First of all welcome to those who are new to my blog Everyone can build a castle, and to new followers of my blog, and thank you for your likes, and really helps me in what topics you like me talking about.
If you didn’t know I also write books, and my newest one is about a Mother and a daughter who live together and is a love hate relationship, but there is one person who unites them, a lady called Gloria, who is a beautician and head of Elizabeth (the daughter) son’s school, PTFA and Elizabeth takes part in a virtue bake off, and because it is a pandemic they have to have meetings using Zoom and emailing and texting. This blog is about trips and falls, which in this book happens. Its available on Amazon and is called Mum&Me and I write other books too under the names Carrie Challoner, Carrie Lee Holmes and Carrie Holmes. See link to my new book:
Last Monday coming home I got of the bus and it being dark, crossed the road I tripped and cut my hand, knee and hurt my back and I was shaken up, and didn’t do much walking or did my run I started to do this year, because of it.
We are all gonna have trips and falls, it’s part of life, and it is how we react afterwards that can help us get over them.
I had to gather my confidence and brush myself off. And because of this fall I have been going to bed early to try and allow my body to recover and feel ready to continue on and so next week I will be exercising indoors, do some walking and go for a run. I do write a blog where I talk about exercise, that I also write on WordPress, check it out via this link: https://sportsandfitnesspassion.wordpress.com
Its not all about falling over though, it can be your car broke down and now having to travel using public transport, or the trains having delays and make us feel that it is not going to be good day. It can make use want to stay indoors and hide away.
This for me means I get into a what I call “Dead end mindset” so makes me more unhappy, but I have to get up, I have a son and he needs to be met. It can hard with kids because like my son, he wants my attention all of the time, and so I have to get up and get on.
This doesn’t mean you have to forget yourself, it means you have to take more care of yourself to help your kids grow and be there for others. If you are a carer, this can be demanding, and we forget ourselves, but when we fall over we realise we need to care for us, aswell as others. We need a cup of tea and coffee, a shower or a bath, and do some reading to switch off, and so listen to when you trip or fall to realise you are just as important aswell as the people you care about.
We grow from our trips and falls, not saying you can’t be careful and not trip again, but if I cross that bit of road to the pavement to take more care in making sure I don’t trip and fall there again.
If you’d like my content then there is more on my Pinterest, so check it out:
So I said in my last newsletter that I would be putting up some days in a life and gift guides but I need to put my hands up “I am behind” and do this to myself a lot. I try to do some many things and so once again I rein myself in and think right what can I get done that will make less for tomorrow?
Since school half term which was two weeks ago it has been tricky to get bits for my blogs and videos been difficult but do what I can. I continue writing this blog on a Saturday night, and supposed to be my night off, but wanted to write this blog because I write a lot of blogs on having a better wellbeing, and show I am a real person and not always ahead of myself, as much as I try to be and because I know for my wellbeing I need to slow down.
I have been doing a course about mental health and it that is has taken a lot of my time, but wanted to do it to help me go to where I want to be and that is to help others with managing their mental health, but nearly completed and this week going to do all I can to get back to working on my book Mum&me and have more day in a life videos to publish as I love doing documenting my life and something I can look back on and if they really help just a few people then that is my goal and keep my energy levels high to keep on creating items for my blogs, books and videos.
I also been looking for outside work hence why I have been doing some courses, and be in healthcare or in a educational setting.
When I get behind it helps me to focus on focusing on one thing and having a cup of tea and a coffee in the morning really helps along with having something I can jot things down on, even when I go out, as ideas of content usually comes to me when outdoors along with listening to podcasts and music.
The other things I have started to do organize what I am going to wear each week on a Sunday and wear all of my clothes I have, I have started to go through my finances and manage my money again and have no spend days and use what I have got and not started other things until I have gotten a few the main things I need to get done completed first. To manage my life and you may feel the same is when I prioritize and like this week get my training course done and today now being Sunday finishing this blog and last night when I couldn’t sleep is create a filming schedule and what videos I want to film and upload.
