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A day in Life – Fresh Pasta

I didn’t realise how long this half-term was! There are more holiday days than Christmas!!

In Italy, there are normally a few days off for Easter, usually around a week’s time and I still need to get used to the English school system! I will get it one day 🙂

We stayed in London and tried to keep Amy busy somehow. I have to say she quite enjoys staying home playing with her Pony and Shopkins collection. She spends hours making up little stories and it’s actually funny listening to her but of course, everyone needs some fresh air. We went to playgrounds, fairs, ice-skating, to Legoland . . . and indoors we did a bit of colouring, painting, crafting, cooking . . .

What I wanted to share is an easy recipe to make fresh pasta! Very similar to making gnocchi for children, they will enjoy modelling the ingredients as they would with the Playdough.

I made a little video of Amy while she was preparing the dough for the fresh pasta all by herself and then Uncle Thomas helped her make tagliatelle with the pasta machine.

The recipe and the ingredients are in the video. The fresh pasta was served with a creamy nutty sauce. Yum

Hope you enjoy it! Let us know if you do so we make more similar videos.

PS. I like spending time with her and making memories, but luckily next week will be school time again!! Ha ha ha

If you are interested in documenting a morning with your children, maybe not cooking, but having fun in the park for example, please visit my website.

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    This is part of Reflections Beyond the Frame, a personal series about slowing down, looking inward, and seeing ourselves without the need for polish or perfection.

    Today’s reflection: Letting go.

    Perfection has held me back for years, since school, in motherhood, and through the slow unfolding of my business.
    
I thought striving for it meant reaching for something better. But lately, I’ve been asking: what is perfection, really?

    It’s not real.
It’s not shared.
It only exists in my mind—and even there, it shifts constantly.
    It often disguises itself as fear:
Fear of not being good enough.
Fear of being judged.
Fear of being truly seen.

    So if perfection is born from fear…
What are we really striving for?

    What looks “perfect” to me might mean nothing to someone else.
    
So why chase something that holds me back more than it helps me move forward?

    This photo is part of that question.
A self-portrait.
An exercise in showing up blurry, unfinished, imperfect—real.
    Letting go isn’t always graceful.
Sometimes it’s quiet.
A small shift.
A decision to be soft where I used to hold tension.
To show up as I am.
To be seen anyway.

    Progression is now my mantra.
    
Not perfection. Just movement. Just honesty.
Just me.

    What have you been holding onto that no longer serves you? Maybe today’s the day to let it go.

    #reflectionsbeyondtheframe #LettingGoOfPerfection #progressnotperfection #selfportrait #photographyashealing #CreativeProcess #SlowContent #ImperfectlyHuman

    14 4
    Open post by by_valentina with ID 17961151094786680
    This is part of Reflections Beyond the Frame, a personal series about slowing down, looking inward, and seeing ourselves without the need for polish or perfection. Today’s reflection: Letting go. Perfection has held me back for years, since school, in motherhood, and through the slow unfolding of my business. 
I thought striving for it meant reaching for something better. But lately, I’ve been asking: what is perfection, really? It’s not real.
It’s not shared.
It only exists in my mind—and even there, it shifts constantly. It often disguises itself as fear:
Fear of not being good enough.
Fear of being judged.
Fear of being truly seen. So if perfection is born from fear…
What are we really striving for? What looks “perfect” to me might mean nothing to someone else. 
So why chase something that holds me back more than it helps me move forward? This photo is part of that question.
A self-portrait.
An exercise in showing up blurry, unfinished, imperfect—real. Letting go isn’t always graceful.
Sometimes it’s quiet.
A small shift.
A decision to be soft where I used to hold tension.
To show up as I am.
To be seen anyway. Progression is now my mantra. 
Not perfection. Just movement. Just honesty.
Just me. What have you been holding onto that no longer serves you? Maybe today’s the day to let it go. #reflectionsbeyondtheframe #LettingGoOfPerfection #progressnotperfection #selfportrait #photographyashealing #CreativeProcess #SlowContent #ImperfectlyHuman

    Post-pregnancy body changes are real and it’s okay if you’re not feeling like yourself right away.

