Hello! I hope you all had a good Fathers Day. Sadly my dad is no longer alive physically but feel sometimes he is watching in spirit and be taking the mickey out of those in Heaven. My dad would be someone who’d have you in tears if myself and brother did something wrong and tears of laughter.
I wonder what he thinks about the world as we weren’t super wealthy as a family but we still didn’t go without and he would use what he had. He loved music, comedy TV mainly and films. His Idols were Kevin Keegan and John Wayne.
Times are hard at the moment, I give each month to the Trussell Trust the Food bank organisation and not sponsored but want to help families be able to have things to eat. The thought of a young child not able to have breakfast or dinner feels my heart with sadness and so this Cheat Sheet is about Use Up What You’ve Got.
I like to see my fridge empty, it means we have to use up what we have in the Food Cupboard that has sauces, spreads, tinned meats and other tin produce and in the freezer.
I have had hard times like everyone. I created this blog when I felt stuck. It happened on a Whim. In fact I got a bit jealous over a girl I was working with. I trained her and then she became my Senior Agent and was created websites for the company we were representing and I was like “Hang on that should have been me” but she was more willing than me and she left, because before I found out I was pregnant, I was made redundant, she left to another country and I was moving towards another opportunity. I was coaching a Youth Football team, so I am glad she got the job and not me because I imagined being a senior agent but to honest I knew I didn’t wanted go any further. My ambitions changed and I could have gone for the role but I was more or less training many agents that were new and I enjoyed my time there but I wanted other things.
That job was to help support my income but I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life doing that job and then I did more work in a call centre because it was what I wanted at that point, but it was not what I wanted and again they wanted less people as agents so I lost my job anyway.
I was coaching a football so my working life had changed and then I was pregnant.
I then was not in a happy place, not because of my son, it was I felt not good about my capabilities. Before I was made redundant I’d got into going to the gym a lot, walking a lot and running and for me it helped me clear my head. You’d be surprised with what is around you that can be therapy. I liked going to the gym then and then began walking home which was a long way and again because it cleared the everyday stress. I like to read. I like to clean my desk, I like to listen to music before my son comes home from school and music is a great source of therapy.
I am glad my son came into my world but within myself I wasn’t fully settled inside. I was confused as what I wanted to do next and I am glad now that I didn’t return to work when my son was born because I was there when he smiled for the first time, called me mum and see him walk so it was a good change.
I began working weekends and then I thought someone was getting hurt and I was not happy. Now though I am fully recovered from that time and in a happy place. I love planning my radio show, I like to do morning walks. I find chatting therapy. Depending who with and just enjoy listening to nature in the garden and some find Ironing therapeutic, painting and arts and crafting. I love journaling and making dinner.
Its anything that helps you have a good peace of mind and can switch off. When I am on the treadmill like to listen to four songs, cover over the time and watch the birds in the back garden.
We were supposed to have gone to play tennis but the weather has been miserable and not warm, so I listened to a podcast whilst Henry was listening to his music and putting sticker into his soccer book because he didn’t want to and that to me is therapy and having a bath and shower. Doing my skin care and watching TV.
So you don’t need to pay for therapy. Not saying you shouldn’t. It is up to yourself but for me the habits I do each day is therapy and helps shape my days and weeks.
It is amazing what is around you and now I am no longer daydreaming all day I am noticing more and that to is therapy.
I hope you find this blog helpful and if you want to read more then please subscribe.
Hello! So its the start of another week. Kids going to school, got housework to do and then checking emails and catching up errands and for some, a reset.
This weeks Cheat Sheet is Ten Ways to Organise your day. On Sunday I spent some time writing down my plans for the week, going through my calendar on Notion and already I have filmed for my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Carriechalloner
It means getting up early. I got up to watch some of the World cup, in plenty of time but I know I will feel the affects later and so whilst having the energy going to continue with my Morning routine of posting my cheat sheet. My son is now at school and I cleared out a storage bin, cleaned dining table, read my book and going to clear some laundry, then work on more content and on my next book.
