Today is Hendrix, Ellington's god-brother's, fifth birthday and he invited Ellington to Disneyland with his family to celebrate. We are cognizant that Sienna sometimes feels left behind. So that Sienna didn't feel left out, Lateef thought of a special activity and planned a fun daddy-daughter fairy date. She often says, "what about me" or is told, "next time, Sienna". So, we decided to wait until the morning of to tell Ellington he is going to Disneyland. This was primarily so that he wouldn’t ...
In the Streets
Birthday Dinner on the Beach
To celebrate the birthday of a close friend of ours, Will, his wife, Christine, planned a chill birthday dinner on the beach - at Manhattan Beach. We both have kids that would rather be running around than sitting in a restaurant. So, a dinner on the beach was a brilliant idea! And also a very easy to execute family birthday outing with kids. It's the small details that make a difference. Christine told us to meet her at Manhattan Beach at 5:00 and that she would have dinner, ...
Welcoming Spring with Holi
Close friends of ours, Courtney and Rahul who have kids close to our kids' ages, invited us to a celebration of Holi in their neighborhood (Side note: Courtney and I have been friends since preschool. Kind of crazy when I look at my kids now). Holi, also known as the Indian "festival of spring", the "festival of colors", or the "festival of love", is a Hindu festival that celebrates the arrival of spring. We participated in the festival of colors, which is a free for all where people smear each ...
Restaurant Review Grand Opening of Margot
Last night I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of Margot, a new hot Mediterranean restaurant in Culver City on the rooftop of Platform. Highlights are the views, the cocktails and the oysters. Good music and ambiance - there's definitely a vibe here! Huge huge rooftop – this is definitely going to be the hottest rooftop this summer. There is lots of lounge seating, two bars and a few areas to just hang. 360 views of Los Angeles - looking forward to have a lazy brunch or happy ...
Moms Gone Wild
Apart from all the amazing-ness that is Japan, one thing this trip inadvertently did was allow me to be Hilary Sledge again. Not the mom or the wife, but just me. All those things now define me and I love it, but every now and then, every woman needs the chance just to hang with her friends and let loose a little. And also not to feel guilty about it. It will make me a better mom and wife. Don't get me wrong, I think I was in bed by 11 every night of this trip so it wasn't exactly moms gone ...
Long Weekend in Stinson Beach
I'm a bit late in getting this post up, but I've been meaning to share our recent long weekend in Stinson Beach. Our close friends invited us to hang at their summer rental in Stinson Beach for a few days since we were going to be in the Bay Area for a wedding. Stinson Beach is a small beach community about 45 minutes north of San Francisco.We were wavering on the invitation, mainly because the thought of hauling the kids and all our stuff to another location sounded tiring. I'm so glad our ...