Birthdays Was the Worst Days...

blazer & sequin mini-skirt: Express | blouse: Target

Now we sip champagne when we thirsty. (#BigUpToBiggie)

I celebrated my 35th birthday a couple weeks ago, and honestly, I'm still coming down off the high of the celebration.

I felt the love at home when I woke up to the couch filled with purple balloons (my favorite color -- details matter), a card from HEB, and Apple Air Pods.

I felt the love at work when my co-workers decorated my office and had all 400+ students surprise me at Community Circle with a cheer in my honor. Later that day, my co-workers surprised me with lunch and red velvet cake. Talk about yum! And I can't forget the roses from HEB that we're delivered to my job. (Thanks boo.)

I felt the love at brunch the next day when my friends showed up and showed out. And, of course, more (purple) cake. The weekend was literally the epitome of love and joy and life.

Matter of fact, all birthdays should feel like that.

Growing up, I didn't make a big deal out of birthdays because I didn't always feel celebrated on my birthdays. But I'm happy that 35 is teaching me to be different. To be loved. And to let love in.

Real talk: it's a good place to be.

I can't wait to see what this year has in store.

Kids Cooking Class at Nonna Beppa Soho

"I wish we could get one of those things for our house!"

This was Aiden, referring to a pasta maker. The crew and I attended a Kids Cooking Class this past weekend at Nonna Beppa, an authentic Italian restaurant in Soho, and let me tell you, the restaurant is the truth!

Not only are the majority of ingredients at Nonna Beppa imported straight from Italy (think cured meats and many cheeses), but the Kids Cooking Class is a Pasta-Making Class.

From scratch.

I'm talking combining the flour and eggs, kneading the pasta dough, allowing the dough to rest, dividing the pasta dough, rolling out the pasta, thinning the pasta, cutting the pasta, cooking the pasta, and last but not least, eating the pasta... the whole nine yards!

The kids thought it was so cool and they were really into it.

And, by "kids," I mean Aiden and the other big kids. August was too cool for school and had other toddler business to tend to. Like running up and down the restaurant, drinking water, and taking a nap. Oh, and the "eating" portion of the class.

(Fun Fact: Pasta is legit his favorite thing to eat. In fact, 9 out of 10 times, he eats some type of pasta for dinner and all I do is switch up the sauce. #toddlerlife)

I  was also seriously impressed with the entire class. And with the wine selection. (#dontjudgeme)

Tania, the teacher, helped the kids every step of the way by explaining everything to them in a kid-friendly way. She was also very patient, worked with the kids on the skills they were lacking, and shouted them out when they were rocking it out!

Thanks, Tania!

On the menu was tagliatelle and ravioli. And who knew that you used little cute square to make ravioli?!

While their pasta was cooking up, I enjoyed a little more wine, ordered my meal, and admired the chic and trendy scenery that is Nonna Beppa.

Then, it was time to eat! While the kids ate their delish pasta, HEB and I ate a yummy 3-course meal. Everything was cooked to perfection.

Interested? Kids Cooking Class takes place every other Sunday at noon. Visit the Nonna Beppa website to learn more information or to reserve your spot. 

(You're welcome.)

Thanks so much to the entire team at Nonna Beppa for the fun experience. The wine was amazing. And the pasta was pretty good too!

{Disclaimer: The kids were provided with a complimentary Pasta-Making Class and the grown-ups were provided with a complimentary meal in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.}

Fixer Upper, Apartment Style: Dining Room

Black and white was the name of the game when I started thinking of ways to decorate the dining room area. I already had a white Ikea rectangular table that fit perfectly in the space and all I had to do was add the black and white Ikea chairs and table decor.

I painted the walls gray (Gig's Gray, to be exact) which is the same color as the Living Room wall, but... I added an accent wall to the dining room. I found this textured wallpaper in the home decor section of Target and fell all the way in love. So, I had to have it, of course.

Real talk: it was really annoying putting the wallpaper up because I haven't figured out an effective way to smooth out the bubbles without peeling the whole thing off an re-starting. So after doing that like 50-11 times (annoying, right?), I finally nailed it.

And loved it.

Success!

Then I had two different spaces of the dining room that needed to be filled with furniture. I filled one space with bookcases, books, pictures, and other decor. Originally, I filled the white bookcase with children's books galore, but because August pulled them all out every... single... day... I had to figure out another way to store them. So I got these adorable book bins from Amazon (love!) and they fit perfectly!

Bonus points because they are black and white. Score!

I filled the second space with a mini upgraded mudroom-ish area: above the white bench and below the white bench. Below is where we store backpacks and some shoes, above is where we display degrees and one of my favorite quotes.

The pillow is for posh-ness. Because: Mommy Delicious. And the black and white striped area rug tied the whole space together.

All in all, I love the way the space turned out. It's sleek and clean and gives off cool vibes.

This whole renovation is allowing me to flex my creativity muscles in ways that I didn't know was possible. And I'm totally feeling it.

Now... unto the hallway/entry way and kitchen!

Kids Pizza Making Class at Rossopomodoro

Photo via the Rossopomodoro Instagram page

"Okay... so let's talk about what we liked and what we would change about the class."

This was Aiden, as we walked down 14th Street after our hour-long pizza-making -- and pizza eating! -- class at Rossopomodoro this past weekend.

The boys and I were invited to a Kids Pizza Making Class at Rossopomodoro, a rustic-chic Italian restaurant in the West Village. Upon our arrival, the kids were greeting with an apron, a chef hat, and a rolling pin to gear up for their chef-experience.

Then we headed to the semi-private seating area in the back of the restaurant, where participants were led through a step-by-step process in making their own pizza: rolling the dough, flipping the dough, rolling it some more, adding sauce, adding toppings, and placing it in super glamorous golden oven. (Seriously... can I get one of those in my house?!)

Photo via the Rossopomodoro Instagram page

And, of course, eating!

Can I get a "Yum!"?

After the entire experience, Aiden had some thoughts and ideas.

1. The pizza was the best pizza he ever had!
2. He doesn't want basil on his pizza because "who eats veggies on their pizza?" Ha!
3. The only thing he would change is to have even more toppings, like pepperoni. (He lives for pepperoni.)
4. It's great that they give you the choice to cut the pizza in four slices or six slices. (He picked six slices because he wanted the pizza to last as long as possible. Ha!)
5. It was the best pizza and best day ever!

August didn't say anything about his pizza-making experience, except, "More!" when he wanted more pizza, orange juice, or my mimosa, but judging by how much of the pizza he ate, I'm pretty sure he was living-it-up!

Kids. So easy to please.

Beginning Saturday, April 21st, Rossopomodoro will be kicking off their new Kids Pizza Making Class. Classes will be offered every Saturday at a rate of $27 per child.

At the class, kids will be given homemade dough, Italian tomato sauce and cheese, and a variety of toppings. Afterwards, they will be able to arrange their pizza in any shape they like, and wait for the yumminess that is to come!

It's truly a fun-filled family activity that the kids will eat up! Literally! 

You can call 212.242.2310 to reserve your spot!

Thanks so much to the entire team at Rossopomodoro for the fun experience! The pizza was yummy and the mimosas were the truth!

{Disclaimer: The kids and I were provided with a complimentary class in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.}