I am not a hypocrite, I find that APPS can be helpful. I like the APPs that measure my steps, I can keep notes on my phone and now got ChatGPT and used it to help me with my radio show. I checked it to find out how to clean my make up brushes, which to some is common knowledge but when I’ve tried they’ve smelled and had to throw the away but books and magazines for information is still good but ChatGPT is quick and can save you time but it is still good to keep things on paper, because all technology in my experience can break down. My laptop broke and lost a lot of my books I had been writing and so now I hand write some of my books and an APP to do this wouldn’t be the same and thankfully got some copy of some of my books on my google docs, but I like using the Youtube APP, the APP for M&S as I have a Sparks card on there and good for shopping as I loved it last Christmas 2025 using my M&S Sparks card as it did save me money on Christmas gifts, but I find it can affect us. APPs can be good for shopping but if you have a spending habit that has gotten out of hand then is it a good idea to have an APP for stores which can make you over consume?
I worked for a Manufacturer and would deal with complaints when someone was trying to work a Smart TV, a Smart audio device and I found hard in telling them to take it back to the shop and contact the company that they got it from. It is hard for the customer and for me the advisor, to try and resolve their problem and it I felt for them because they’d spent a lot of money and with APPs they can be a scam and be hacked into. With an old tablet often being an old model couldn’t use some of the APPs again and so it can be convenient but also a burden.
Yes the free ones like my fitness one, which came with my phone and I use a Journal APP when I don’t have my physical journal, use Facebook and Instagram to stay in touch with friends, but I stop having Notion because they also can use up your storage and then you start to get messages about it needing an update and not able to send messages and there were many that I would never use on my phone.
I like to visit a store now rather then relying on an APP to support local businesses like the independent and chain coffee shops, charity shops. Not only that I like to go and have walk around the shops not to buy as I am able to now go into a store without buying. I use the bank APPs and that is good and can check my account everyday.
I suppose your wondering what it has to do with Wellbeing, well because we can rely upon them stopping us from seeing the outside world, not cooking and relying on Deliveroo and eating up our money and money is not evil its how is it being used and if you are in debt then having Temu APP for example then is that going to help you? It can be addictive. Spending addiction is real, the same with all addictions. One person I know who I have met in the rugby days had extreme debt and she was level headed, yet she was in debt and I got ruthless with money and so APPs are good if they are purposeful but not to be relied on and I like going out and mooching and window shopping rather than going into the store. I still get the urge to impulse buy but I find going when the stores haven’t opened yet a good way to shop because my enthusiasm to shop and spending money goes and why I don’t have that many shopping acts. I like getting my free coffee from #Costas and the local gym where I can pay as you go, but not in any type of contract and the APP to book is easy to use.
Since unsubscribing getting rid of shopping APPs has helped me save and made me feel better about my relationship with my money and not being on my phone all of the time that can be distracting and lose concentration. The same with shopping on our phone and if you got the money then fine but I had the face the truth. If I don’t spend I can save and pay for a day trip somewhere and I have a few music festivals booked and yes having my wallet APP is good but also especially in London, phones are being stolen right in front of our eyes and scrolling on an APP can cause temptation and why I still carry a purse and not rely on my phone to pay for everything and safety should come first.
I hope you find this blog helpful and if you’d like to share you advice on APPs and not being reliant then please do. You can use the comment section below.
I like reading everyday. It helps wake me up at the beginning of the day and at night for relaxation and love it. I like journaling everyday and working out with my weights and other fitness tools and helps give me energy and at the weekends having a alcoholic drink and just have one.
So if you like how your life is then fine. It is all about how you feel within you and your current lifestyle. I like to scroll on my phone in the mornings but only for a short time and not in bed. Its only if something is not working and its getting on your nerves and want to change. Your free to do what you want to do Do Your Own Thing
These cheat sheets are free to download and print and post them at the beginning of each week and I hope you find them useful.
Watching Channel 4 impact about protein on how actually protein foods you buy like Quaker Oats, yogurts and drinks aren’t actually full of protein and are processed even though they appear healthy and can be deceiving. Learning about nutrition and on Channel 4 impact they showed an oat bars for example that looked healthy but actually compared to a Krispy Crème is not that healthy at all and less protein and so needs to be whole foods and it really rang alarm bells and so here are some ideas of being healthy.
