Those who do know me well know that I'm not really one for putting myself in the spotlight, or tooting my own horn - it's taken me a while to get used to having photos of myself (rather than just my children!) on my Instagram feed, but I think I've made good progress there, so here you go.....
Sarah Arthurwears - 10 things you don't know about me
1. I have a non identical twin sister
Okay, so some of you may have cottoned onto this, as my twin sister was also pregnant with non-id twin girls at the same time as me when I was pregnant with Charlotte, so we had a few bump photos taken together...
I am the eldest twin by 4 minutes...and only now that I have given birth twice do I realise what a feat those 4 minutes really were!!
We were 2 months premature and the combined weight of both me and my twin sister was exactly what my first child weighed on his own...8lb 1oz...spooky!
2. I was a British Archery champion
To be fair, I was 12, so we are going back a bit - but I did used to play archery and I competed and won 2 gold and 1 silver medal in The British Archery Championships so I think this fact is deserving of a place in this post.
3. I have one of Peaches Geldof's old bank cards
Totally random fact - I was running through Leeds station to catch a train when I spotted a debit card on the floor. I picked it up and realised it belonged to Peaches Geldof. I did tweet her to let her know, but in the absence of a reply I kept hold of it as memorabilia in case something happened to her one day. She died not long after.
4. I have 12 GCSES, 4 A levels, an undergrad degree and a post grad degree
Yep, I'm a bit of a geek and after years of thinking that was a bad thing, I now wear that label with pride. I worked super hard at school - fueled slightly by the incentive that my late Grandad promised me £10 for every A grade I got (thinking I'd get a couple) and I got A's in all my GCSES and A levels. I saved the money and used it towards a deposit for my first house. He wasn't around to see that, but he definitely played a part. My home is now a daily reminder to me that hard work pays off! I also have an LLB Law degree and a PGCE Teaching degree.
5. I used to be a Headhunter called Kim Valentine
Kim Valentine wasn't my real name - it was the name I used when I used to Headhunt people to conceal my identity so that the companies didn't know I was also headhunting clients from the same firms I used to source people for. This meant that I may have spoken to an Investment Actuarial Manager for interview feedback on a candidate as "Sarah" and then later Headhunted the same person as "Kim" without their knowledge.
I eventually moved into Legal recruitment and in between CV writing, helping people get back to work, switch jobs, interviewing and sales calls - I placed my husband in his first job - bonus!
6. I memorise car number plates ALL the time
Please tell me this isn't just me??? I don't even know I'm doing it until I consciously think about what's in my head as I'm walking/driving and then realise I'm repeating a number plate I've just walked or driven past in my head over and over. It's not a long term thing, I do it until the next one comes along or something else distracts me and then it's gone.
At this point I got really stuck and asked my husband for help.....
Turns out, he knows me about as well as I do, as he pretty much reeled off the same things I've written above...even the number plate one!! So, I decided to ask my twin sister instead...
Now, I could go back and add in a few bits or maybe change my blog post title to a different number in order to make this post 'accurate' and perfect, but I think it's really important to demonstrate how it's okay to change path if things aren't quite going how you want them too and also, it's okay to ask for help when you need it! Plus, sometimes how we view ourselves isn't always how we come across to others so in the interest of this post being a 'getting to know me' post I've decided to keep it as it is...
She listed the following things about me and insisted I write these. So, I'm going stick with this list instead:
Kim the Twin: My 10 things about you:
- You're a twin (all the best people are)
- British archery champion (and you grew up in Sherwood Forest - must be something in the water/trees!)
- Fast sprinter (good for chasing your energetic children and cheeky twin nieces and nephew - lucky, huh!)
- Good artist (actually very good - you should find time to do more drawing)
- Super mum (no explanation needed - just look at how happy and loving your children are)
- Terrible at driving tests
- Excellent teacher /early years expert (one of my favourite things about you now I have children and need help)
- You need to believe in yourself more and ignore mean, jealous people. You're much lovelier than you think, and people who take the time to get to know you can see that and love you. Be brave, confident and strong!
- Good listener and advice-giver (when we can find 10 mins to chat around our houses being destroyed by small people)
- Chronically tired (but still always fresh-faced and beautiful -The insta photos aren't fake. You do actually look that good! Motherhood suits you )
So... is there anything else you'd like to know??
What would the people who know you best say about you???
Sarah x
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