Coquette Maman

Visit the Largest Holiday Sugar Castle at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco

Don't miss the unveiling of the largest holiday sugar castle on Wednesday, November 27th at the Westin St. Francis in Union Square, San Francisco. The festivities start at 9am and will run throughout the day where you can enjoy live holiday music plus complimentary hot chocolate and cookies.

I can't wait to see it with Chloe as the Sugar Castile is modeled after a French Chateau in the Bordeaux region where my husband is from. Jean-François Houdré the Executive Pastry Chef at the Westin St. Francis has been working day and night to create this 12 foot rotating Sugar Castle that features more than 20 grand circular towers, approximately 30 rooms with illuminated windows surrounded by a small village and a running train.

More fun facts about the Sugar Castle's ingredients:

• 90 pounds of gingerbread
• 160 pounds of pastillage (powdered sugar, egg whites and gelatin dough)
• 30 pounds of pulled and bubble sugar
• Royal icing made of 400 pounds of sugar and egg whites
• 50 pounds of molasses
• 80 pounds of flour
• 60 pounds of assorted Christmas candy

Make it a fun trip with the kids to Union Square to see the Sugar Castle, ice skate at the Union Square rink and do some holiday shopping!

Uniqlo's Mommy and Me Holiday Event on Saturday in SF

Take a visit to Uniqlo Union Square on Saturday to celebrate their new kids section at their Mommy and Me Holiday Event. Stylists will be on-hand to help you and your kids pick out stylish active wear for the holiday season. With a purchase of $50 or more, you'll also get free professional holiday portraits for you to share for the holidays. (Limit of 2 high-res photos per family. Valid during event only.) A light breakfast will also be served. Fashion + fun for the kids sounds like a great way to spend the morning!

Uniqlo Mommy and Me Holiday Event
Saturday, November 23, 2013
9am to 10:30am
UNIQLO at 111 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Please RSVP at Eventbrite

Inside the New American Girl Store at Stanford Shopping Center

The new American Girl store opens up it's first Bay Area location this weekend at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto. (They call it their San Francisco location.) Find out all the opening weekend events in this post and on the the store page. Chloe and I had a wonderful experience in this grand store that is two levels and features a doll hair salon and Bistro where you can dine with your doll. The highlight of our experience was being one of the first customers for the Bistro. Chloe got a loner doll to use since we didn't have one and it was so fun to see her eat and give her doll some tea to drink too. We couldn't leave empty handed of course and Chloe got her own American Doll for her upcoming 5th birthday.
The attention to detail for all the dolls and tiny accessories are simply a sight to see. Oh and can we talk hair? I love how high quality the hair is. Now I know why these dolls are so pricy. One important tip: If you are buying a new doll, make sure you buy one of their hair brushes to maintain it's good quality.

If you are making a visit to the store, you can book dining reservations for the new Bistro online.

Here are some photos from our recent visit to the American Girl Store in Palo Alto:

American Girl Grand Opening this Weekend at Stanford Shopping Center

It's almost here! Tomorrow, Chloe and I will visit the new American Girl store at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto for a special media preview. (Love that it works out she has a day off from school due to parent/teacher conferences!) She has been wanting one for her birthday, so the new store opening comes just in time for her 5th! She has been asking me each day for the last two weeks when we are going. I will have lots of photos and more to share by tomorrow night, for now there are lots of details for this big opening. It's the first American Girl store in the Bay Area!

Festivities for the grand opening on both Saturday, November 16 and Sunday, November 17 will include:

• All girls in attendance on Saturday (11/16) and Sunday (11/17) will receive a free gift.
• There will be free craft activities available in the mall on Saturday and Sunday.
• There will be live entertainment for guests waiting in line and in the mall, including face painters and balloon artists.
• American Girl will also have Drawings for a Saige doll (valued at $110) for both Saturday and Sunday.
• Purchase with Purchase Promotion: Get the exclusive Breakfast in Bed Set for $16 with a purchase of $50 or more. Available starting on November 13, 2013 through December 15, 2013 or while supplies last.

American Girl has designated Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford as its grand opening benefit partner. American Girl is providing funding to the hospital for various children’s programs.

Note: Due to fire-safety regulations there will be a ticket system for entrance. The earliest people can begin to line up for tickets is 7am on Saturday (for 9am opening) and 8am on Sunday (10am opening). No overnight camping is permitted. It is recommended to park in parking garage #2.

If you visit Stanford Shopping Center by November 14, enter to win a Saige doll + $250 gift card! Just complete an entry form at the property's Guest Services during mall hours between now and November 14 at 5pm.

For more information on the new Palo Alto American Girl store, visit the American Girl website and the Stanford Shopping Center Facebook page.

The Nutcracker: A Magic Theater Book

As visions of December come dancing ever so closely now, my little ballerina gets excited for our visit to see the SF Ballet's Nutcracker in a matter of weeks. She is obsessed with the lovely story thanks to this gorgeous book, The Nutcracker: A Magic Theater Book ($14.76 on Amazon) by Geraldine McCaughrean, illustrated by Kristina Swarner (published by Chronicle Books).

The pages of this book come to life with beautiful paper animations that cleverly stay in their own "windows" so there's no fear of ripping as things don't pop out. McCaughrean is my hero because her prose is sophisticated and poetic for kids, making it a joy to read aloud to Chloe. Also keep in mind the book has the young heroine as the original "Marie" and not "Clara" which it was later changed to by Alexandre Dumas.

Watch the video of The Nutcracker above to see the pages move!

Also available from Chronicle Books is a personalized version of the Night Before Christmas. Only $34.99, this book puts your child into the magical tale. Order it now so it arrives in time for the holidays!

Disclaimer: Review book was provided by Chronicle Books.