Getting Ready for the Autumn

I am really ready for the Autumn. I like the dark mornings. I already had soup which is something we top up on for Autumn and wanting to be cosy, layering up and my sons rugby club is starting again and means the football season has begun and just looking forward to all of that.

It was a good summer. Walking along the beach was lovely in the Isle of wight, but I like the fresh mornings and having some good quality TV again and films and having a coffee at home and just have easy days. I have enjoyed sitting out in the garden but I am not a favourite of the heat and so for me Autumn is my favourite season and time to get those unfinished projects done. 

Check out my site: https://everyonecanbuildacastle.com/ I will be doing my yearly Autumn Reset programme and will be accessible to my subscribers on my above site and something I enjoy doing. 

It is good to see people and have a catch up after the holidays and starting a fresh and I love Henry's rugby and sharing what we did in the holidays and the fact we are out on a Sunday morning. I will be walking around the big lawn his rugby clubs has, around the pitches and helping when my son has tennis. I will be back doing my radio show for my local hospital on Fridays and just ready for it. 

It is also my birthday during the Autumn along with other members of my family. I am off to see Bon Jovi, The Real Thing and going to Twickenham to see the Red Roses and I am ready to buy my Puffa Jacket for the Autumn and Winter and love the sport you get during the Autumn and Winter. 

You meet such a range of sport. I would love to go and see Leatherhead FC play. I will be decorating for Halloween and not sure if we will go to a fireworks display but just going to enjoy the autumn to write, still go on walks outside aswell as on my husbands Treadmill and have some time for myself again. 

My son is looking forward to seeing his friends. I am also looking forward to some days indoors and I am getting my hair cut, so good time to spend more time looking after my skin and being in my PJ bottoms and jumpers. 

So are you the same? Please leave a comment below.

Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X 

I love trips to the theatre

Since a kid I have always loved going to the theatre. As a child my parents with friends, took us a lot to the theatre to see children shows and after 30 or so years of wanting to see the Phantom of the Opera, remembering when it first was on stage I finally went to see it this year. Today I took my son to see a show called Arthur at the Polka Theatre and if they'd like to sponsor me that would be a dream come true because its brilliant for kids and adults and it was the best one so far. 

When I was a kid it was Keith and Orvil Show, Sootie, Buttermoon and loved double acts and got to see Cannon and Ball in Panto and many other stars and it was a regular thing we did and I loved going to London to see a show and still now with my son I love the theatre. Every year we go to a Panto. Its become a yearly tradition and will always be my thing to do.

My son really enjoys it. I would say to take them to the Polka at first before going to a bigger theatre because my first big show I took my son, well his first, there was a guy who was really rude to me and it was the afternoon matinee and so there were a lot of children there and it really put me off and so the children's theatres are a great way to introduce them to it and people can be unkind when going to bigger theatres and it was unnecessary. I feel people should understand that children do find it hard to sit still and he wasn't being a pain he was getting restless and felt that I did my best and I didn't need for that guy to be horrible. 

If you like to go to show where there is less children then go in the evening, my advice because the afternoon shows are for children and full of kids or go to an adult type show. 

I am sad that Live At The Apollo is not continuing as I loved that and a lot are doing one woman or mans shows and seeing Jason Donovan in the Rocky Horror Show was good and never thought I'd see Jason is women's underwear but that is the good thing about shows it can really help take your mind off your troubles and just taking it in and be in a different place. 

If you recommend any shows then please recommend in the comment section below. 

I feel theatre is in my blood and just love it so much and hope it never phases out. There's going to be a theatre show of Beatle Juice and so will be one I'd like to see. I feel that its just a great thing to do on your own or with family and friends. A good excuse to dress up and be somewhere else. 

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

I love having a functional life

So today we took a trip to one of our favourite places where we can have a coffee and have shops and now we are chilling it feels good to begin the school summer holidays and so good to have a good Functional life.

I like having systems which is to ensure we have what we want and need, each doing things we enjoy and still doing errands but good that we can have days where we aren't worrying about cleaning but getting out and shop without spending and I did a video about the Benefits of shopping: https://youtu.be/AcnBjtyC018

It is the start of the holidays, check out this blog about Getting Ready for the Holidays: https://theparentingadventurestipsandtricks.wordpress.com/2026/07/17/getting-ready-for-the-holidays-2/ so will still get up early as I love to especially when we have a heatwave to go out in the morning. I will still ensure that I do some cleaning and the one thing that is effective is cleaning as I go and work out like I do. 