Look at the nutrition on tins, packets and wrappers. A vegetable is the best option and fruit but when I had my diabetic review I was told by the diabetic nurse that fruit is still sugar so minimise it so minus the protein, can affect your blood sugar levels and its not taking foods out but what you can add, example adding a vegetable and frozen vegetables are good for you and now my blood sugar is low. Yet my cholesterol is high and my liver results so been researching and apples, Avocado and Walnuts and seeds are good for you. I eat a lot of Garlic and take a Garlic supplements which I will get on to later and also to eliminate waste and save money I shop less to use up more of what I already have. so use what you have and plan meals and with meals you like and still have and a meal such as a salad or a stew once a week. Salad is more than just lettuce, but can add walnuts, avocado which for me I prefer guacamole so still getting avocado. I know weird but true and has to be something you like. I love carrot sticks and tortilla chips and you can have fun with food. I make chicken, bacon which not so great but we don’t have it all the time in a wrap and I love wraps rather than a loaf of bread.
Dark chocolate is better and since not having so much chocolate I am not getting heartburn as much and I feel less bloated you d along with the bread we eat which is processed. I find it hard to digest bread and so going to try an alternative as we do use processed and so in researching Rye or Sourdough is better. Not keen on rye so I prefer Soya Dough.
Skincare is good, but it depends on the skincare as its not just food, but what we put on our skin that can affect our health as you can get allergic reactions to creams and serums. I have to be away from soap as it causes me to have very dry skin and so I will use non soap products and items that not too fragranced. It all depends on skin type. It is good to seek advice if you are not sure.
Doing yoga and Pilates is good but now there in inflicting information. There are people saying you don’t need to exercise to lose weight. Well has anyone known Rosemary Conley? Now I don’t agree with dieting but I have found myself that exercise and choosing good food can work together and on the news this week on GMB they shared that it has been discovered that doing weights can help reduce the risk of heart disease with cardio. I love to walk and build my steps. I like to do a home workout mixed with weights, along with yoga and Pilates and I felt the benefits, like having more energy, eating less, but not dieting. I love my dinner of the evening and so now I am focusing the types of food I am eating.
Supplement and medication can cause us health defects. Example laxatives, tranquilizers and Collagen. All medications have side effect and I know that because the first medication given to me for psychosis made me lethargic, gain weight, which effected my cholesterol and my blood sugar levels and classed as obese yet I still was active and when it changed I did lose the weight, but again was lethargic. So tried others and finally after trying different ones, I am on a good set of meds and still with side effects so I take another medication that helps counteract against the side effects and thankfully fully recovered from my mental illness.
I hope this is helpful to you and really is bad that we are lead to believe we can trust manufacturers and suppliers of goods only to realise they’re not helping our health at all.
Watching Hauls when we are in debt. Feeling paranoid about our health and that we don’t have the perfect lifestyle so we stress over not having the next best pillow for the bed or people moving house and it can be a vicious circle.
You don’t have to follow, do your own thing.
I am no longer interested in Hauls, seeing kids with so many gifts given to them or people moving house.
It is nice to have the house you dreamed of. That is fine but it can often make us feel inadequate because of someone on Youtube for example has a big house, with a gym and don’t get me wrong I like to splurge but not to the point I have no money left and so I will make sure I have the money and have learned to switch off from impulse shopping because sponsored videos and just go into a store buying exactly what I had gone in there for.
It can be make up. I rarely do a full face. I sometimes just use face cream and face spray, others days may use a bit of concealer, eye liner and eye shadow it all depends on what I feel like on the day and what my plans are. My mum wears make up everyday and she has done this her whole life, so she will pay for make up regularly because that suits her lifestyle. It not about being trendy but what makes you happy.
I have friends who like a boy band still, a friend that loves rock music and I like all kinds. I am someone who loves many different things and I go through phases and again it all depends on my mood. I don’t read books because its new but is interesting to me and not because its a bestseller and a top read. I like books that take me into the past, crime, non fiction and chick flicks. Again it depends on what I fancy and why I leave the door open to my plans as I will often change my mind and seeing that that is okay. I take notice of my gut, mind and what I want to focus on and I now like to switch off from the noise of having to consume so much and scrolling all the time.
I rarely check Instagram all the time or Facebook. I will send a birthday message and like some posts but not all the time anymore and go for walks in the morning. For some people it can be the worst thing ever for some people and that is okay. Do what suits you and is safe of course but do what you want and not listening to others to decide for you.
