Town Square

Town Square Las Vegas

6659 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89119

Town Square is like a large European style village made up of a variety of shops. It is a well planned and very spacious outdoor mall. The taller buildings offer shade from the blazing sun. The individual kiosks offer warmth in the winter.

We love the shops, and it is designed better than the downtown outlet mall both of which are outside. We don't go here very often though because it is off the strip. It isn't exactly far but with traffic it could take 45 minutes if not longer just to get home. 

During the holidays the traffic around the area with Christmas shopping and being just off the strip makes it potentially an even longer trip. We have figured out too to plan our trips around movie times so the let out isn't as bad either.

However, they do offer really good food options and a fun play area for the kids. I prefer going to this park during the summer because of the large water area. The water play area is a huge flat rectangle made of soft squish material that doesn't burn you bare feet so you don't have to keep your shoes on.

We prefer this in the summer because the water area keeps the kids cool. In the winter the water of course is shutdown limiting the attraction as Jace is still a bit little be climbing up the steep ladders to the tree-house. In the area they also have train rides, a tree house, slides, a kid theater, and a fun hedge maze to get lost in. 

You can see he was a little nervous to go in the water. I don't blame him. The water is clean and it appears to be recycled which is great for our area being a desert. Only it smells like a pool. With all the children they have to have some precautions set in place.

My children have never been those kids that run through the water and come back soaked. Although I say that and this day Madison did end up soaked.

There is also a small area clubhouse with a stove and fridge etc. Jace loved the windows. Although I had to grab him a few times because he wanted to climb out the windows. This would a be great for a backyard. If only my husband was a builder... 

Sister love

Usually it is precious how much they love each other. However lately Jace is getting into the "mine" and personal space phase. I suppose it is hard having all your toys taken by your big sister. He has resulted in taking her toys which is quite entertaining to see what toys he will play with of hers since they are all princess and pink.

Madison of course has no understanding of personal space. She sits as close as she possibly can to anyone she is next to. This is not only limited to our family which can be awkward when you go to the store or random places like the library. It's her personality she has such a loving heart its hard to tell her people don't like that. Brother on the other hand will shove or push her out of the way. 

Tivoli Village Park

Tivoli Village Summerlin 

440 S Rampart Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89145

We went to the park at Tivoli Village on a Sunday morning. It was a very different experience than during the Saturday Farmer's Market but always worth the trip. 

My children love the park. I love the fact that the grass is clean (fake grass) and the facility or the park area is completely enclosed. The top has a nice shade casing to keep the sun off the kids which helps on the extremely hot days.

My son had a great week and his skin was looking up so we spent an extra hour at the park. When it is windy or rainy it makes it hard to stay outdoors due to his condition. The other thing I love about this park is it is exceptionally clean. I don't know if it also has something to do with the Tivoli. I have found that most parks operated by the city aren't maintained as frequently as say others.

Most of the toys are plastic which I assume to be wiped down easily enough. Yes, my daughter is wearing a princess dress. She was Cinderella for the day and very excited to wear her dress to the park. 

There is a new Downtown Summerlin mall that just opened. We had hoped for something kid friendly like this. So far on our first trip to the new Downtown Summerlin Mall we have yet to find anything kid friendly like the Tivioli park, but we will keep looking. 

There is a bit of construction in the Tivioli area perhaps to compete with the Downtown Summerlin Mall and a security guard mentioned they plan to have a water area and additional parks for the kids.

We visit this park a lot for more posts and photos see my additional post - Farmer's Market

Homemade Pear Sauce

Pear Sauce Ingredients:

8 medium ORGANIC unpeeled pears (wash, core and slice)

1 tablespoon ORGANIC maple syrup

½ cup water

1/8 teaspoon vanilla (gluten free)

Materials:

Large cooking Pot

Wooden spoon

Blender or food processor

Cooking Directions:

Place ½ cup water in large pan with pear slices. You do not want the pears to burn or stick to the bottom of the pan so you will need to stir often with a wooden spoon.

Heat water to a small boil. The pears will start to shift color. Turn heat to medium to low , add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (organic maple syrup not the conventional store bought high fructose corn syrup imitation), add 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla and cook for 25 minutes.

Mixing Directions:

Let pears cool for 5-10 minutes.

Dump any excess water into a small jar. You shouldn't have much but if you do keep it aside if needed. Dump pear mixture into a food processor or blender. I used the Vitamix blender on the smoothie setting. I recommend starting at a slow pulse. Mix pear mixture until desired texture.

Best when served warm. If you are not eating this right away, I recommend placing the remaining mixture in a small glass container with lid for up to 3-5 days in refrigerator.