Have patience with yourself and know that you will finish tasks and break it down. I did this last night and created a list of things I want to complete and where resetting really helps and so do this each Sunday, which is today finishing this blog and Monday’s and get back on track and continue growing my life, my blogs and my videos.
So are you stuck on how to move on from your life due to a set back?
Being human we often buckle under pressure and yeah me too, so if you need to take a break you are still being unstoppable because taking breaks is part of our growth. It also means that you have done enough to have time off and that was me today. I spent a whole morning and yesterday looking after my son and had a good old fashion muck about and it did mean getting up early still but advantage I got to watch some TV as I don’t often get the chance.
Self care and doing other tasks like looking for jobs in mental health, go through emails and check feedback on my blogs, as it is good to see your kindness in you liking my blogs, time and to see you my audience reactions to my posts. It means the world to me and makes me unstoppable..
To get yourself on track take a step back and go through how you are feeling and what is making you stop and feel unsure. What is causing you to feel stuck? and go through what you have done each day to see what has triggered you to step back.
Knowing the triggers you will learn to have more resillance to them and will help you overcome them. Example if you want to do a run like never before but you struggle getting out of the door to start, something is causing a fear and it could be not being able to go to far.Break iot down. I would train one day a week and then I created into something to enjoy and I would go for a run every Sunday and so don’t massive goals list and try out some motivation videos to help.
Change the pattern of how you see running. Perhaps it is the rain, moving to a new area that you worry you may get lost. Preplan the route and just to one road at the time or one lap around a local park. Winter have two layers as you will warm up as you run and doing some exercisses before hand can boost your energy in going for a run.
Think about building blocks and monitor yourself and when in a Mentalhealth hospital they would do a reflection each Friday to go over how we have each of us being a patient been, and what could the staff do to make us feel better. Reflecting is a great way to stay on track because often we see it differently if we take a look back.
Take time in going over the year you have had so far and what do youn avoid a lot. For me it is I know I am going to need a dentist appoinment and a new eye test but I see these as a burden so I am going to see if I can set a date to get these done.
Avoidance can often put more pressure on your shoulders. So perhaps I can, with the above appointments delegate this in someway. If someone else books it then I am more likely to go.
Create new patterns in your life so you can be unstoppable.
So as a kid growing up where we at first only had 3 channels to watch, but lucky enough to have a TV of my own which I saved my pocket money for to have one, I loved TV but we were also encouraged to read and write, to help our skills and they have been a godsend. Hence why I am now a full time writer and I love it.
If it wasn’t for TV I have no idea aswell as having a record player and a walkman, how I would have gotten through the days as a kid who hated going to school. So having CITV and CBBC, was a relief after seven hours of what was often hell, except when I was allowed to write stories, and my favourite TV time was at the weekend.
During the day on ITV it was Thames Television and on BBC 1 which was the last channel to close for the day and they would play the National Anthem, God Save The Queen.
I had no idea as I was always in bed round this time that the National Anthem ever played and I asked once if I could stay up one time just so I could listen and see it.
Way before then though it all began with Black and white films, and were silent films and the Picture Houses even before the war and would be packed full of people and there they could get the latest news and what was going on in the world. Televisions didn’t come about until the 50’s and some would have to go round to friends to watch a TV as not all households could afford them, and it was a luxury to people, like having Virtue Reality, which is starting to take over now in the modern technology world.
Silent films came over to the UK in the 1900’s and was how Laurel and Hardy made their name, as they were separate actors who did their own productions and then it was a film director who spotted them put them together and became one of the first Double Act, as one Canadian Actor/Comedian to a English born Actor/Comedian, who was one of the first to make it across the water in what was called Hollywoodland, and as they say “The Rest I History”.
Then you had the guy who sang the Dad’s Army theme tune, Bud Flanagan and he too made it across the boarder and went onto be a musician for many English, Canadian and American shows. He loved being behind the scenes like Stan Laurel and be a writer. That was the next step for many Actors and Comedians, like today with Peter Kay, Lee Mack, Kathy Burke, French and Saunders. Uncle Bark was always writing and he would take time off to sit and write through parts of the year.
