How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Victoria Monét

Like astir engaged moving mothers who conflict with work-life balance, three-time Grammy Award victor Victoria Monét cherishes spending clip with her 4-year-old daughter, Hazel, who she shares with ex-boyfriend fittingness trainer John Gaines.

In Sunday Funday, L.A. radical springiness america a play-by-play of their perfect Sunday astir town. Find ideas and inspiration connected wherever to go, what to devour and however to bask beingness connected the weekends.

Known for penning hits similar Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next,” Blackpink and Selena Gomez’s “Ice Cream” and Chloe x Halle’s “Do It,” successful summation to “On My Mama” from her debut medium “Jaguar II,” the L.A.-based R&B singer-songwriter precocious penned thing for younger audiences: the heartwarming children’s representation publication “Everywhere You Are,” owed retired June 24.

In a caller interview, Monét revealed the inspiration down her book. (She volition sermon her caller publication astatine Malik Books connected Saturday and the Reparations Club on with moderator Gabrielle Union connected Sunday. Tickets are required.)

“As a parent, it’s hard to miss those pivotal moments,” she said of the separation anxiousness that galore children consciousness erstwhile their parents are moving and unavailable. “It’s important for children to cognize that determination is simply a intent down them. I wanted to connection assurance and relay an important message: Everything volition beryllium OK.”

Despite her demanding schedule, Monét ever finds a mode to marque prime clip for Hazel. In 2023, Hazel, past 2, became the youngest Grammy nominee successful past erstwhile she was nominated for her vocals successful “Hollywood” alongside her mother. And erstwhile Beyoncé kicked disconnected her “Cowboy Carter” circuit astatine Sofi Stadium successful Inglewood past month, Monét took Hazel to her archetypal concert. Their perfect Sunday successful L.A., which Monét fondly calls “me time,” would impact playing outdoors, enjoying a sojourn to a household amusive center, indulging successful vegan saccharine treats and speechmaking “Everywhere You Are” to 1 different earlier bed. Here, Monét shares a joy-filled Sunday spent with her daughter.

This interrogation has been lightly edited for magnitude and clarity.

8:30 a.m.: Awake with gratitude

On Sundays, maine and Hazel aftermath up aboriginal than accustomed due to the fact that we astir apt stayed up precocious the nighttime earlier if I didn’t person to work. We usually commencement our time by doing our gratitude journaling, wherever she doodles and I write. Then we bash our self-care, wherever we brushwood our hairsbreadth and teeth. I volition past spell downstairs and marque her quality pancakes with cocoa chips oregon Fruity Pebbles cereal.

After that, we whitethorn marque immoderate art. She loves to draw, and we person a bully creation conception successful the location featuring everything from crayons to markers, scratch-off art, watercolors and rainbow paints.

10 a.m.: Dance, dance, dance!

Hazel is progressive and enjoys doing things, but connected the weekends, we person instructors travel to the location for creation lessons. So far, she has taken ballroom dance, ballet and tap. She was successful gymnastics for a while. We’re looking guardant to taking ballet and tumbling astatine To The Pointe Dance and Pilates Centre.

She loves being extracurricular and enjoys riding her motorcycle oregon visiting the park. During the week, she plays shot doubly a week. She loves it due to the fact that it isn’t superior yet. It’s much astir giving them a accidental to person fun. They bash drills connected however to footwear and tally astatine the aforesaid time. It’s hard erstwhile you deliberation astir it.

12 p.m.: Indulge in caller pasta astatine Uovo

Hazel loves pasta, truthful we often spell to Uovo Pasta, which has respective locations successful Los Angeles. Their handmade al dente noodles are cleanable — they overnight them from Italy. We would get the pomodoro and marque definite that it’s not excessively spicy. Their cacio e pepe is great, but that’s a once-in-a-blue-moon happening for maine due to the fact that I’m [mostly] plant-based. Hazel usually gets what I get. When I was large with her, I ate Flamin’ Hot Cheetos each the time, and present she likes them too. After lunch, I’d person to bring her location due to the fact that she naps astir 1 p.m.

2:30 p.m.: Jump for joyousness astatine Off the Wall

After her nap, we’ll deed Off the Wall successful Woodland Hills. It’s trampoline heaven, wherever you tin catapult higher than you intended to. There are stone climbing walls, an arcade and food. They person an air-filled hoops tribunal that’s connected a brushed level and determination are day enactment rooms successful the back. Hazel loves that place, particularly the trampoline. She likes maine to pursuit her, truthful I get a workout portion we are there. I’ll virtually beryllium sweating erstwhile we leave.

4 p.m.: Sample saccharine treats astatine Happy Ice oregon Magpies

For a saccharine treat, Happy Ice is simply a favorite. It’s the best-tasting slushy snowfall cone, particularly during the summertime erstwhile it’s hot. They person locations successful Northridge and Hollywood, but they besides person a motortruck [at Smorgasburg connected Sundays successful downtown L.A.]. For Hazel’s day party, we had the motortruck travel to our house. I usually get the Rainbow Rocket, which is simply a premix of each their Italian crystal flavors, and Hazel gets the aforesaid happening I do. She is blessed to get anything, frankly. Magpies Softserve is different 1 of our favorites. Their vegan honeycomb brushed service is truthful good. Hazel likes their soft-serve pies.

6 p.m.: Tapas-style eating astatine Joey

Hazel is recently picky, but if she were to spell retired to meal with me, she would emotion Joey successful Woodland Hills, which offers a wide-ranging menu. They cheque disconnected a container for everybody. I’m a tapas-style girl, truthful I similar to bid a assortment of antithetic dishes: guacamole, tuna and avocado crunch rotation and Korean fried cauliflower. I’ll bid the sake-glazed Chilean oversea bass and pasta for Hazel.

We’re homebodies, truthful different meal enactment would beryllium spending clip unneurotic astatine home, cooking and playing successful the pool. We bask making veggie and tofu tacos together. Things you tin devour with your hands are ever amusive with kids. That’s 1 crushed they similar s’mores truthful much. Occasionally, we’ll marque thing pescatarian similar grilled salmon oregon different fish.

8 p.m.: Watch “Moana 2” ... again

At night, we would ticker a movie and upwind down with immoderate Skinny Pop popcorn. Hazel would astir apt ticker “Moana 2” again close now. We saw it successful the theaters, and she goes done phases wherever she wants to ticker antithetic things, but she precocious said that she wants a “Moana 2” enactment for her 5th birthday. I thought she’d similar thing other by then. But then, she thinks determination volition beryllium 20 Moanas.

10 p.m.: Read “Everywhere You Are” earlier furniture

Before bed, Hazel often asks maine to work “Everywhere You Are” to her. She loves to work and enjoys being work to. I’ve work it to her truthful galore times that she tin work it backmost to me. She recorded a conception of the audiobook with maine and was excited to perceive herself erstwhile she recorded it successful the studio. Reading the publication to her, I realized that missing a genitor is simply a batch similar losing a loved one. You tin inactive consciousness their beingness adjacent though they’re not around. Love binds radical unneurotic contempt carnal distance. Even erstwhile they don’t spot you, children request to cognize that you’re inactive determination and that you’ll ever beryllium with them.