I do like to scroll but only at certain times. I do like to spend time reading and writing. I make sure I journal and use what I have before I buy something and I love spending time planning.

I have begun to check and jot down my finances each day in my journal and I am realising that using my journal to do this better as I had set up a Financial planner but I began to dread that method of keeping check and lost my spreadsheet due to my laptop braking. 

Today was all about sleeping in, going to Collierswood as my son does Tennis classes and wanted to get him a tennis racket and I was looking for storage bin. 

It is good to have things to do each day. I like to have somewhere to go and something to read and write about and why I blog because it helps me to help you of things I have learned in my life so far and that would be helpful to you. 

I am so glad I have a more functional life because it stops me from negative thoughts, be happy with how my life is now before worrying about the past and the future and had a good functional day. 

Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X 

Things I like to have in my home

I love that I can look out of the window and see nature. Nature is beautiful with the different birds and wildlife. The best time is watching the sun rise. 

There is no feeling like it and gives me so much pride and enjoy. I am thankful for the things in my life and home. 

I love that I can have toast with Marmalade or on some days a bacon sandwich. 

I like traditional English food and you can't beat a fry up or a bowl of porridge even in the summer. 

In the summertime its oranges, apples and love a bit of lime or lemon in some water or orange juice and this week bought some blueberries, along with having crackers and cheese. I love mini cucumbers so versatile and had these sliced on a cracker with butter. You can't beat it along with Dairylea. I am very old school.

I like a room that has many uses. My living room for example I use for eating in, watching TV, creating my blogs and books and working out. My garden. Playing football in the garden, journal and read. 

Washing up inspired this blog because I love my take away cup which I use for my cold coffee in the morning and can go out with it. It was from Primark and a hack. Clean inside the straw with a barbecue skewer. 

I love my mugs. I invest in a good mug for my tea and coffee, when I want a hot coffee and I have inherited some when my mum and step dad moved and I have an insulated mug for my hot drinks and takeaway insulated cup.

It wouldn't be a home if it didn't have a fireplace and even though we don't use it to heat up the home it is still a great place and would like to use it again. See if I can persuade my husband, but for now we have my sons toys and badges he's won at his sports clubs and has a shelf where we use for drinks, clock, the box that we use for heating the home and my husband and loves his dart board. 

And no this is not near the fireplace, it is on the wall and often my son and my husband will play and even I will have a go. 

Now that is not a must, but my son loves having the dart board because it has really helped with his hand grip and motor skills, and adding up. It is good to have a room that you can relax but is full of games to be played and great for getting off screens and why I love that we have a garden but also my son loves his trains and having things he can take and use, but working on him to putting things he has used back in their place once he has finished.

So what do you like to have in your home? You can leave a comment below. 

Please check out Youtube channel where I share more: https://www.youtube.com/@Carriechalloner

Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X 

Finding My Style in 2026

Yes my style has changed a lot. I still like the Rock Style look but I also trying to use what I have. I have bought a couple of new items of clothing which I am happy about as they are quality, but not over spending on clothes and I love my journaling so investing in this and currently working on creating my own journals and it is good to have money for experiences. I am taking my son to two music festivals and we have a holiday in August and I'd rather a holiday, a day out somewhere and want to walk everyday. 

I never continued park run as I had moved from Wimbledon where I was living with mum and step dad and so now fully in Epsom now and been focusing on sorting the house I live with my husband and son. 

My room is coming together along with my son. My son chose a clock for his bedroom to be put up and doing it bit by bit. I have changed my eating habits. Trying not to snack and not too much of the bad food and trying to walk each day, do some toning and strength exercise at home and then journal everyday and posting blogs on my Site Everyone can build a castle, on my Life Coaching programme, Summer Project 2026 check out this blog https://everyonecanbuildacastle.com/2026/05/29/life-coaching-blog-being-good-at-what-you-do/and writing a new parenting book. 

I have many books I am writing and had to rewrite some because my laptop broke and using my husbands' at the moment and posting a blog each day. It is about consistency which I am really focusing on and watching my blogs and books grow, along with posting on Pinterest and now on Substack. 

I regularly post on Instagram and on X and I have had to start over on somethings, but I feel okay with that. I am not on my phone too much now and having less time scrolling and like yesterday I focused myself on sorting out my home and then completed another blog and it is good to reduce screen time which I am doing. 

The one area I have started to be conscious of my spending. I go through phases and one is buying things from Amazon and it is handy as I buy my toilet rolls, kitchen rolls and now bought a bulk of house tissues as we get through them so much. However I have become reliant and that is not good. So I am putting things in my basket and waiting. 

