Ice Castles

We got to take the kids to the Ice Castles of MN this weekend.  It was in downtown Stillwater, which in and of itself is a beautiful river town.  It's main street is parallel to the river so its very picturesque with its quaint boutiques and restaurants.  In the winter it has an even more romantic vibe with the white twinkling Christmas lights adorning the trees. 

The Ice Castle is absolutely amazing.  It's layers and layers of icicles and ice that you can tell took a lot of skilled artisans to create.  The kids had a blast.  We bundled them up in their snowpants and they enjoyed running around in the snow, sliding down slides made of ice, crawling through ice caves, and more.  My little one could have done without the below freezing weather but she was perfectly happy being nestled in her dad's arms.  

If you're in the MN area, it's definitely worth checking out.  I know they have it in several other states as well. Check it out! Ice Castles

Your Tribe

I read somewhere (probably pinterest) that we are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with.  Think about your relationships.  They greatly affect how you think of the world, of yourself, the decisions you make in life, whether or not you realize it.  

Take inventory of the people around you.  Do they motivate and inspire you?  Do they encourage you?  Can you learn something from them?  Do they make you feel good about yourself?  Surround yourself with those kinds of people who will lift you up and make you better.  Sometimes its so easy to just stick to what you know or what you're comfortable with, but its not necessarily the most healthy for you.  This being said, this doesn't mean surround yourself with people who just yes you all the time.  You want people around you who have your best interests at heart and won't be scared to tell you you're wrong if you are.  

I'm a stay at home mom.  And I've moved around a lot in the past few years so making new friends has been tough to say the least.  If you don't have co-workers or if you didn't go to school in the area you live, its tough to get "in" with people.  I've put myself out there to meet people and build my tribe.  It's still a work in progress but I'm so grateful for my friends/family and people who support me and my happiness.  My tribe doesn't consist of mini-me's and people who share my every interest. Although in the beginning I honestly thought that's what I needed.  I didn't know any better so I was always on the hunt for the "perfect" friend.  But now I realize, it's the sum of those parts that makes my tribe whole.  I have my mommy friends who get it when I'm having a nervous breakdown because my kids are throwing tantrums, I have my childhood friends who I don't talk to everyday but when we do catch up, its as if there never was a break, I have my type A friends who keep me in check (because I'm so not type A) who make sure i follow through with what I say I will do, I have my workout buddies who keep me motivated, I have my fashion friends who love going to events and love hunting for deals like me.  None of them are exactly the same, yet they all feed into my soul and help me be a better person.  Getting to this point took a lot of trial and error.  There are some people that you open your heart to and let you down in the end.  And yes its hurts, but you know what?  Good riddance.  They make you even more grateful for the people in your life that do inspire you.  

Surround yourself with happiness.  Life is too short for any negativity.  Grow with your tribe. And be sure to thank them and let them know how important they are to you. 

Love, Karen

Winter favorite

By far my most favorite item this winter are fur scarves and stoles.  Its so fun playing with them and layering them in different ways.   This deep orange faux rabbit one is absolutely gorgeous in person and most importantly, its warm.  This one is from the Olivia Palermo capsule at Banana Republic.

Family Photoshoot

Just wanted to share some of my favorite pictures from our family photoshoot late in 2016.  Every year we try to take some in the fall to use for our Christmas card but also just to document our life and how big the kids are getting.  I wish you could see the wheels spinning in my head when i think about location, clothing,overall vibe for the shoot.  I really put a lot of thought into each one - and its stressful because I can't control the weather or more importantly, the kids' temperament.  But luckily things have gone pretty smoothly.  This year was no exception.  Our photos were taken by Peter Atkins from Minneapolis.  I've worked closely with him in the past for Cayetano Legacy Collection shoots and I love his work.

I kind of wanted the mix of an urban setting with an everyday luxe look for our clothing.  I had Alessa and I in tulle dresses.  She had a beautiful navy faux fur jacket which - would you believe it - was from Target? I wanted to downplay the dressiness factor with a sweater and then i tied in the boys with their grandfather sweaters.  I think the pictures came out exactly as I envisioned.  Hope you like them :)

Karen

Can I get a redo?

Hi loves! It's a brand new year and I'm asking for a redo!  It's so tough to figure out what we want in life, who we are, what we're meant to do.  I feel like it's even harder with the large influence of social media.  Watching everyone virtually, what they're accomplishing, where they are in life, it literally pulls you in different directions, making you question what you really want to do or who you really are.  Life is hard enough to figure out without the extra pressure to be "perfect."

I keep telling myself I want to blog but i never keep up with it.  I have so much info I want to share from travel tips, to being a mommy, to fashion updates.  Honestly, i think i stopped because its scary putting yourself out there.  I always masked myself behind my work.  A prime example is my instagram account.  I started as my jewelry company name, transitioned into my company acronym with my name, and now finally I am standing on my own two feet and planning to transition into @parisandalatte.  This is huge!  If you are a mom, if you love to travel, if you love fashion, decorating your home, and are just trying to live life, then follow along on my journey.   We can figure out life together.

Cheers to new beginnings!

- Karen