Table of contents for September 24, 2015 in Pick Me Up!

What A Shame! The sad thing about moving house recently was having to leave behind the measuring door where we’ve charted our kids’ heights. What A Fright! I came across these scary creatures at London’s Waterloo station – the dinosaurs were a bit frightening, too! What A Lazy Dad! Me and my lads, Louis and Oscar, taking a breather from a strenuous walk in Dorset – the grass was so comfy, I was soon dozing! 100 million That’s how many gold bears Haribo produces worldwide every single day. And just down the road from us in France was the Haribo sweet factory – and shop. Well, somebody’s got to eat all those bears they’re making… What A Bird! On our hols in France, our fave visitor was this peacock –…

Strolling down the road, suddenly, a car pulled up, with a dark, handsome stranger at the wheel. Confident Jay Pratt, then 17, leant out of the window to say hello to my sister, Jade, then 11, and her mate, Jay’s niece. ‘Fancy a ride?’ he asked us. It was June 2003 and, then 16, I was smitten as we chatted away. A week on, Jay took me out for an evening drive. ‘I fancy you,’ Jay confessed, kissing me as my heart soared. An item, we couldn’t get enough of each other. On the Pill, I didn’t worry until that August... ‘I’m late,’ I confided in my mum, Tina, then 42. She bought me a test... Positive! Moving quickly Mum and my dad, Henry, then 50, approved of Jay, but…

In August last year, aged just 17, I dislocated my knee during a cheerleading session. While I was discussing physio with the doctor, I thought I’d mention the two massive bruises that had appeared on my wrist only the day before. ‘I’m giving you a blood test,’ the doctor said. And that evening, I got a call telling me to go straight to A&E. I was nervous, confused. When I got to Bristol Royal Infirmary I had more tests. That’s when they told me the bruising can be experienced by people with leukaemia. The next day at hospital, a doctor came to see me. ‘You have idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP),’ he said. It’s an autoimmune disease, where your body doesn’t produce enough platelets. These enable the blood to clot and…

The alarm went off and I rolled over in bed. Beside me, my boyfriend, Darren, 27, was sleeping like a log. It was 7am one April morning last year. A touring musician, when Darren wasn’t away he usually stayed at my flat, looking after my two Chihuahua pups, Prince and Rambo, while I went to work as an account manager. ‘Morning, sleepy,’ I said to him as I heaved myself out of bed. Darren didn’t stir. But half an hour later, I was heading out of the door to work when I heard Prince start barking and yapping madly. He was usually a docile dog, this wasn’t like him at all. I followed the noise back into the bedroom, where Prince was licking Darren’s face and howling. Even though there…

Orange Polenta Cake Serves: 8 Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 1hr 15 min 1 Preheat oven to 180C/ Gas 4 and grease and line an 18cm round cake tin. 2 Whisk together oil, 175g sugar and eggs. Mix in ground almonds, orange zest, rosemary, polenta, arrowroot, poppy seeds and baking powder. Spoon into tin and bake for 1hr. 3 Strain orange juice into a jug and make up to 100ml with cold water. Pour into a pan and heat with remaining sugar and one rosemary sprig until sugar dissolves. Simmer, without stirring for 4-5 min, until syrupy. 4 Once cake comes out of oven, skewer all over, discard rosemary and pour syrup over warm…

Hopping Mad I’ve always hated slimy, scaly creatures. Knowing this, my stepdad decided to tease me when he found a little frog in the garden. ‘Want to see?’ he chuckled, bringing it into the living room where I was settled with a cuppa. He jokingly threw it towards me. My heart lurched and I jumped through an open ground-floor window. But in my desperate bid to escape, I landed awkwardly on my foot. My little toe was bent at a right-angle. It looked terrible! At the hospital, doctors told me I’d broken it. For the next few weeks I had to hop about on one foot. I made a right froggy fool of myself! Sarah Louise Bryan, 27, Osett, West Yorkshire A BIT FLUSHED Remember the old chain flushers on…

TRIED & TESTED Whitening toothpaste 1 Colgate Max White Expert White Toothpaste in Cool Mint, £5.99, Lloyds Pharmacy This left my mouth feeling really clean and tasting minty. There’s a slight change in colour to my teeth after a few uses, and I’m hoping that will continue! 2 Rapid White Express Instant Whitening Toothpaste, £7.99, Boots This was a little scratchy on my teeth but overall I was chuffed with how it removed stains and helps prevent the build up of tartar and plaque to stop me getting new ones. 3 Blanx Non-abrasive Whitening Toothpaste, £6, Sainsbury’s I found this great for cleaning stubborn coffee stains, without making my teeth feel sensitive. I’d recommend using with an electric toothbrush for great results. Jess’Beauty Hero Using Aussie 3 Miracle Oil Reconstructor,…

