Day in the life - Vicky Pasta 'n Play

Hello this is Vicky,

An Italian mum of an amazing little boy, Alex who soon will be 3 years old. I founded my own company Pasta ‘n play, while pregnant, because becoming a mom changed my perspective on life.

I organise bespoke cooking classes and parties in London. My husband is my rock, always supporting my initiatives, but most importantly there for the little things life throws at us.

My day starts at 5.45am. I meditate for 10 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of exercise and a big glass of water. To keep track of my morning routine I have downloaded the Fabulous app.

Once I am fully awake I start working. I feel that the early mornings are the best part of the day for getting work done. My little boy is still sleeping while my husband leaves the house at 6am. During this alone time I can fully focus on my business.

When I teach cooking classes to kids and adults around London, I meet with so many wonderful individuals. I love being surrounded by people: connecting with kids and their parents is amazing. My husband always tells me that if I’d be in a room alone I would talk to the walls and make them my friends. And this is one of the main reasons I quit my previous job. Being who I am inside - a very social person - I would not have been true to myself pursuing a career in tax law. Spending 8 hours of my life in front of a computer researching tax legislation was not my calling, so I decided to quit my job and bid farewell to tax law.

Human interaction is of paramount importance to me. Being around children is the most enjoyable part of the job. It reminds me how important it is to see life through children’ eyes, free of worries and only focused on the task at hand. It is like meditating during working hours. 

When I do not give cooking classes, I have to keep up with all the administration such as keeping accounts, managing bookings, advertising, shopping and updating my social media presence. Though I like this part of the job, it can sometimes be tedious and somewhat lonely  just being in front of my computer.  

To be more efficient, I keep a to-do list in Trello and I select three tasks to fulfil on that day. Time management is very important because at the same time I also need to look after my family. I have to take care of my son and make sure to be there for my husband. Having quality time with both of them keeps me and my family healthy.

My son wakes around 8am and after having an energetic breakfast: porridge and fruit for him, yogurt, fruits and nuts for me. Then we plan our day ahead. We both love going to museums and parks. Our favourite things to visit include Squish space at the Barbican, Kew Gardens, Art workshops and “messy play” in parks. I also follow @bablands instagram account for inspiration on activities. 

Once out and about we usually come back home by 3pm, ready to cook and bake together. This is absolutely the best moment of the day! If we come back home early enough we bake something healthy, before preparing dinner. 

Our absolute favourite things to bake are the emptythecupboards cookies from famous Italian food blogger Cotto al dente where we put anything we find in the kitchen cabinets and make into a delicious and healthy snacks. Here is the recipe if you want to make them with your kids at home: 120 gr oats, 25 gr almond flour, 60 gr sunflower seeds, 20 gr pumpkin seeds, 20 gr sliced almonds, 25 gr sesame seeds, 15 gr chia seeds, 110 grams maple syrup, 100 gr almonds butter and 1 egg. Mix all dry ingredients and all the wet ingredients in two different bowls. Then add wet ingredients to the dry ones, mix well and form cookies and line them on baking paper. Bake for 15 minutes at 165 degrees. 

At the moment I am working on a series of videos on recipes parents can prepare with their kids. Alex is my model: I couldn’t ask for a better one! He loves it and I love it even more because of that.

We wait for my husband to come home so we can have dinner altogether. After that my husband puts our son to bed, whilst I take 5 minutes to decide what to post on Instagram. I try to spend around 30 minutes online to engage with my followers. 

Then I go to sleep waiting for another day in paradise...