Many like, Ricky Jervais actually direct and produce their own TV shows and has been a massive hit in America, and followed in the footsteps of Billy Connelly, Lee Evans, David Walliams, Matt Lucas and Peter Kay, in the fact they are a huge hit and now live over there from time to time.
In the UK we were very much about Crime, Laughter and making our own musicals and had TV shows like Top of the pops that went on until the 2000’s and I if I get to watch BBC 4 on the TV channels we have now, I will still watch it as they are repeats but was one of my favourite midweek shows. What more could you want with TV and music coming together and at 7:30pm every Thursday I would be sitting there on our settee or on the floor, and be fixated.
It was how I became so in love with music and would never miss an episode.
When it came to TV on the channels we had here in the UK, it was very much of what was the audience tastes and when films began to be in colour then more TV programmes came our way and it was very much shows, rather than dramas at first and then they became our TV loves, such as English Gangster films, and horror.
Comedians began to make tapes of shows they wrote, aswell as having a regular TV show. Cilla Black with Dusty Springfield were arch rivals according to TV producers then, as they were two of the first women artists as I like to call them, to have their own shows, and would on at the same time. I bet this was a hard choice as back then you had no video recorder or hard drive to record the other one you couldn’t watch, so what they did, they created omibuses of shows and TV programmes so you could still watch them, and BBC would often record shows on their channels so you could listen to one on the radio if you wanted to.
We were very much about slapstick comedy and America were very much about factual comedy, and both worked. It was good to have the American comedies aswell as our own and having only 3 channels at one time, it made a change to see programmes from over the boarder, and then along came the Cobbies, Dallas and Dynasty where Joan Collins was the beauty of that time, along with strong women like the lady who played Suellen.
TV did take a gradual step and did take a while to get going as radio came first, and was what many households listened to before everyone could afford a TV, but in the 60’s for UK and America, was when it came into its own, and noone wanted to go out or go to school, as little cuddly toys like his Highness Basil Brush, whom I am going to be working with soon, started to make his name, along with The Sooty show and then America it was the Muppets, and one of my favourites, Sesame Street and this was the first children’s show when a new channel was launched, Channel 4.
These were great because even now, if you grab a kids attention you’ll grab and adults and was how children’s TV started to come on American and English TV, and be a world of its own.
Then you had Bill and Ben the Flower Top men and Pinky and Perky. Children’s TV was first introduced by the BBC and is the oldest channel on UK TV, and in America they already had 5 to 6 channels and were all launched at the same time.
America though didn’t have a music show like Top Of the Pops but became a top show because they too would watch it over there and you could also listen to it via the radio still.
They thought at one point that film would be taken over, but that has never been the case it was became easier to budget when it was a TV programme rather than a film, as Films budget to make the successful had to stretch and also they would take a long time to create, and so TV was and film then formed together so both industries could still be kept alive and then, that was when Cinema took over Picture houses and they created Video tapes of shows and films and new that both would always be going.
TV was the new norm and it was great for companies to cash in to advertise products and services, and the first ever advert was Fairy Liquid and then came Bisto Gravy.
BBC needed to also make money for their TV programmes and so bought in the TV Licence, and you had to have one of these, which you still do to have even one TV in your home and if you didn’t comply with this you were fined.
Not many households had a TV in their bedrooms back then and it worked via Analogue outdoor or indoor aerial, and TV’s had an aerial attached to some of them at the back. I remember when living in Peabody, having a nightmare trying to find the best place to place the indoor aerial as it could be a nightmare to get a good picture.
If you lived in a built up area it would be a hard task to find the best reception, and TV’s would catch fire if left on all night even on standby which some TV’s had.
Then came the chat shows, and these were a highrated kind of a show, as it had many celebrities of all different genrues in one show, like in the UK Wogan, Des O’conner, Pebble mill and the most successful one Micheal Parkinson’s talk show.
