Country Vs. Town: Katie Karam

The youngest of five kids, KATIE KARAM was born and raised in Barrington, where her parents still live in the house she grew up and her sister lives just down the road. She met her husband, Chris, while at college together at Miami University. They live with their three children, Finn (13), Charlie (10), and Maeve (8), in a historic “fixer upper” schoolhouse on Cuba Road. Karam is active with Barrington Junior Women’s Club, on the Executive PTO Board at Roslyn Road Elementary, and helps her family with Barrington Honor Ride and Run. She considers herself her children’s glorified Uber driver.

Mantra? Living our best life. Best grooming tip? Less is more; you shouldn’t have to work at it too hard. Guilty pleasure? Pizza, pinot, and Bravo. Bonus if it’s all three at once. Favorite foods? Pretty much, anything Italian. Music you love? Country and show tunes, with plenty of pop mixed in so my kids don’t revolt. Best advice ever given to you? Stay true to yourself and don’t change just to please someone else. Best advice you’ve given? I constantly tell my kids to “be a good person and make good choices.” I just hope they follow my advice. Earliest memory? Hillside Preschool; it’s no longer there but I remember playing in the yard. When you wake up, you? Make myself a cup of coffee and then start the mad scramble to make lunches, brush hair, pack backpacks, and yell at my kids to get outside for the bus. Before bed, you? Read, I can’t fall asleep without reading a book. What’s on your bookshelf? I’m in a great book club and it has helped fill my shelves with All the Light We Cannot See, Big Little Lies, The Goldfinch, The Nightingale. Now that I think of it, basically we read any book they are making into a movie. You can’t live without? My family, friends, and pinot (in no particular order). Love to escape to? Park City. My family has been going since I was a baby and we still love going on family ski trips together. I also love our spring break trips to Seaside, Florida; my parent’s home in Carefree, Arizona; and summers in Union Pier, Michigan. Advice you would give to your younger self? Don’t sweat the small stuff; it really isn’t worth your energy.

WHEN IN THE COUNTRY

Your style is? If I am being honest, you can usually find me in workout or tennis clothes. If I am feeling fancy, jeans, a cute top, and my Lotta from Stockholm clogs—they are way cuter than they sound! Can’t leave the house without? My cell phone, lip gloss, and my Goodr sunglasses. Transportation? My giant SUV or, if I can snag it, my husband’s Jeep. Driving music? Country, pop, ’90s rap. Place to eat? Pl8, Region, Pine Food Company, Biltmore Country Club, Frantonio’s Italian Deli. Shop? Luxe Wearhouse and Tru Bleu Boutique. Best thing about country? Having my family so close and being able to raise my kids in the wonderful community where I grew up. So much has changed but the best parts have stayed the same. We also have a great group of friends who make us so happy we settled back in my hometown. Worst thing about country? Everything shuts down so early. The perfect day is? Start the day with a run on one of the awesome trails we are lucky enough to have in Barrington. I was raised in a crazy family where none of us can go a day without exercise. Then off to cheer my kids on at their various activities; I am the enthusiastic mom cheering/yelling on the sidelines. Dinner out with family and friends, followed by a movie night at home.

WHEN IN THE TOWN

Your style is? Jeans, dressy top, booties, and fun earrings. Can’t leave the house without? Cell phone and a cute clutch. Transportation? Uber. Driving music? We like to jam to some classic rock, Seger, Springsteen, Journey, Mellencamp. We tell our kids it’s our job to make sure they know good music. Place to eat? Pequod’s Pizza, Sweet Mandy B’s, University Club of Chicago. Shop? I love shopping in the Southport Corridor or on Armitage. Best thing about town? All the options, being able to walk to everything, the energy. Worst thing about town? Traffic. The perfect day is? We look forward to taking the kids downtown for the holidays. We love looking at the windows at Macys, skating at The Rink at Wrigley, and ending the day with dinner at the University Club. It’s where Chris and I got married and we have fun telling the kids stories of “olden times” before they were born.