Be honest with yourself and go through Youtube of what you are no longer interesting in, unsubscribe and go analogue. I like to write things down, rather than use Notion all the time. I like to use what I have already got. I find it stays in my mind better when I write things down. It helps to have good hand writing skills as they can be affected typing all the time and just listen to nature. I wrote a blog about how listening to the rain or the birds can be so nice and peaceful: https://mystylewayofliving.blogspot.com/2026/05/listening-to-rain-can-be-peaceful.html
I am not saying that you should shut yourself away but not being influenced so much we forgotten about what truly makes us happy. I don’t want the latest trainers. I not interested in upgrading my phone and think about what I truly want to watch, listen to buy and be who I am and what is important.
I like watching writing vlogs. I like to listen to those about finance and like to use Youtube for training my mind but not to see what the latest gadget is. So it up to you and just live. Be happy if not then it is time to change.
I have been watching many people rebuild or their hobby become a business. I think of this guy on Youtube Leonel Maxlhaisie and who started baking and selling sour dough bread and pastries from the boot of his car and now has an industrial kitchen and has a hut that he sales goods from and so inspiring. Watching Freddy Mercury was a baggage handler before becoming a super star and the vocalist for Queen. He also wrote music, but is up there with Elvis, Barbra Streisand and I often think what do they possess that I don’t?
Commitment, hard working and they stand out. They have a talent that is a gift.
In this picture I watching the Book Diaries by the sea and she started as a librarian and collecting books and now has her own book shop.
Visiting Wimbledon Park to play tennis the guy working in the café was miserable and had no Customer Service skills, yet visiting a garden centre the staff were really nice and made me feel welcome because they were good at their job and I worked in Customer Service and I was good at my job. Yes I still made mistakes but at the end of the day I knew what I was doing no matter who thought I weren’t.
I have carried those skills and love working on my blogs, books and radio show. I worked in Catering. Not for me. I worked in Housekeeping, not for me, but I am glad that I tried and that is what you’ve got to do. Try. See what it is like to then find out if it is for you and make the effort. I know Steven Bartlett worked in a call centre and he didn’t follow the rules and wasn’t for him but went on to create a podcast, wrote a book and now invests in other peoples businesses.
I am good at planning, I have a good knowledge of books and music. I love sport but my first love was music and reading. I love music and I love books. I was good at dance and no longer dance which I often wished I had, but I am glad of the direction I took because of building a life of my own and because of being a mum. I am good at choosing good music. I would know a lot of lyrics of songs and names. With books I love to write and I am glad I possess those skills. I am still learning and I read books to learn and every afternoon I will play some music and love listening to radio. It helps inspire me to do my show and come up with themes and song ideas to play.
You don’t need to be earning million dollars to be good at your job. Its putting in the hours, still showing up and I when was in fulltime employment would give it my all and it helped with my confidence to workout what I want to do.
Being a mum is a full time job and yeah, I don’t always get it right but again I am learning and with each day getting better and learning about my son and make sure he what he needs and that he is washed, got clean clothes and things that occupy his mind and is a social, happy social boy.
I believe you have to learn the craft and I do read different types of books. The only way to find out what your good at is to research and try them out.
If you are looking for a hobby or change of job, career or skill then do it. You only know by trying and the best way to learn is to just try.
Hello all! It is near the end of another month and we feel Summer is hear and there haven been some changes in the world and I am fear what is to come. We may have a new Prime Minister and there more tragic news of stabbings and it scares me.
I fear that the High Street is dying and is being taken over by online shopping and with AI will there be less employment? However as it is half term going to focus on that and makes me make the most of now and going out and off to a few Music Festivals and so got a lot to look forward to.
Sorry I am ruin the mood of my newsletter and blog but I not one to shy over my concerns and I am apprehensive of what life will be like when I am no longer around and my son becomes and adult.
I was addicted to scrolling when I would be in a comfortable social situation would scroll and not paying attention. So in this weeks Cheat Sheet is tips on Cutting down on scrolling.
It something that I think we all do and I no longer scroll at night and in fact been staying up later to read watch a bit of Youtube or TV series on the TV. I am building my Pinterest at the moment but not doing this all day long and one of my favourite platforms but I not checking Instagram, Facebook or X all the time or Tik Tok continuously as I would at one time pick my phone up every five seconds and was doing subconsciously.
These cheat sheets are free to download and print.
Everyone can build a castle 