Check out this link of clips from his show of Interviews:
So it is now the year 2021 and with the internet we have new things where we can watch many series of TV and film, like Netflix and Youtube and still radio.
Will TV ever end? No. I think there is space for more good TV series of shows and I do hope I get to be on there too.
Have a good week ahead and see you in the next one.
Many thanks for reading,
Carrie L.M X
P.S: If you would like to read more of these types of blogs then check out these below:
In the year 1999 my world appeared to crumble in front of me as it was the first Christmas that not all the family were their celebrate, as my mum and dad had split up for good this time, and was getting divorced, my brother and I fights got worse that we both would hit out at one another as soon as we saw each other and not long after that Christmas my nan died, (my mums mum).
I knew it was going to be different when earlier in the year of 1999 my mum told me whilst driving to North End road, but I was some what prepared because I saw it was going to happen a long time before then, and said “Yes I know, I had a feeling that was coming”, but I did end up spending a lot of time out, not wanting to face the music of it.
The reality of it was stronger than the thought of it, and I didn’t want to be involved, but I was, because as soon as it happened my dad would be very angry saying some very nasty things to me, about my mum, like I hope she dies of cancer and if I see her again, I’ll stab her and my mum then would say, Your dad cheated on me, she moved us to North Sheen, near Richmond, because my dad kicking off because of the nose of our neighbours living in our block and it was just being between a tug of war.
I am rewriting my book called, The Peabody Years, as it was quite small compared to what I wanted it to be and there is more I would like to add, but in the year of 1999 we had been living in our first houses in North Sheen since the year of 1996.
That year in 1999 was the first time I had ever dreaded Christmas and wanted it to go away. I had gone into a depression that I can not describe, and found it hard to even get out of bed.
I had changed jobs and was not happy at all. I hated where I was working and resigned as we got closer to the festive season. The spark I had for the Christmas had gone and I thought it would never return, and I was getting drunk a lot before then, and finally I came out of it after the new year, after reading a book by Paul McKenna, called, “I can make you confident in 7 days” and it was what I needed and yes it helped me immensely.
I was so used before this happened in 1999 used to traditional Christmases, where we would go to my nans house in Finborough Road Estate in Earls Court, and my grandad when he was alive, would cut the turkey, we’d open our gifts before dinner as my I or one of my cousins would help him hand out the gifts under my nans tree, and then after dinner my grandparents, my parents and my Aunty and Uncle would play a card game.
So when Christmas of 1999 approached I knew that those days were surely over and it hit my like a knife, that Christmases a I knew them would never happen again.
It did take a long time to get my spark for Christmas to come back, as I for a long while became a humbug, and saw it like any other day.
I hated the way I felt, and I had also begun to starve myself. Yes I had an eating disorder and it was when I passed out at my nans, I knew I had to turn my life around, as I was frightened of how much weight I lost. I lost strength in my arms, I had no energy to do anything and was constantly feeling guilty about everything I ate.
To not make this blog not too long, I did end up finding my spark again when I went to Florida one year and after my son was born.
I decided to also help bring back my spark for Christmas I needed to create a new set of Christmas traditions and that is I always like to do a Christmas run or long walk each year, and on boxing day too. Another one, is I like to decorate for the Christmas cheer whilst playing Christmas songs, and go to a Christmas market, and borough market in London, and have a cup of Mulled Wine or Winter cider.
My sons first Christmas being a mum was different too, as Henry was born unexpectantly premature and again I didn’t think much about it, but from his next Christmas I wanted it to be magical for him, like it was when I was a kid, and want to continue to do so, for when I have more children.
If you have had a familiar experience around Christmas time I would love to hear your story. You can leave a comment below.
Also if you are new to my blogs then you may not know that I like to raise money this time of year, for one of my charities I like to support, and this year I am raising money for a Charity called Tommy’s who raise money to support families whom have had stillbirths and premature births. My Just Giving page is link below if you would like to make a donation:
To be successful it is important to be yourself and never copy as people will know that you have stolen someone elses idea.
