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

Los Angeles Times

4 days ago

Like most busy working mothers who struggle with work-life balance, three-time Grammy Award winner Victoria Monét cherishes spending time with her 4-year-old daughter, Hazel, who she shares with ex-boyfriend fitness trainer John Gaines.
Known for writing hits like Ariana Grande's 'Thank U, Next,' Blackpink and Selena Gomez's 'Ice Cream' and Chloe x Halle's 'Do It,' in addition to 'On My Mama' from her debut album 'Jaguar II,' the L.A.-based R&B singer-songwriter recently penned something for younger audiences: the heartwarming children's picture book 'Everywhere You Are,' due out June 24.
In a recent interview, Monét revealed the inspiration behind her book. (She will discuss her new book at Malik Books on Saturday and the Reparations Club along with moderator Gabrielle Union on Sunday. Tickets are required.)
'As a parent, it's hard to miss those pivotal moments,' she said of the separation anxiety that many children feel when their parents are working and unavailable. 'It's important for children to know that there is a purpose behind them. I wanted to offer assurance and relay an important message: Everything will be OK.'
Despite her demanding schedule, Monét always finds a way to make quality time for Hazel. In 2023, Hazel, then 2, became the youngest Grammy nominee in history when she was nominated for her vocals in 'Hollywood' alongside her mother. And when Beyoncé kicked off her 'Cowboy Carter' tour at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood last month, Monét took Hazel to her first concert. Their ideal Sunday in L.A., which Monét fondly calls 'me time,' would involve playing outdoors, enjoying a visit to a family fun center, indulging in vegan sweet treats and reading 'Everywhere You Are' to one another before bed. Here, Monét shares a joy-filled Sunday spent with her daughter.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
8:30 a.m.: Awake with gratitude
On Sundays, me and Hazel wake up later than usual because we probably stayed up late the night before if I didn't have to work. We normally start our day by doing our gratitude journaling, where she doodles and I write. Then we do our self-care, where we brush our hair and teeth. I will then go downstairs and make her character pancakes with chocolate chips or Fruity Pebbles cereal.
After that, we may make some art. She loves to draw, and we have a nice art section in the house featuring everything from crayons to markers, scratch-off art, watercolors and rainbow paints.
10 a.m.: Dance, dance, dance!
Hazel is active and enjoys doing things, but on the weekends, we have instructors come to the house for dance lessons. So far, she has taken ballroom dance, ballet and tap. She was in gymnastics for a while. We're looking forward to taking ballet and tumbling at To The Pointe Dance and Pilates Centre.
She loves being outside and enjoys riding her bike or visiting the park. During the week, she plays soccer twice a week. She loves it because it isn't serious yet. It's more about giving them a chance to have fun. They do drills on how to kick and run at the same time. It's hard when you think about it.
12 p.m.: Indulge in fresh pasta at Uovo
Hazel loves pasta, so we often go to Uovo Pasta, which has several locations in Los Angeles. Their handmade al dente noodles are perfect — they overnight them from Italy. We would get the pomodoro and make sure that it's not too spicy. Their cacio e pepe is great, but that's a once-in-a-blue-moon thing for me because I'm [mostly] plant-based. Hazel usually gets what I get. When I was pregnant with her, I ate Flamin' Hot Cheetos all the time, and now she likes them too. After lunch, I'd have to bring her home because she naps around 1 p.m.
2:30 p.m.: Jump for joy at Off the Wall
After her nap, we'll hit Off the Wall in Woodland Hills. It's trampoline heaven, where you can catapult higher than you intended to. There are rock climbing walls, an arcade and food. They have an air-filled basketball court that's on a soft floor and there are birthday party rooms in the back. Hazel loves that place, especially the trampoline. She likes me to chase her, so I get a workout while we are there. I'll literally be sweating when we leave.
4 p.m.: Sample sweet treats at Happy Ice or Magpies
For a sweet treat, Happy Ice is a favorite. It's the best-tasting slushy snow cone, especially during the summer when it's hot. They have locations in Northridge and Hollywood, but they also have a truck [at Smorgasburg on Sundays in downtown L.A.]. For Hazel's birthday party, we had the truck come to our house. I usually get the Rainbow Rocket, which is a mix of all their Italian ice flavors, and Hazel gets the same thing I do. She is happy to get anything, frankly. Magpies Softserve is another one of our favorites. Their vegan honeycomb soft serve is so good. Hazel likes their soft-serve pies.
6 p.m.: Tapas-style dining at Joey
Hazel is newly picky, but if she were to go out to dinner with me, she would love Joey in Woodland Hills, which offers a wide-ranging menu. They check off a box for everybody. I'm a tapas-style girl, so I like to order a variety of different dishes: guacamole, tuna and avocado crunch roll and Korean fried cauliflower. I'll order the sake-glazed Chilean sea bass and pasta for Hazel.
We're homebodies, so another dinner option would be spending time together at home, cooking and playing in the pool. We enjoy making veggie and tofu tacos together. Things you can eat with your hands are always fun with kids. That's one reason they like s'mores so much. Occasionally, we'll make something pescatarian like grilled salmon or other fish.
8 p.m.: Watch 'Moana 2' ... again
At night, we would watch a movie and wind down with some Skinny Pop popcorn. Hazel would probably watch 'Moana 2' again right now. We saw it in the theaters, and she goes through phases where she wants to watch different things, but she recently said that she wants a 'Moana 2' party for her fifth birthday. I thought she'd like something else by then. But then, she thinks there will be 20 Moanas.
10 p.m.: Read 'Everywhere You Are' before bed
Before bed, Hazel often asks me to read 'Everywhere You Are' to her. She loves to read and enjoys being read to. I've read it to her so many times that she can read it back to me. She recorded a segment of the audiobook with me and was excited to hear herself when she recorded it in the studio. Reading the book to her, I realized that missing a parent is a lot like losing a loved one. You can still feel their presence even though they're not around. Love binds people together despite physical distance. Even when they don't see you, children need to know that you're still there and that you'll always be with them.