Popsicle sticks stuck to a card that will leave glitter all over the house for the next two months is no longer an acceptable Mother's Day gift. It's time to mom up and get your #1 something fantastic for Mother's Day. Cue our gift guide! For the next week, we'll be checking in with some of our favorite moms and their kids. Next up, Joseph Altuzarra's mother, Karen!
How did you spend your first Mother's Day? Walking in the Luxembourg gardens in Paris with Joseph in a stroller!
Which item from your wardrobe do you hope he'll cherish? I hope that the beautiful Chinese dresses made for my grandmothers in Shanghai inspire a collection someday!
How did you dress Joseph and his brother Charles as kids? Until my boys were 11 years old, they dressed identically and like Tintin––with little corduroy golf pants, long socks, and hand-knitted sweaters. It drove them crazy, but made dressing them in a hurry very easy, and it was easy to find them in a crowd.
What is your favorite thing to cook Joseph? Joseph's favorite is spaghetti carbonara. For Charles, lemon chicken. I like to cook anything that they will eat lots of!
Favorite things to do together? When the kids were little, making Christmas presents for everyone. I still love to cook with the boys, especially baking cookies, and now that they are older, trying out a restaurant, a museum, or traveling. My most recent adventure was with Charles visiting a temple in Bali. A monkey stole my glasses off my face and one of my flip-flops. Thank goodness one of my kids was with me to chase that pesky monkey down.
Favorite fictional mom? I like the mom in Almost Famous, the relationship between her and her son is so funny and also rings so true. ("You can't go traipsing around with a rock band. What about your finals?!!!!") Another favorite is Ron Weasley's mom in Harry Potter. I really identify with her because I always knit a present for everyone at Christmas! I also like Jamie Lee Curtis as the ordinary secretary who becomes a spy in True Lies!
What are you hoping to receive for Mother's Day? I so enjoy the surprises the kids have given me. I'd like something really fun and neat-o that I can use/wear everyday, and that I might not get for myself. In our family, I have prohibited asking for presents, but I just spied the Opening Ceremony fisherman sandals. They look really perfect for sunny weather and anything to avoid the shoes-match-the-bag-match-the-gloves-match-the-hat look! I love to read, so a great book would be wonderful. I still recall my surprise and my excitement when I received a huge bouquet of peonies from Joseph!
Shop the Mother's Day Gift Guide here.![]()
Family pic in Japan, clockwise from top: Charles, Mr. Altuzarra, Joseph, and Karen!
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Joseph and Charles in front of a quilt they made with Karen on Christmas––note the matching PJs!
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Karen and Joseph
How did you spend your first Mother's Day? Walking in the Luxembourg gardens in Paris with Joseph in a stroller!
Which item from your wardrobe do you hope he'll cherish? I hope that the beautiful Chinese dresses made for my grandmothers in Shanghai inspire a collection someday!
How did you dress Joseph and his brother Charles as kids? Until my boys were 11 years old, they dressed identically and like Tintin––with little corduroy golf pants, long socks, and hand-knitted sweaters. It drove them crazy, but made dressing them in a hurry very easy, and it was easy to find them in a crowd.
What is your favorite thing to cook Joseph? Joseph's favorite is spaghetti carbonara. For Charles, lemon chicken. I like to cook anything that they will eat lots of!
Favorite things to do together? When the kids were little, making Christmas presents for everyone. I still love to cook with the boys, especially baking cookies, and now that they are older, trying out a restaurant, a museum, or traveling. My most recent adventure was with Charles visiting a temple in Bali. A monkey stole my glasses off my face and one of my flip-flops. Thank goodness one of my kids was with me to chase that pesky monkey down.
Favorite fictional mom? I like the mom in Almost Famous, the relationship between her and her son is so funny and also rings so true. ("You can't go traipsing around with a rock band. What about your finals?!!!!") Another favorite is Ron Weasley's mom in Harry Potter. I really identify with her because I always knit a present for everyone at Christmas! I also like Jamie Lee Curtis as the ordinary secretary who becomes a spy in True Lies!
What are you hoping to receive for Mother's Day? I so enjoy the surprises the kids have given me. I'd like something really fun and neat-o that I can use/wear everyday, and that I might not get for myself. In our family, I have prohibited asking for presents, but I just spied the Opening Ceremony fisherman sandals. They look really perfect for sunny weather and anything to avoid the shoes-match-the-bag-match-the-gloves-match-the-hat look! I love to read, so a great book would be wonderful. I still recall my surprise and my excitement when I received a huge bouquet of peonies from Joseph!
Shop the Mother's Day Gift Guide here.
Family pic in Japan, clockwise from top: Charles, Mr. Altuzarra, Joseph, and Karen!
Joseph and Charles in front of a quilt they made with Karen on Christmas––note the matching PJs!
Karen and Joseph