(Sarah’s Favorites: 1. Yerba Mate tea 2. Seven For All Mankind skinnies 3. J. Crew tee 4. Vintage Gucci bag and Revlon Spiced Cider lipstick 5. Mumford and Sons)
Who she is: Sarah Norman, mom of three and art teacher extraordinaire.
Why we love her: She’s at once immensely passionate and totally mellow. She lives and breathes art, inspiring a slew of rambunctious elementary school students (including my own two girlies) to think outside the box, learn from the greats, and make beautiful “oopses.” Suffice to say, I’m a fan.
Herewith a peek into Sarah’s world.
On her iPod: I mostly rely on Pandora radio, and depending on my mood, I tend to toggle between Creedence radio and ” Pumped Up Kicks” radio. My current favorite band is Mumford and Sons.
What she’s reading: The Journey daily e-mail from Watermark Community Church. It takes three minutes to read, sadly all the time I have for reading right now.
Always in her handbag: Right now, I carry a vintage Gucci “medicine bag.” My husband’s mother carried Gucci, so I am a very very lucky girl that he took notice of this as a child and bought me one as a gift last summer. It’s big enough to hold all the random things an art teacher and mother of three would lug around. But one thing that always ends up in it is my beloved Loreal lipstick in a classic red shade called Spiced Cider and my iPhone (if I haven’t misplaced it).
Her uniform: This winter I lived in my J. Crew Boatneck Painter tees in various stripes and solids. I love them so much, I have four! I also couldn’t go a week without my favorite and perfectly broken in Seven For All Mankind skinnies. My go-to is skinny jeans and my favorite pair of FRYE boots… I’m on my feet all day teaching, and they are so comfortable. They pull together any outfit, and at 6 a.m. when Im rushing around trying to make it out of the house on time, that’s worth its weight in gold.
Her go-to restaurants: Family dinner out is either the Central Market with a playground or Pho 2828 right next to the dollar movie (which we hit after). Date night is Sushi Sake in Richardson.
Favorite family outing in Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art Late Nights. So much creativity and fun…Plus my girls get to feel like they are doing something grown up.
What she can’t live without: Yerba Mate tea, Sabra classic hummus singles, and/or light ranch cups with carrot sticks, and any kind of chocolate.
Her tip for balancing work and family: As far as a balancing act, I try to wake up before everyone else in my house to prepare myself and the kids for what’s to come that day. It really helps me to have that few minutes of uninterrupted time to gather my thoughts and organize my life (calendar, due dates, sign forms, pack lunches, respond to e-mails, read for three minutes!). If I don’t do that, I feel less proactive and find I’m playing a game of catch-up all day. I also have to exercise in some form, at the very least to relieve built up stress. I jog, bike, hike (when I can), or do Zumba, but I love running the most. I joke that I run a mile for everyone in my house, so that’s five. Then I am ready to face all the challenges of the day with a refreshed perspective.
