Meet SA Mom Blogger Cassey Toi: Write For Yourself

The average day for me starts at about 06:00 or so, it depends on when Keiden wakes. More often than not my husband, Jerall, handles morning K duty and gets breakfast going. Lately though K has taken to making sure I’m awake for him. We’ll have breakfast together, say goodbye to daddy as he goes off to work, and then my day really gets going. I’ll attempt to check e-mails, twitter and blogs I read while Keiden is still happy to keep himself busy with his books and toys. Once he’s had enough of it, the laundry is generally finished and we’ll hang it up.

He is so proud of himself for helping. Then we might go to the park or stay home and read/play with toys/play with blocks/attempt drawing or colouring in or painting followed by the cleaning it up fight. The general keep your kid busy things. About 11:00ish or so I start thinking of what we can do for lunch. Get it going, we have lunch. And then the big nap fight starts. If Keiden naps, I’ll do other house chores, maybe write a post, do some work e-mails, read. Generally, I take it as a moment for myself.

If he doesn’t nap, we go for a walk or to the park if we didn’t get there in the morning. Come home, I try to get some household chores done. We keep busy until J gets home. When he gets home they go off and play. One of us will make dinner. We have dinner together, and that followed by bath and bedtime for K. We do family time, chats and the like while having dinner and having bathtime.

At about 20:00 I start working. I curate legal alerts for a UK based company. I work till about midnight or so, post work it’s bed and the day starts again.

2) How do you feel about motherhood – what are your struggles and joys?

Currently motherhood for me is about finding a way to do what needs to be done for my guys to feel loved and appreciated, while finding time for myself and work, and generally raising a happy, independent kid. My joys comes from the hugs, and love yous, and seeing the way Keiden’s eyes light up when we read, or do something new and fun. The struggles all lead back to mommy guilt. Being a work at home parent is never ending, I yearn to not constantly hear mommy, mommy; go to the bathroom alone and have longer than 40 minutes sometimes to myself. All thoughts which spark the guilt, not to forget those moments when dealing with a tantrum or when I’m just not being listened to.

3) Tell us about your kid(s)

Keiden, is 20 months of energy, laughs, independence, a seemingly unending hunger and love. He is such a chatter-box, loves books (which makes this book worm mama heart so very, very happy), and food. He is what I call cautiously curious, the more comfortable he is in a space, or with a person, the more curious he is. He can be very friendly, always waving at folks – which makes me happy and sad because some people just don’t notice him greeting while he waves and waves and waves.

4). How did you start blogging?

I started blogging while still in undergrad. That personal blog was followed by two group gaming blogs. While working on those blogs, I felt the urge to talk more than gaming, so Bits and Pieces was born. Come December it’ll be six years old.

5) Share with us a valuable blogging tip you’ve learnt.

Write for yourself. It’s why you started, so don’t forget that.

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.

I make no money from my blog. I’d like to have some opportunities that others find and grasp. But I fully recognise that there is such a mountain of work that goes into it, and that it’s not for all to have that. We can’t all have hundreds and thousands of readers, and that’s ok. We are writing for ourselves.

Connect with Cassey:

Blog: http://bitsandpiecesmark2.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/casseytoi