Sarah Sheppard is known to MIX 94.5 FM listeners as the hysterically funny Sarah Addison of the wildly popular Kevin and Sarah morning show. A busy working mom of two little boys (4 and not yet 1), Sarah has been hosting the morning show on Mix for nine years. Listeners have experienced a bulk of her life history, accompanying her on her dating journey, through marriage to husband Chris and onto their pregnancies and children. She loves pop culture, was her high school’s prom queen and has a secret addiction to video games. ((You can hear chambanamoms co-founders Amy and Laura on the Mix Momtourage the first Monday of every month.)
See why we think Sarah Sheppard is a Chambana mom to know.
Q: You have raised thousands of dollars to help Central Illinois families this holiday season through Christmas Wish. What was the most memorable wish you have granted over the years?
You’re gonna make me cry, aren’t you? This comes up almost every year at Roofsit. In my first or second year working at MIX we recieved a wish from a family who had two children, a little boy and a little girl. They couldn’t have been older than 6 or 7 and the boy was the oldest. He was being treated for leukemia. The family had extensive medical bills, both parents were out of work because they needed to take their son in for treatments, so they were forced to move into a mobile home to cut costs. They were afraid that Santa wouldn’t be able to make it to their home that year for Christmas due to their financial situation, so their wish was for the kids to have some presents under the tree Christmas morning. Well, not only did MIX (thanks to the generosity of MIX listeners!) arrange for that to happen… we arranged it for Santa to hand deliver presents the week before Christmas!! There was also a photographer on hand to capture the
look on the kids faces. I chokes me up everytime I think about this story, because I can CLEARLY see the look on those kids’ faces when Santa showed up in their doorway! The boy with leukemia was pale… had lost his hair because of the treatments, but the light that flickered in his eyes and his sister’s eyes. (Now you did it… I’m in a full-on cry.) At that moment, I knew what we did at the radio station was something special and that someday I wanted to be a mom.
Q: You and Kevin have such great chemistry on the air. What do you attribute that to?
Lots and lots of coffee. True! But we also had a connection right away. The night before we hit the air together, Chris and I invited Kevin over to our apartment for dinner and to get to know each other. That way we had a basis of knowledge about each other, rather than finding out about it over the air. Since then, our friendship has grown. I get him and he gets me… most days! I also think it helps that we’re both parents, so we deal with a lot of similar situations in our home lives. And a lot of times, that makes fodder for the show!
Q: How do you make your schedule work for your family?
Since I am up and out of the house by 4:30 every morning, I get to peek in on the boys and give them good-bye kisses before I leave for work. Then Chris gets up with the boys and takes them over to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. It is an absolute blessing that Gavin and Logan get to spend that time with their “Mimi and Papi”, and they love it, too! So, Mimi will make them breakfast and get Gavin ready for afternoon pre-school. I try to get there before the bus picks him up, so we can have some Mommy-Gavin time before he heads off. Then I take Logan home, where he will sometimes nap. And if he naps, then mommy gets to, too! Then we wait for Gavin to get home from school and we play until daddy gets home from work. We try to sit down together and eat dinner, but it doesn’t always happen. If I could pinpoint my biggest flaw (and believe me, there are many!) it would be time management. But so far, this schedule seems to work for us.
Q: What is your favorite holiday tradition?
I think we started a new one this past weekend… Gavin and I went shopping so he could pick out a Christmas present for Logan and for Daddy. It was just the two of us and I absolutely CHERISH the time I get with my little G-man, so I think we’ll keep doing that until, when? I think I’ve got til the teenage years, right?
Q: You have two little boys – what are they asking Santa for Christmas this year?
Well, Logan isn’t really “asking” for much. Whatever he gets will go directly into his mouth, so we’ve asked Santa for some “teething-friendly” items. Gavin… well, that’s ANOTHER story. We gave him the flyers from Toys R Us and told him to circle the things he’d like for Santa to bring him. I kid you not… everything
has a circle around it. Even the Barbies! (Well, ok… not the Barbies, butthe kid seriously thinks that he’s going to get all this stuff!) But the thought that Santa could put him on the naughty has been a really nice
motivational tool!
Q: What is your Christmas Wish this year?
I know it sounds corny to say, but I’m the happiest I’ve been in my whole life. I have two happy, healthy little boys that are the light of my life… I have the most incredible husband. Chris is my best friend, an amazing father, and I am so happy and proud to be sharing this journey of parenthood with him. I wish that everyone could experience this kind of happiness at some point in their lives. That and to fit back into my size 8 jeans. Is that too much to ask??!?!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!!
Do you know a Chambana mom (or dad) to know? We welcome your nominations in the comments or send them to Editor AT chambanamoms DOT com.