About Me

Hi, I’m Tanya, the voice behind Cracked Nails and Split Ends.

I’m a UK-based lifestyle blogger sharing honest, real-life experiences of living with chronic illness, navigating kinship care, and raising a neurodiverse family. This space is built around the realities of daily life when energy is limited, plans change quickly, and you have to find your own way of doing things.

I live with chronic conditions including ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and ongoing pain issues. These aren’t just topics I write about, they shape how I live, travel, parent, and work every single day. Everything you’ll find here comes from lived experience, not theory.

Why This Blog Exists

This blog started as a place to document life as it really is, not the polished version, but the adapted one.

Over time, it’s become a resource for others who are:

  • managing chronic illness

  • adjusting to limited mobility or energy

  • navigating kinship care or non-traditional parenting roles

  • trying to hold onto normal life while everything feels a bit unpredictable

I share what works for me, what doesn’t, and the small adjustments that make things more manageable.

What You’ll Find Here

You’ll find a mix of practical and personal content, including:

  • Chronic illness life — symptom management, flare days, realistic routines

  • Travel with limitations — how I prepare, what I pack, and what actually helps

  • Kinship care & family life — honest insights into raising children in a different way

  • Gentle living & adaptations — small changes that make daily life easier

  • Product experiences — items I genuinely use or have tried within my limitations

Nothing here is about perfection, it’s about making life work in a way that fits.

A Note on Experience & Trust

Everything shared on this blog is based on my personal experience.

I’m not a medical professional, and nothing here should be taken as medical or professional advice. What I share reflects what has helped me manage symptoms, navigate challenges, and adapt day-to-day life in a way that works for me.

Where content is sponsored or contributed by others, these posts are placed in the Misc area of my blog, this is always clearly disclosed.

The Heart of It

This blog isn’t about having all the answers.

It’s about:

  • being honest about the hard days

  • sharing the small wins

  • and showing that even with limitations, life can still be lived in your own way

If you’re figuring things out as you go too, you’re in the right place.

You can explore more across the blog, or connect with me through my content as I continue sharing what real life looks like behind the scenes.

Where to begin (cornerstones):

If you’re new, these posts are a good place to start:

The Blog Shop

This blog also has a small shop attached to it, offering a few thoughtful items inspired by the same themes explored here. It’s there if it’s useful to you, and easy to ignore if it’s not.

Finally:

You don’t need to read everything. Take what you need, when you need it.

P.S. With the help of my family, I run my own small business, eAura.