Today we meet South African mom blogger Teresa, who blogs at Cupcakes and Couscous
1) What do you normally get up to on an average day? (Give us a brief
description about yourself)
I’m a food blogger and working mom, so life is definitely about managing the juggle!
I’m usually the first one up in the mornings (I’m definitely an early bird) and there’s
always a load of laundry to pop in the machine, kids to herd and lunch boxes to
prepare. After the school drop I try to fit in a short workout before I have breakfast
and start work. I’m so grateful to be able to work from home as I can fit my recipe
development work and client shoots in between the school runs, and be at home for
the kids when they’re there. It’s incredibly busy from the moment I open my eyes to
the time I can finally flop into bed in the evening, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
2) How do you feel about motherhood – what are your struggles and joys?
What a ride, am I right? Motherhood has challenged me in many ways, and taught
me so much about myself. There are days when I feel like the demands are
relentless and not having a quiet moment to myself to recharge is exhausting, but as
my kids get older and become more independent I really cherish my time with them.
Family time is a huge priority for us, and I get so much joy from seeing my kids
develop their own interests and views on life.
3) Tell us about your kid(s)
I’m mom to a pigeon pair, lucky me! My eldest is 10 and she’s our bubbly, chatty ray
of sunshine – an empath, incredibly artistic and the kindest person I know. My son is
8 years old, a bit more shy but also so creative. He adores playing outside and has a
sharp wit that has us on the floor with laughter sometimes.
4) How did you start blogging?
I started blogging in 2013 – next year will be the blog’s 10th anniversary! I started
around the time my daughter turned one, encouraged by friends who said I should
give it a bash. I started Cupcakes and Couscous as a creative outlet and a place to
share my favourite family recipes. I knew absolutely nothing about blogging when I
started but little did I know where the journey would take me…when I look back I still
pinch myself! A freelance career, TV appearances, magazine work and, soon, my
first cookbook – it’s wild.
5) Share with us a valuable blogging tip you’ve learnt. (or more)
I’m quite a private person, and so learning to open up and share a bit of my life
online to anyone who will read about it has been something to get used to. But I try
to keep the tone of the blog chatty, conversational and friendly which I think the
readers enjoy.
One of the best things I did was to focus on my photography skills. I’m mortified
when I see some of the images on my earliest posts, ha! I did a few courses and
have spent hundreds of hours practising and trying to improve my food photography.
This has been key for me in increasing traffic and landing new clients and work
opportunities.
6) If you make money from your blog, give us a breakdown on how you do it.
Give us some of your methods on how to get started on this, or any tips or
advice.
If I do earn any income directly from the blog it comes from sponsored posts, but to
be honest most of my income comes from recipe development and social media
content creation at the moment. Potential clients visit the blog and get an idea of my
photography style and the types of recipes I create, so it’s almost like an extra
portfolio, and from there we’ll collaborate on their campaigns.
Blog Link
https://cupcakesandcouscous.com/
Instagram Link
https://www.instagram.com/cupcakes_and_couscous/
Twitter Link
https://twitter.com/couscousblog
Facebook Page Link
https://www.facebook.com/CupcakesAndCouscous
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