The fridge was loaded with burgers and sausages. We were all set. My hubby Francis, 40, and our kids, Kara, 12, and Jayden, 8, were hosting a barbecue the day before my birthday, on 9 April last year. It’d rained all week, but the sun was finally shining, so we’d brought my party forward. Deafening Around 5pm, when our friend Jesse, 40, and family arrived, Francis took charge of the cooking. ‘The coal’s damp,’ he sighed, and went off to get some firelighters. Tummies rumbling, Francis was anxious to get started. I’d ducked indoors to prepare the salad when, suddenly... BOOM! A deafening explosion shook the house. Dropping everything, I ran outside. To my horror, I saw Francis, arms flailing, his shirt ablaze. Dashing closer, I noticed scorched red flesh…

Bonnie and her family had a fun-tastic time with her winnings Watching on as my kids splashed around in the swimming pool, I sat back and relaxed. ‘This is wonderful,’ I sighed happily to my partner, Russell, 30. We were on holiday in Skegness, Lincolnshire, enjoying a fun-filled time with our six littl’uns. Heather, 8, Callum, 7, Tyler, 6, Oscar, 4, and our twins Ruby and Scarlet, both 1, were having a whale of a time. We took them to Skegness every year for a weekend of activities. But this year we’d treated them to two full weeks. All thanks to Pick Me Up! Bingo. I’d been a member since December last year. A few of my friends had recommended it. ‘It’s great fun,’ they said - and they were…

Pregnant, I sat watching the TV with my hubby, Chris, 31. A man was delivering his daughter at home in the Channel 4 programme, 999: What’s Your Emergency? ‘Let’s hope that doesn’t happen to us!’ laughed Chris. Thankfully, my pregnancy was smooth. But, by 21 June, I was four days overdue and in the toilet when the pain kicked in. As I panted in agony, Chris grew moreworried. After calling 999, paramedics advised him to lay me on the floor. Good thing, too. As Chris laid down towels… ‘I can see the head!’ he cried. It’d only been 45 minutes – it looked like Chris was going to be the midwife after all! ‘It’s OK,’ he said, no sign of panic. ‘I saw that guy on 999: What’s Your Emergency?’…

Gathered around the tiny bundle of fur, the room was silent. ‘ Me, my mum, Denise, 55, and sister, Christine, 22, couldn’t hold back the tears. Daisy, our beloved Jack Russell, was about to be put down. She’d been with our family for years after we’d rescued her when she was 3 years old. But she hadn’t been well for a while, so we’d made the heartbreaking decision to end her misery and let her go. ‘It’s for the best,’ I told Mum, holding her hand. The vet began shaving Daisy’s leg, ready for her lethal injection. But as Daisy lay looking up at us with sad eyes, pain tore through me - literally. Struggling to breathe, I had to sit on the floor. As I did, I felt the…

Dr Arabella Onslow has been a GP for eight years and was Rosemary Conley’s Health Professional Slimmer of the Year in 2012 after losing 10st. Hiccup horror QI get hiccups really often and they can be painful. Is there anything that I can take to stop them? Patricia, Brentwood A Hiccups can be caused by indigestion, so chewing your food well and reducing indigestion is a good start. If not, a low-dose nerve-acting medicine called haloperidol might help you. PCOS worries QI get really heavy periods and there’s a family history of polycystic ovary disease. A scan said I had a few follicles on my ovaries. Do I have the condition? Libby, Sheffield APCOS is a condition with two of the following signs or symptoms: infrequent or no periods, hirsuteness…

As the midnight screening of the Batman film The Dark Knight Rises began, the audience at the cinema in Aurora, Colorado sat expectant and excited. Then, a man wearing a gas mask, police-style helmet, cargo trousers and a black vest stood in front of the cinema screen. Some members of the audience thought he was part of the show. But then the man threw a gas canister into the crowd and opened fire... He slaughtered 12 people and injured 70 others, all the while listening to techno music on his headphones to drown out the screams. Afterwards, the gunman meekly surrendered to police. His name was James Eagan Holmes and he was just 24 years old. But what caused Holmes to carry out such an atrocity? James was born in…

1 Tesco Millionaire Bites, £1.60 for 22 Small but perfectly formed, the base tastes like digestive biscuit, with a generous layer of caramel and a thin layer of choc. Perfect for sharing. 2 Lidl Northwood 4 Indulgent Caramel Shortcakes, 89p With a delicious caramel filling and a lovely thick layer of chocolate, like it says on the packet, these are very rich and indulgent! 3 Sainsbury’s 3 Caramel Shortcake Slices, £1 Everything about these tastes good. Rich, buttery shortcake biscuits, a soft, thick layer of caramel – and plenty of choc on top. Keep them in the fridge for a chewier texture. Make it yourself... Serves: 16 Prep Time: 40 min + resting Cook Time: 35 min Caramel: Topping:…

An innocent person dead – a murder investigation launched. But, when a police enquiry fails to unveil anything, a killer still walks free. The victims’ families will be haunted by the question of what happened to their loved ones. As years pass and the case goes cold, they fear they’ll never learn the truth. But, with laws changing and technology advancing, for some grieving families answers may come after years – even decades – of anguish. DEATHBED CONFESSION: USA ‘Parents were fearful the killer would strike again’ In 1957, tearful parents Michael and Frances Ridulph made a desperate TV appeal for their daughter’s safe return. Maria, 7, had been playing outside with her friend Kathy when, Kathy later said, a man called Johnny had given Maria a piggyback ride. When…