Doctor Visit 10/10/2014

Doctor's visit update:

10/10/2014 Doctor visit follow up on allergies.

Ears update: Fluid in one ear. One ear he is able to hear. Should be able to babble more fluidly. Right ear has fluid. Minimal if any sound is passing through.

Suggestions:

Allergy medication - research Singular for children. Give Jace 1/2 tsp of Benadryl for 1 week every night regardless of outbreak situation to see if the medication makes a difference. Benadryl must be dye free.

Outcome: 

Gave Jace Benadryl every night for 1 week Friday to Friday. He had a red patch on his mouth when we started, but looked better than he had a in a long while. The hives on his arms and legs had subsided drastically.

This week however after we administered the dye free form of Benadryl he has a red crusted patch on his lip just under his mouth on the right side and left side. His arms, legs and now belly are covered in red hives.

Allergy List - October

Allergic Food List:

Wheat, Dairy (includes milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt), Coconut, Soy (oil, beans), Nuts (peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, macadamia, pine nuts), Seeds (sesame, pumpkin, flax), Tomatoes, Pineapple, Strawberries, Raspberries, Cherries, Lemon, Lime, Oranges, Citric Acid, Sweet Potatoes, Beans (black beans, pinto beans, lentils), green beans, peas, oregano, cinnamon

Non-Food Allergic Items: 

dogs, polyester, carpet, petroleum (Vaseline), mold, disposable diapers, red and blue dye

This week (10/20/2014) we decided to omit Organic Apples and Apple Sauce from our diet. Pending results as to whether it will be added to the list above or not.

Pending Allergy test outcome
Apples
Corn 
Bananas
Broccoli

Extreme Allergies - Omit Apples

What do you do for a child with severe food allergies?

I am falling apart as a mother. This has been an ongoing battle for almost two years. I am blogging about it because I need a place to document everything but mostly to vent. It’s hard to chart in notebooks and shift through everything at doctor visits. I feel like my brain can’t hold much more. I also feel like they think I am making this up like I want my child to be sick or like I am not trying hard enough.

My child is allergic to everything. I say that and adults give me the flat mouthed stare and comment about they too are “gluten free”. Thank you for your sympathy, but I only wish we were gluten free. My child is not intolerant to gluten he has extreme food allergies.

My two year old is allergic to the top foods that others may understand:Wheat, Dairy (includes milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt), Coconut, Soy, Nuts (peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, macadamia, pine nuts), Seeds (sesame, pumpkin, flax) Corn, but is also allergic to Tomatoes, Pineapple, Strawberries, Raspberries, Cherries, Lemon, Lime, Oranges, Citric Acid, Sweet Potatoes, Beans (black beans, pinto beans, lentils), oregano, cinnamon and non-food items: dogs, polyester, carpet, petroleum (Vaseline includes most lotions, and ointments), mold, disposable diapers, and red and blue dye (which is in almost all kids antibiotics).

These are only the items we know about. We have not tried any fish which why would we with this many allergies. Still my child breaks out in massive hives every day. A small patch on the bottom of his lip is always red, angry and inflamed. His arms are speckled with hives. His back has massive patches that look like road rash.

The skin doctor called it eczema. Only everything you use to treat eczema makes it progressively worse including steroid creams. We've moved beyond skin doctors. However to most doctors it has turned into a guessing game as to what he can eat. Can he really be allergic to so many things?

This week we have omitted apples from our diet. I know another item on our long list of food we cannot eat. I have tried different types of apples from Gala, Fuji, Honey Crisp, etc. This week apples are on our do not eat list.

I already know that conventional items do not work due to the chemicals infused in the food, but also they coat the food with either soy wax or bees wax, either way it’s toxic to my child. This week I had bought Organic Honey Crisp apples from Whole Foods originally from Washington. I prefer fruits from Washington because it is one of three states that banned the use of the pesticides commonly used on strawberries. [President Bush (2002) pushed to legalize a specific pesticide used on strawberries pushing it high up on the dirty dozen list].

Organic apples are something we thought he could eat, but his belly is still enlarged with fluid from something he is eating so apples are on our do not eat list this week.

Omitted: Organic Apples and Organic Apple Sauce

This week we are replacing apples with pears to see if this has an effect on his outbreaks.

Lunch this week includes: goat yogurt (Wholefoods brand ONLY because he is allergic to a bacteria in other brands) pear sauce, and goat cheese with gluten free bread.

We were eating a lot of organic apple sauce, but this week we are omitting apples so I had to come up with something for him to eat.

For the complete recipe I used see my Homemade Pear Sauce Recipe