    Your body has done something incredible. It’s carried life, endured change, and deserves so much more than criticism. It deserves care. Patience. Kindness.

    The stretch marks. The softness. The shifts in shape. They’re not flaws, they’re part of your story.

    Let this be your reminder:
You don’t need to bounce back.
You don’t need to be “done” healing.
You just need to meet yourself with compassion.
    Tag a fellow mum who might need to hear this today. 🤍

    #postpartumbody #realmotherhood #motherhoodphotography #empoweredmotherhood #bodyafterbaby #bekindtoyou #londonphotographer

    29 0
    Open post by by_valentina with ID 17955046298805946
    Post-pregnancy body changes are real and it’s okay if you’re not feeling like yourself right away. Your body has done something incredible. It’s carried life, endured change, and deserves so much more than criticism. It deserves care. Patience. Kindness. The stretch marks. The softness. The shifts in shape. They’re not flaws, they’re part of your story. Let this be your reminder:
You don’t need to bounce back.
You don’t need to be “done” healing.
You just need to meet yourself with compassion. Tag a fellow mum who might need to hear this today. 🤍 #postpartumbody #realmotherhood #motherhoodphotography #empoweredmotherhood #bodyafterbaby #bekindtoyou #londonphotographer

    Friday mood:
Joy for no reason.
Giggles on demand.
Wearing your best neutral and letting the light hit just right.
    Basically… life goals. 😍
    How’s your Friday going?

    #fridaymood #babyvibes #lifegoal #londonbabyphotographer

    15 0
    Open post by by_valentina with ID 18062391508892972
    Friday mood:
Joy for no reason.
Giggles on demand.
Wearing your best neutral and letting the light hit just right. Basically… life goals. 😍 How’s your Friday going? #fridaymood #babyvibes #lifegoal #londonbabyphotographer

    Did you know I’ve been working on a book?

    Maybe if you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve seen me share a few bits here and there when I first started it. But I feel like I need to start again and give you the full picture.

    I had a really hard time when I was breastfeeding my daughter. For a long time, I thought I was the only one who found it hard. The only one carrying that weight of doubt, guilt, and shame.
    But I wasn’t. And neither are you.

    At some point, I found myself asking: Why don’t we talk about breastfeeding honestly?
The challenges. The struggles. The pain. The real talk, you know?

    This project was born from my own experience and from the stories of so many incredible women who shared their journeys with me. It’s about bringing more awareness, about making sure no mother feels alone in this, and about breaking the silence that so often leaves us blaming ourselves.

    Because every journey is different. And every story deserves to be told.

    Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing more about this project that means so much to me, the one I’ve truly put my heart into.
    
I’d love for you to follow along.

    #breastfeedingjourney #honestmotherhood #breastfeedingmoments #breastfeedingawareness #storytellingthroughphotography #breastfeedingjourney

    28 6
    Open post by by_valentina with ID 18054424046189984
    Did you know I’ve been working on a book? Maybe if you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve seen me share a few bits here and there when I first started it. But I feel like I need to start again and give you the full picture. I had a really hard time when I was breastfeeding my daughter. For a long time, I thought I was the only one who found it hard. The only one carrying that weight of doubt, guilt, and shame. But I wasn’t. And neither are you. At some point, I found myself asking: Why don’t we talk about breastfeeding honestly?
The challenges. The struggles. The pain. The real talk, you know? This project was born from my own experience and from the stories of so many incredible women who shared their journeys with me. It’s about bringing more awareness, about making sure no mother feels alone in this, and about breaking the silence that so often leaves us blaming ourselves. Because every journey is different. And every story deserves to be told. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing more about this project that means so much to me, the one I’ve truly put my heart into. 
I’d love for you to follow along. #breastfeedingjourney #honestmotherhood #breastfeedingmoments #breastfeedingawareness #storytellingthroughphotography #breastfeedingjourney

    VALE@PHOTOGRAPHYBYVALENTINA.COM

    07577 978246

    LONDON NEWBORN & MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHER

    BASED NEAR RICHMOND - TWICKENHAM