This blogging lark has some amazing perks.
First of all you get to write, writing is fun. Writing is my hobby.
Secondly you make friends with like-minded people all over the world, you even get to meet some of them in the flesh. When you get together you feel like you've known them for years. My bloggy friends are my support network.
Thirdly there's the freebies, you get to try new products and services. If this all stopped tomorrow, I'd still write Baby Baby. Having said that, Presley and Cash have tested some great toys recently!
Then, sometimes, out of the blue, you get an opportunity. I had that opportunity recently. I was invited to meet someone I admire, someone whose records I own.
I got to interview the beautiful Melanie C (yep, that Melanie C, Mel C, Sporty Spice, A SPICE GIRL)!
My new mate Melanie was representing the Pampers Village Parenting Panel. Pampers had set up a World of Never-Ending Play in the Trafford Centre, Manchester. They were promoting their new Dry Max nappies. I had already swapped to these nappies as they are 20% less bulky than the previous Active Fit nappies.
I was introduced to Melanie and she immediately put me at ease by asking about the boys. She got down to their level and said hello to them. You could tell she adores children.
We spoke for a while and then sat down for our official interview. I had a few questions prepared, but found that Melanie was very easy to talk to so we ended up just chatting. She kindly asked the photographers to stop taking our pictures as I had said I didn't want the boys on film. So thoughtful of her.
Melanie's eyes shone as she spoke about her daughter, Scarlet. I asked her whether she was able to do things that normal mums do, like going to toddler groups. She said that she had decided early on in her career to avoid the whole celebrity thing, so she can take Scarlet out. She said that being a mum means she has a lot in common with other mums, there's always something to talk about.
We talked about going back to work after having a baby. Melanie said she decided to be a full time mum while Scarlet was small so that she had some time to think about what she wanted to do next. She left her options open and went back to work when her daughter was seven months old. She said she is lucky that she can pick and choose what work she does now. She still has her music and if she has a busy week, will clear her diary the following week to spend time with Scarlet.
Melanie mentioned that she was in the West End for six months playing Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers. I love Blood Brothers and I said I wished I'd seen her in it. Her eyes lit up as she told me she will be in the touring version for two weeks in November in Liverpool, her home town. I'll be there, crying all the way through!
Working in the theatre meant that Melanie had her days free, but she missed putting Scarlet to bed six nights out of seven She said she found that difficult. I wondered whether she got sick of singing the same songs night after night, she said she didn't as each night was a new performance.
We chatted about our children, agreeing that they are at a lovely age. They do new things every day. We even chatted about nappies and both admitted to being nappy snobs - we've both used Pampers for ages. Then that was it, time for the interview to come to an end. We posed for photographs. I felt like quite a celebrity, facing four cameras at once!
I must admit I hadn't known what to expect, but Melanie was gorgeous, friendly and down to earth.
I just wish I'd told her that I was a fan.
We rounded off our visit with a tour of the Pampers Never-Ending Play pods. We then bumped into lovely bloggers Amy and Suzie who were also there to interview Melanie. My boys were so well-behaved all morning, I treated them (and me) to what they call 'A Donalds'. This was the highlight of the day for them. Mine, of course, was meeting a Spice Girl.
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