardly keep his ankles up and feet paralleled, he managed to still race around the rink for an hour and have a great time.  My daughter, on the other hand, absolutely refused the cone.  She was going to do this on her own, and by golly, she did.  Spunky, little headstrong creature who refused to have any help.  By the time we were ready to go, she was already working on her figure 8s and trying to skate as fast as she could.  She kept telling me, “I got this,” every time I would offer her a cone to hold on to.  I even had a good time.  It was a great release from all the stress and bustle of the Holidays to just go out with the kids, get some fresh air, a little movement and just have fun.  Brought me back to being a teenager ice skating with my friends, and I had a blast watching my kids have a great time on the rink.

I was barely able to pull them away by offering to buy them a chocolate from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, with promises of bringing them back again before the rink closes at the end of January.  My daughter didn’t want to leave…I think we may have found her talent.  I wish their was an ice skating rink closer to Henderson because I would take her all the time.

The Famous Floating Rink at Lake Las Vegas is open through January 29th.  Bring extra clothes for kiddos who may fall a lot and get wet, and don’t forget your camera!  We brought gloves and hats and heavy sweatshirts and the kids did just fine.  In fact, once they warmed up, they started to take off the hat and gloves.

Get outside with your family (or with friends or a date!) and enjoy the Ice Skating on the Lake.  And, support the beautifully master planned Lake Las Vegas.

More information on Ice Skating on the Lake can be found on their website:

RATES (includes skate rental and full day pass to the rink):
$15 per adult
$12 per child
$8 per person for groups of 20 or more
$125 per season pass

HOURS: 

Monday through Friday – 3 pm to 9 pm
Saturday, Sunday, school vacations and holidays – 12 Noon to 9 pm.

 

Vegas Tours: Cool Fitness Events in July

24 Friday Jun 2011

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

Paddle to the Core-SUP Lake Las Vegas

Yes!  You can Stand Up Paddle Board in Las Vegas!  Better yet, you can do it in one of the most beautiful locations in the Valley…Lake Las Vegas.  Located outside the Loews Hotel.  Join them for a 4th of July celebration on the Lake SUP Style!

Yoga Sanctuary: West Side

Two cool events happening at, in my opinion, one of the best yoga studios in Las Vegas.  If you are staying on the Strip and looking for an amazing yoga workshop or class lead by some pretty impressive and world-renown instructors (even the local instructors are pretty impressive!), then I highly recommend taking a cab ride out to Yoga Sanctuary West (located in the Summerlin area).  It’s also a great place to bring your older kiddos for some parent/teen bonding time, and to find your inner peace and focus away from the craziness of the hotels and casinos.  Yoga Sanctuary, both East and West, are by far the locals’ favorite when it comes to yoga in the Valley.

Sasha Larkin Leads Mommy & Me Yoga

Reiki Level 1 Training

lululemon athletica at the Fashion Show Mall

Don’t want to leave the Strip, but need to get some fitness into your vaca or biz trip?  Take a jaunt down to the Fashion Show Mall (you can even run there to give you that extra cardio boost!) on Sundays from 9:30-10:30, and experience a fitness class the best the Valley has to offer.  The best part?  It’s FREE!  Totally free, or, er, um, complimentary.  While you’re planning your Vegas escape, be sure to check out their monthly events calendar for class listings.

*Want to explore more of Vegas?  Their Summerlin Showroom also offers unique classes throughout the week.  Times and classes vary, so make sure to check their calendar of events, or shout at them on FaceBook!

Barefoot Sanctuary

Snuggled inside the Whole Foods Market at Town Square, just south of the Strip, there is an intimate space right above the shoppers heads where crazy things like handstand and acro-fit classes are going on, groovy vibes, cool music, yoga, meditations, belly dancing, tribal dancing…it’s hard to imagine a fitness studio inside Whole Foods…or is it?  And, the studio owners, Jaime and Alvin Tam, are amazingly beautiful people with vibrant souls and energy.  Definitely a must-see, must attend studio before you head back home.  (Even if home is Summerlin or Henderson!)

Blue Sky Yoga

You can’t miss this studio when visiting Las Vegas.  Located inside the Arts Factory in Downtown Las Vegas (yes, the real Downtown, the Strip is actually not Downtown), Cheryl Slader’s Blue Sky Yoga is a donation based yoga studio offering some of the most amazing classes and workshops in Las Vegas.  What makes this place a must-see is the funky and cool atmosphere that surrounds it.  Depending on the month and the artist, the studio itself is an actual art gallery displaying local artists’ work.  It is a small, intimate space, so make sure you arrive early to park your mat.  If you are looking for something different to take the fam to, check out First Fridays which is a local artist, musician, vendor, culinary hot spot with lots of stimulation and visual aesthetics.  Click here for Blue Sky Yoga July Events.