When it comes to building an empire it should always be original and stand out from the rest.
My blogs have been doing extremely well because I share my difficulties as well as good parts of my life, because people who read my posts can relate to it as they know it is written from the heart as well from my mind.
Throughout our lives there are events which are out of our control, but when we manage our mindset it can help us to overcome our challenges and thrive in our lives.
I knew taking on the Great North run would take some doing, so I did train for it and I have written about this a lot, because it was a massive accomplishment, and one I am extremely proud of, and made me see that with sheer determination and drive I could do anything.
I have created a blog network, which is doing well for itself, and even though this passed few weeks have been tough, I do see a light and know that there are even more better things to come, and it is the old saying “When you full of a horse, always get back on”, because life is about thriving and living, not about existing.
So if you have idea, don’t throw it in the bin, but keep going and remember never copy as people will see through it, and that “Your only doing it for the money and because it is trendy”.
A business has to be created by your heart and mind, and have its own personal appearance, and have originality, and benefits people.
When I was working at Sitel I won many awards for my Customer Service, and this was due to taking a lot of emails, calls and online chats.
I did make mistakes but I have come to accept that mistakes needed to be made for me to learn for next time and the one thing I think helped me is I like to get in touch with people’s hearts and minds to, to help them and was always my biggest skill because people want to feel cared for and that there was someone willing to listen, and that was one thing I always did and will continue to do, to help them thrive and be happy.
Hi and welcome to another blog. So, many kids have now returned to school this week. It is amazing how much spare time you have, not that I didn’t enjoy the extra time I spent with my son, but the Lockdown since last week was taking it toll, to the point I was completely blogged out.
I spent so much time blogging as much as I could that I did suffer with burn out.
It is important when working that you have a healthy work life. I know it isn’t easy, but we can get so bogged down that it can become too much and before you know it you are under your neck with so much to do.
The one thing you should schedule is chill out or quiet time, to have a hot bath and read a book, or TV time.
Rest is just as important as working so make time for it.
Allow some proper wake up time, I don’t function correctly if I haven’t had a hearty breakfast or a cup of tea.
Whilst your child is a school why not schedule a day to reunite yourself with your friends, following the social distancing rules.
Still no many shops or places are open but doesn’t stop someone from popping around for a coffee does it.
Have a DVD night or TV night with some pop corn, crisps or other snacks.
It is all about making the most of every hour of the day. I find when I have had a constructive day that I function better and sleep a lot better.
So take some time out and create a schedule you know you can stick to. Please check out my blog post about my routine:
Having a good routine can really help get everything you need to do done and be happy with yourself, rather than feeling bogged down or you have wasted a day doing nothing that has fulfilled you.
Please share how you create a good healthy working life below. Please remember to follow me if you would like to be kept up to date with all my blogs I have written.
Do check out my weekly newsletter blog (see link below):
At the moment we are all in self isolation and there are many reasons why we can lose faith in what we want to accomplish in our lives aswell as like me I look at my bed and sometimes contemplate whether to lie back in it or not.
That can become the norm if we are not careful and end up wasting so many days and going over what we need to do each day.
Here are 7 tips on how to be productive during self isolation:
So my first tip of this blog is to:
Tip 1# Have a plan of action
What do you add is what you want to accomplish that particular day and a deadline.
Tip 2# Create a block schedule
Check out my own schedule I have created which you can use as a guide or to print off.
I have a gratitude journal and even have one I use to write gags in, Bob Monkhouse, always had a load of joke books and now they have been put away in safe keeping. If you want to create a bit of humour in writing a journal, or even put together an art journal.
Tip 4# Take time for yourself to see how much you can get done
We all need time out and there is no time like the present, but we can still be productive by scheduling TV and quiet time
Tip 5# Set a side to catch up on research to help build your skills and knowledge each week
I love to learn to things and often will do a course via Reed.co.uk as you can learn so much at little cost.
