Sidelines: The Other Stuff I Do

Here's a little post (for those of you who are still here-hi, how you doing?) just to ask a question, really.


A lot of you who read this are bloggers right?


A large proportion are also Mummy's too, and Stay At Home Mums as well.


But our "Job Description" doesn't just start and end at Blogger, or Mummy, does it?


We all have sidelines, and I'd like to know what are your sidelines? What is your unique selling point?


In the spirit of the question, here are a few things you may not know that I "do" when not getting myself into trouble or generally being up to my eyeballs in washing.


The biggest one I guess is that I am a "behind the scenes" helper to my friend Carrie-Ann.


You may remember I mentioned that I may go off radar as I was helping with a website.


Well, the website is up and running, and doing well, actually. It has its own Facebook page, and forum, and Carrie updates it with news regularly. She got into her local paper to publicise it.


Carrie is amazing. You may have seen her on This Morning a month or so back.


I used to live next door to her brother, and he's still a good friend of Elders now. In fact, he and his girlfriend are moving abroad this weekend, the lucky pair!


When we first met Carrie, I thought she was just your average bubbly, loud and funny twenty something. She's kind, and funny, and a great girl.


What I didn't know is what she had been going through. She couldn't tell us at the time, as it was still to come to Crown Court. But when she finally could tell us, I cried.


Thas right. I cried. 


I'm not going to post her story here, but you can read it in Carrie's own words on the site I built for her. 


The site is called SOS Speak Out Support. It is a one stop shop for victims of crime to find support in their area, speak to others in the same position as them, and generally find out how the law stands. 


Most people in Carrie's unenviable position will keep their right to remain anonymous, but not her. She has used her time to set up a charity and a place where people can talk, not just people who are the victims but their families too. 


She is an inspiration and it was my pleasure to help her.


My other sideline is giving my nephew a kick up the backside. 


Yes, folks, there is a reason why I am so scathing on Twitter on a Saturday during X Factor. Its cos I am the Female Simon Cowell. But with better dress sense.


I have obviously been party to the Nephews music for a number of years, and being my honest self, if he was rubbish I'd be the first to tell him. 


But, actually, he's none to shabby at it. He can "spit" words (oh dear God, did I just write that. OK, he can write rap lyrics)  like I can write a review in under ten minutes. 


He makes his own backing music, along with two pals. And they play clubs, they have a radio show on Saturday in London and on the web too. He's supported Basement Jaxx and Orbital this year as well. 


In the daytime, he is a chef. By night he writes and records his own stuff, and on weekends, well you're hard pressed to get him by phone, as he's in a club somewhere in deepest darkest London.


But, here's the catch- its very hard to get noticed when there is so much competition out there. Only a few make it into the charts- it took Tinie Tempah from 2005 until now (and by accident of download alone) to get to number 1, or get in the chart at all.


So, I've been having a go at getting him "out there".  I may not know much about urban speak (that's where the urban dictionary is handy online), or about clubbing. But I know how to speak and send emails. I know about the power of Youtube and video going viral.


So this may be a bit rough, but here's one of the latest "tunes" he's working on (and its copyrighted so don't nick it!) 





Pretty catchy huh?


Its great to be creative, I love it, and its catching, as Mini is forever singing and dancing (I'm thinking Red Roofs very soon).


Now over to you- what's your sideline?


If you post on this, do let me know below.