Saturday in Manhattan
Ali left for the Sheriff’s Department bright and early this morning. I wasn’t sure why and I didn’t ask too many questions because a far more pressing matter was how I was going to single-handedly keep Maya busy all day. Ali staying out of jail was his own problem.
After making her a milkshake and giving her cereal, I put her to work sweeping her Joe-O’s off the kitchen floor.
Cinderella needs to earn her keep.
Afterwards we decided to make our first foray into raw desserts and we made Chocolate Fudge Babies.
These smelled amazing and took about 5 minutes. I haven’t tried one yet but Maya licked her plate clean so they must be good.
My daughter is such a lady.
Since we had no idea when, or if Ali would be back from his adventure at the Sheriff’s Department, Maya and I decided to head to Manhattan Beach to kill some time at Color Me Mine.
This is a great place for kids. Not only do we get to do artwork but Maya dropped crumbs everywhere and spilled her drink and we didn’t have to clean it up!
I’m fairly certain we are no longer welcome at this particular location.
Neither of us have any artistic abilities whatsoever, but I think we did a pretty good job anyway. Maya’s heart plate was clearly the star of the show.
But I didn’t do too badly either.
Afterwards Ali managed to make bail in time to meet us for lunch at Petros Restaurant. I think this is the third time in a month we’ve eaten at Petros. If it ain’t broke…
I ordered the Swordfish Souvlaki again and it was as good as I remembered. Ali surprised me by venturing away from the tried and true Chicken Spaghetti and had the Chicken Souvlaki instead.
Despite his angry demeanor I believe he enjoyed lunch quite a bit. This would be his demeanor even if he won the lottery. It takes a lot to make him smile. We’ve been married something like a million years and I am still trying.
I was craving some dessert after lunch but went for a cup of decaf instead. It hit the spot.
Ali doesn’t like people to know he drinks lattes so we’ll pretend this is a cappuccino instead.
Not only was this a latte cappuccino but it was a $6 latte cappuccino. Sorry, but I’m going to pay $6 for coffee it better be with a view of Seine.
After lunch we visited with Ali’s family and then headed home. Since we had two cars Maya decided to go with Ali and I drove home solo. I did miss her incessant chattering a bit, but what did I really miss (other than the gagging sounds I often hear coming from the backseat)?
The carpool lane. Traffic was pretty bad. But I probably deserved it for writing what I just wrote.
Maya is finally in bed and we are about to watch The Soloist. Good night all!
While I'm not going to win Mother/Wife of the Year Award anytime soon, I haven't killed anyone yet or shot myself in the head. And that, my friends, is how I calculate success these days. 
FANCY THAT FANCY THIS 
Ah, I read that book a few months back– you’ll have to let me know how the movie is!
Looks like a great day– I’ve never been to one of those “paint your own pottery” places, but I’ve always wanted to go!
Oh those fudge babies look DELICIOUS!
Nice day you had. Wow Ameena, your apartment is stunning….what a view. It seems so magical to me…the kind of life I would dream of 🙂
Never tried swordfish before. Love the cute comments about Maya and your hubby…and funny how when the “chatter” stops you realize how used you are too it with kids in the house. Have a nice sunday!
These look super yummy.
Color Me looks like such a fun day!! I be you guys had a total blast 🙂
Those chocolate fudge babies look so good! Sounds like a great day!
Yay! Ali is not in jail! 😉
$6 for a latte is steep! The Beast isn’t a coffee drinker, more of a beer/wine person, and one time he got a glass of beer for $15! I just don’t get it.
Maya is so beautiful! Awwwww!!!
hahha i’ve heard so much about color me mine! never been tho!
fudge babies. um, yummy. i would lick my plate too. IN PUBLIC even.
haha that swordfish dish looks SO YUMMY. i love swordfish..when it’s not tough like leather! (ahem mom’s cooking)
what’s up with ALI being so surly? =D
Sounds like a fun day! It makes me want to be a little kid again so I can do stuff like that.
Sometimes I honestly can’t believe the prices they put on food in restaurants. When I was in Europe over the summer, I think I ended up paying like $10 for a tiny cup of coffee… Ridiculous.
Enjoy your Sunday!
Those chocolate fudge babies look great!!
Swordfish Souvlaki??? Yum!
So funny….I used to manage the Color Me Mine in Santa Monica. Glad to know people are still finding it fun!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
ameena, you never fail to crack me up. the whole bit about your husband and the sheriff’s dept, don’t know when/if he’ll be back, lol! so dry i love it. your daughter is a stunner! and i love teh plate you made, perfect for blogging photos, no? have a great sunday, hope you liked the movie (i haven’t seen it, but i’ve read the book)
Your daughter is so cute! Oh, and she has great taste, too. 😉 Fudge babies are amazing!
Awwhh that painting place looks like so much fun!!
I love this post!! You are too funny.
I am so glad Ali made bail. SHEW
you crack me up!
My husband drinks lattes now (thanks to me)
xo
Wow, I forget there are carpool lanes in this world. Children count?
Mmmm, chocolate fudge babies . . . I love easy desserts!
You and Maya do the funnest activities! 🙂
What a view! You and your daughter are GORGEOUS!! Let us know how the Soloist is. I’m watching “Sweet Home Alabama” on TV now…gosh, I remember seeing that in College ha! Forgot Reese Witherspoon was in it. I’m suffering with a belly-ache (again) from eating too fast and too much (again)…yes again :(.
I love the plate Maya decorated! Kids are so creative! 🙂
LOL. Your comment about the Seine is totally cracking me up.
Great pictures! I have to check out if there is a color me mine in SF bay area. There is a wonderful Greek place I really like called Athena Grill in Santa Clara. Now I want to try their sword fish!
This is a very exciting post, I was looking for this info. Just so you know I discovered your blog site when I was looking around for blogs like mine, so please check out my site sometime and leave me a comment to let me know what you think.