Tip 6# Plan as much as you can before Monday before the busy school run
I always use my Sundays to catch up on any finished jobs like updating Henry’s school diary, go through his book bag and any last minute things we need ready for the school week.
Getting ahead of myself is what I am about so anything I am not able to do, I do at the weekends
Tip 7# Use your time wisely so mornings, evenings and weekends
These are good times for me and I also give myself some TV time for some evenings or catching up on Youtube to help do some research or to just do something different.
So I hope you have found this useful and until next time
I think it is safe to say that I love EMPOWERMENT and you’ll be surprised when you look around you how many things you can spot that will give you empowerment.
Music, TV, a film, a Podcast, nature or a video. I get empowerment from people and the one person who inspires me is Tony Robbins, who I discovered some years ago, when I was fed up and needed some words of wisdom.
This man had me transfixed within minutes because it was like he had just by watching his videos had got it to my head and saw the anxiety, stress I was feeling.
He now has a new book out called: Unshakable Your Financial Freedom Playbook.
I think we could all do with a some financial support at the moment, as jobs are affect by the International Lockdown.
The other people who inspire me is Oprah Winfrey, Jordan Paige, Debra Meadon, Mel Robbins and Paul McKenna as they all have inspiring stories.
I like people who are up front and honest, because they will tell me if I look bad or something not right.
So finding empowerment through people can make you see things in a whole different light, and help you look forward to the days ahead, instead of struggling not looking forward to the days to come.
Please remember you can keep up to date with all my blogs by following me on WordPress.com and please let me know of people who inspire you.
As human beings we can be driven by our Inner Critic.
That voice can go on and on, telling you, your wasting your time and don’t bother getting out of bed do it tomorrow.
However not being Mrs Doom and Gloom, what if tomorrow never came?
Neither of us know what is around the corner. I have often seen things before they have happened, example I knew that my mum was going to end up with Tot (my step dad) ages before they got together, but not sure if this was coincidence or just a thought.
When it comes to dealing with the Inner Critic be ruthless with yourself and say “No I am going to go for run today” even if the Inner Critic keeps on and is constant.
Don’t ignore the Inner Critic because from my own experience when you do the voice can get stronger, so acknowledge it and tell it to “Shut up” get up out of bed, put your running gear by your bed on, which I would always suggest you so the night before and before the Inner Critic can continue go for a run.
With the Inner Critic it can effect our everyday lives, like when we write a letter, a book or a blog, going on examples. This voice is our protector in a way, as often as humans we can sniff out danger or that the letter isn’t good, so you proof read and edit it until it is good.
What you don’t want to do is allow it to take over, because once it does it can make you think Rapidly and then stop you in your tracks, talking you out of it, then you feel guilty for not doing what you wanted and it has ended up not being anything to really worry about at all.
I remember one work Christmas Party and it was a new job but being shy and suffering with Social Anxiety didn’t want to go, well I am glad I did because it was brilliant. Yes I did get drunk, but from that point forward really got to know my new colleagues and began to fit in.
Keep a Journal to answer the Inner Critic and what you really think and what you should do. Example you have split from your boyfriend and you then have the Inner Critic telling you that you shouldn’t have done that, make bullet points as to why you did and then read them out, and create a new plan of action to move on.
When relationships breakdown there is a reason, so write in your journal about it to address the topic, and face the voice by looking in a mirror imaging the Inner Critic is in front of you head on and say “GO AWAY”, silence it by imagining the voice getting quieter and quieter until it is completely muted.
Then reducing the image of the Critic until it completely disappears.
Try doing this several times and you will no longer be dictated by the Inner Critic, but by the voice that is in your gut instead.
I have done a cheat for you to download with this activity and you can even stick it on the wall, and try it every time the Inner Critic speaks.
I think it is safe to say that I love EMPOWERMENT and you’ll be surprised when you look around you how many things you can spot that will give you empowerment.
Everyone can build a castle 