The 1st Annual Mother/ Daughter Charity Tea Event

13 Wednesday Apr 2011

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A few weeks back I received an email forward from a friend of mine, whose daughter and mine are in the same pre-school class, inviting me to “The 1st Annual Mother/Daughter Charity Tea Event.” If you have kept up on my posts, you’ll know how much I love the art of afternoon tea, so I was more than happy to accept the invite.

I extended the invitation to two other little girls and their mothers, as well as my mother, my grandmother and my mother-in-law. It would be RSD’s first real tea party where she got to dress up and be with her friends at an actual event. We went shopping the week before and picked out a pink poofy dress with a silvery sheath and a big tulle sash, a pair of matching pink shoes, and a fluffy pink tulle bow adorned with a thumbprint sized crystal right in the middle. The perfect blend of all things pink and shiny.

We made the long haul out to Lake Las Vegas the morning of April 2nd, but it’s always well worth the trek. Once pass the mess of freeways and dull desert landscape off Boulder Highway, the palm tree lined turn off of Lake Mead Drive into Lake Las Vegas transforms into a serene and scenic view of the mountains, valley and man-made lake. A beautiful vision and concept that has suffered extraordinarily since the economy crashed a few years back. However, the event venue, Loews at Lake Las Vegas, was still as beautiful as ever.

Four squealing little girls, all dressed in shades of pastel reminiscent of an Easter basket, their hair in curls, ornamented with bows almost bigger than their heads. They were so excited to see each other, and as their mother’s, I think I can speak for all four of us when I say, I think we were more excited than they were. It was one of those days you can’t wait to have when you are blessed with a little girl.

 

The 1st Annual Mother/Daughter Charity Tea Event was hosted by localite, Kellie Connors. A mother of two little girls herself, she had the vision of hosting a tea party with the intention of bringing awareness to two locally based and funded non-profit organizations that paired perfectly with the event, and in need of donations. The Living Grace Home, a safe haven for expectant teen mothers, and Baby’s Bounty, a non-profit organization that provides essential clothing and gear to disadvantaged families. (Click here to see what the Baby’s Bounty is in need of for donations.) The cost of the tea party was $30 per guest, and all proceeds went directly to both organizations. We were also asked to bring with us “something a new mother couldn’t live without.” As we all had a common thread, being mothers and grandmothers, it was easy to convince us to donate the things we were so fortunate to get on our own.

I was surprised and proud of the sponsors that supported Kellie’s tea party…mainly because they were the same ones I frequent on a regular basis, which strengthened my commitment to them as I now know they really are partners in our community. Big names like Teavana, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s provided the tea, sandwiches and fruit, and a local favorite, Nothing Bundt Cakes, supplied their bundlet for dessert. There were also tables set up with baskets of baby and toddler noshes, like Plum Organics Fruit and Veggie Smashes and Nourish Baby Bottles…8oz of spring water in a bottle, nipple included and formula ready. What I also loved about the food display was the special touches for the little tykes who couldn’t eat the sandwiches, they were offered an array of freeze-dried fruits and little glasses of blueberries.

 

 

 

The girls were greeted by the guests of honor, Princesses Aurora, Jasmine, and Cinderella, along with their chaperone, Prince Charming. They were each handed a fun-colored scarf, and Dustin Type played some funky pre-school tunes to get the party started! The girls were going crazy with the music and the scarves, along with the sugar high, were jumping around, laughing and singing. A good time was had by all.

 

As we were leaving, each girl was handed a SWAG bag from another local mommy hot spot, Love Bug Baby Boutique. The bubbles and the Piggy Polish was a huge hit for my daughter, but I was thrilled to get a sample of the Happy Baby Organic Baby Food for the twins. And, graciously, the moms and grandmas all passed theirs off to me so I could build up my collection!

 

Kudos to Kellie Conors for pulling off such an amazing event. She totally targeted her audience by providing hip and healthy sponsors we regularly enjoy, introduced our community to organizations that need our help, and kept the party organized, entertaining and over in 2 hours. To find out more about next year’s event, you can contact Kellie at ladiestea2011@gmail.com.