Mario & the Cartwheeler

If you ever visit Düsseldorf, one thing you will surely notice are all of the cartwheelers throughout the city. Düsseldorf's Cartwheeler (Radschläger in German) is the oldest tradition of Düsseldorf and became one of their famous landmarks. The tradition was honored in 1954 by the erection of a fountain, called Cartwheeler's Fountain, in Düsseldorf's Burgplatz and today the symbol of the cartwheeler is found though-out the city in fountains, sculptures, maintenance hole covers, door knockers and on many souvenirs. The origin of the cartwheeler cannot be pinned down to a single historic event, but several stories have appeared around it and the tradition is kept alive with a cartwheeler competition held annually by boys and girls in June on the Königsallee.

Mario's favorite cartwheeler in Düsseldorf is the cartwheeler at his school, the International School of Düsseldorf, where their motto is "Learning to be a world citizen". The values of the School are written on a colorful cartwheeler in the school playground: Inquirer; Knowledgeable; Well-Balanced; Reflective; Caring; Principled; Open-Minded; Communicator; Risk-Taker and Thinker. Mario is learning and practicing these values and loves the cartwheeler so much that he was more than happy to goof around in front of the cartwheeler for mama to take his picture - even though I have this blog Mario tells me often "No more picture taking mama!"

Mario is wearing | Mini Rodini Sweatshirt - similar | J.Crew for the Wildlife Conservation Society T-Shirt - similar | H&M jeans - similar | Nike Dynamo Free Sneakers

Photos | me

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Mario at the Athen's Zoo

While in Athens on Mario's ski break, in addition to strolling through the city and exploring its ancient buildings, we also went to the Athen's Zoo. The Attica Zoological Park, is a 49-acre private zoo located in the Athens suburb of Spata, we decided to go to the Zoo on a day when the public transportation strike was over - however, it still proved to be quite an adventure getting there. Once there, we had a lovely afternoon seeing the 2000 different animals housed there, and Mario even got to pet the lemurs who were walking freely through the Zoo. What a fun adventure Mario had in Athens!

Mario is wearing | Mini Rodini Jacket- similar | Gap Sweatshirt - similar | adidas sweatpants - similar | Nike Dynamo Free Sneakers

Photos | me

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Bobo Choses | SS17 WOMAN CAPSULE COLLECTION

Are you wondering why I am sharing a women's collection today? The reason is that one of my favorite kids brands, Bobo Choses, just launched their new Spring-Summer 2017 women's capsule collection and I love it as much as I love their kids collection. Just like their kids collection it is inspired by the world of sports, A Legend, featuring some of their SS17 best selling prints like Balls, John McEnroe, Tennis Raquets and Flamingos. Now you can twin with your mini me, and I really love that! I have spoken about my love for coordinating outfits and my love for unisex trends since I started this blog, and with this new women's capsule collection Mario can be my mini me in matching track sweatshirts (women's & kids), legend team sweatshirts (women's & kids) or fun graphic slide T-shirts (women's & kids). The options in the women's capsule collection are T-Shirts, blouses, midi skirts, mesh sweatshirts and skirts, knitted cardigans, kimonos and many more: see and shop them all at bobochoses.com. Enjoy!

Photos | bobochoses.com

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LA COQUETA KIDS X MUZUNGU SISTERS

Spanish childrenswear designer La Coqueta collaborated with Muzungu Sisters to create a unique collection combining the artisanal embroidery of Muzungu Sisters with La Coqueta’s classic styles - and I absolutely adore this collaboration. Both brands focus on traditional craftsmanship; at La Coqueta the skills and methods used in hand smocking are decades old and Muzungo Sisters collections include products handcrafted in a sustainable manner by local artisans from diverse cultures around the world. I have the Muzungo Sisters Sicilian Basket and I have been in love with their products for a while now, so I was obviously excited to see this beautiful collection with such lovely craftsmanship. The collection is now online and is manufactured in Spain using family businesses that use hand embroidery with methods that are centuries old on quality materials. Shop the collection at muzungusisters.com & lacoquetakids.com. 

Photos | muzungusisters.com & lacoquetakids.com

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Mario Loves Greece

On our second day of Mario's ski break adventure in Athens we explored more of its ancient buildings and many of its city streets. We stayed in an urban hotel in the center of Athens, embracing both the city's heritage and contemporary culture. The hotel's location made it easy to walk almost everywhere within the city, which was a very good thing because while we were there, both the buses and trains were on strike. While walking through the city, we came upon many ancient monuments and works of art - including the Parthenon. Mario loved learning more about the rich history and culture of Greece's capital while strolling through its city streets. Mario also loved the girls in Athens, he said "Mama, the girls here are so pretty and they smile at me!". 

Mario is wearing | Courage & Kind Sweatshirt - similar | H&M Star Sweatpants - similar | Nike Dynamo Free Sneakers

Photos | me

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