I will shop around and I will change my mind. 

In my journal I wrote today after watching a bit of Youtube wrote down what I would like to do and is a great tool. I decluttered and sorting through my sons clothes and it is good to have some organisation and as long as Henry has gotten to school okay and back, is my priority and making sure he has a bath, has clean clothes, had dinner and used up some energy.

I found that if I go for my morning walk I still have a whole day to sit and watch Youtube, organising my home, do some weights and if it rains you haven't wasted a day and so I am going to walk everyday, even if it is around the block. 

Reading teaches me so much, would like to continue with Youtube and making short videos at the moment and think I will use my phone rather than my camera and change up my vlogs a bit. 

So that is my style 2026 and now going to have some lunch. 

Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X 

A Productive Week Indoors After half term break

It was a good half time visiting the Science Museum, playing tennis, visiting a garden centre called Blue Water and going to Morden and just having time visiting places we haven't visited for a while and took a trip to St James park. 

This week has been a week indoors apart from Monday. My son had an inset day and focused on tidying, cooking, cleaning and working on blogs, books and videos. This week I am doing my radio show. I work for Epsom Hospital radio and so has been a good productive week. I do a show on Fridays 10-12.

It is good to clear some of my laundry basket. Had a declutter and been exercising indoors. It has been a  good time to catch up on sorting out the home, making my bed again and getting dressed as soon as I get out of bed and just have a bit of space and Henry now is in school so it is good to have returned to normality. 

A tip# Get up before your kids.

I like to be up first because it allows me time to read, get dressed and then have time drinking a cup of tea before my son wakes up and then my main focus is getting my son ready for school. 

For this helps because I can wake up slowly and I just need that time to fully awake and then I start  once my is picked up time to journal and watch a bit of Youtube, before starting on content and even did a workout this morning. 

B Tip# Have a list already prepared 

I like to have a list written. Sometimes I will decide not to do that today, but I like a list to help me decide on what I want to get done and having a list just helps me to make sure I write a blog even if not published yet and scheduled and I watch a lot of content on writing, ideas of music to play on my radio show and so I like to know what is my priority for the day. 

C Tip# Don't have so many tabs up on your computer 

I have had to learn this and wondered why my husband's laptop kept crashing and its taken me a while to accept that that is not a good idea to have so much open because I find I get distracted too, so I am only going to have a few tabs up at a time. 

D Tip# Clear you emails and check them once or twice a day

I find I get easily distracted and keeping track of my sons school emails and other important emails and helps make sure I spend time having a clear out. I like to spend 10 minutes going through my emails and again why I am not having too many tabs and going to clear my email to complete this blog. 

So a few things that I have been learning to do and I love watching different things to train the brain and geared up to write and create content..

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

Listening To the Rain can be peaceful

I was listening and watching a Youtube Video but felt a bit claustrophobic. I had been out but still felt a bit couped up so I stopped and listened to the rain and it is so peaceful with the sound of the traffic and the birds. In Surrey there are towns but some really good places to visit. I do love London but for tranquillity Surrey there is a lot more greenery and love the commons and the parks. 

Some times you just need a bit of peace and so with the window open and the sounds around are really making me feel cleared and was already to walk but I am not a lover of getting wet and is super windy.

However I can still have the window open and be in touch with nature and the sounds are allowing me to type and feel like my feeling of Claustrophobia is going. 

It is also can make you feel cosy and enjoy a coffee even more and had porridge, a real hearty breakfast. 

I love my home with the garden and it makes me thankful for being alive and that there is a lot to be happy about. Yes I know there have been terrible things happening, but that makes me determined to enjoy my life and the weather along with sharing my love of life with others and have a bit of peace and quiet. 

Life can be busy and challenging, so any moments where I can just enjoy the sound of the rain and the planes flying over then so be it. 

Following a rugby team for several years you got used to being drenched and there would when I started following be a tiny stand to watch or you stood up and watched the game. 

Now though I like listening to it but not out in it. 

Where my aunty used to live in a village it was nice hearing the church bells and the cockerel. It would get very stormy but there was a little shop, Cats as my Aunty had 5 and the lady across the road bred cats and that was where my cat Toby came from and my uncle would play bowls and there was a country pub and it was nice to visit and Farnham Town was good to visit and you never worried about the weather and now I like to hear it because it makes me feel peaceful but not out in it. Am I showing my age? 

Any way it can cause flooding which is not good but when not and hear it trickling down it can feel good and I love being near nature. I like to feel calmed and the business of a city can get a bit too much and have become a Surrey Girl aswell as a Londoner. 

Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X