Have You Tried? What is it? Chair Gym is a seat with adjustable resistance bands to help tone arms, legs, bum and abs – it comes with two DVDs, a nutrition manual and exercise guide, plus, with 50 different exercises to try, it’s suitable for any age and fitness level. Find our more: £69.99 from www. highstreettv.com Food Swaps App Of The Week My Pilates Guru , £1.99 Work more than 90 exercises into a 15–60 minute session. The read-aloud instructions are easy to follow and you can snap your poses on time delay to make sure you’re getting it right! Flattering Fashion A sports bra that keeps your boobs firmly anchored while you’re exercising is a must! What’s more, this snazzy pink-and-black number comes…

Sitting at the gym reception, watching fitties always made me smile. Pushing weights was a world away from my life - wild weekends when my son was at his dad’s, the devoted mum when he was with me. But, in January last year, something changed. Working at the gym, I was surrounded by buff bodybuilders - and became fascinated. It’d be great to get more involved, I thought. A slim size-8/10, I wasn’t worried about my weight. But my boozy lifestyle could do with an overhaul, and toning up a bit wouldn’t do me any harm. After asking around at the gym and getting as much advice as possible, I decided to go all out and signed up to a bodybuilding competition. With only four months to go, I got…

Get Out There! If you’re over 47 and looking for love, we’ve got just the deal for you! Visit SeniorSinglesNear. Me – enter the code PICKMEUP40 before 24 September to save 40 per cent and get a six-month membership for £72 (normally £120). Buon Appetito! Whip up a tasty Italian meal in less than two minutes thanks to the Riso Gallo Risotto Box. Even better, they’re now £1.25 each (normally £2) at Asda until 21 October. Sunshine In A Bottle Head to your nearest Asda pharmacy before the end of the year to pick up your free 30-day supply of vitamin D tablets. They’re suitable for both adults and kids aged 3 years and upwards. What A Relief! Designed to treat the deep-down pain and stiffness in the joints caused…

Shaking, I dialled 999. ‘My daughter can’t breathe,’ I cried to the operator. Lydia, 14, was having a severe asthma attack. Me and her dad, Ron, then 42, were terrified, helpless. Then an ambulance screamed up, whisked Lydia to A&E. She’d had asthma since she was 2 - diagnosed aged 3. I’d cuddle her as she wheezed, coughed, gasped, vomited. It was horrendous. We had inhalers, a nebuliser to administer medication, but it’d gotten worse when Lydia hit her teens. She was rushed to hospital five times a year, was in and out of the Asthma Clinic. This time she was kept in a week and put on oxygen. Still, my bubbly, strong girl always bounced back smiling, making us giggle. She grew up, became a hairdresser. And we stayed…

It was a Saturday afternoon. I was just a teenager. Like any other weekend, I was out on a decorating job with my mum’s partner, Kevin Bunby. It was something that I always dreaded. As I realised the owners of the house were out, my heart sank. Kevin noticed, too, and with a sickening grin he led me into a bedroom. I lay there frozen on the bed as he pulled my hands towards him and forced me to touch his privates, before he fondled around in my underwear. And once it was all over... ‘If you tell anybody, they won’t believe you,’ he hissed. ‘It’ll destroy the family too.’ This wasn’t the first time it had happened. Kevin had moved in to our home after meeting my mum when…

1 Scoliosis is a back condition. True False 2 You can’t spot it without an X-ray. True False 3 It can lead to heart and lung problems. True False 4 There are no treatments for scoliosis. True False 1 TRUE It’s an abnormal twisting and curvature of the spine that can affect both children and adults. 2 FALSE X-rays can confirm it, but it can be spotted by examining the back. People with the condition may have one shoulder higher than the other, a prominent rib cage and a visibly curved spine. 3 TRUE If a severe case is left untreated, the rib cage can be pushed against the heart and lungs, causing breathing difficulties and making it hard for the heart to pump blood around the body. 4 FALSE…

Four positive pregnancy tests lined up in the bathroom. ‘What now?’ I asked my boyfriend. It was May 2012. I was only 17, still at college. And pregnant. Do I have what it takes to be a mum? I worried. I was scared, but I knew I wanted to keep the baby. I broke the news to my mum, Michelle, and dad, Shaun, both 50. They were shocked. ‘But we’ll support you,’ they promised. By my 20-week scan at Derriford Hospital, my bump was blossoming. Everyone was excited. Only, suddenly, the sonographer frowned. ‘There’s a problem with your baby’s heart,’ she said. It only had two chambers instead of four. ‘It could be a sign of Down’s syndrome,’ she added. ‘What?’ I blurted, astonished. ‘But I’m too young.’ My mind…

Footsie Blanket, £14.99, jmldirect.com Transform your sofa into a daybed with this super-soft, fleecy blanket. It has two specially designed pockets to keep your feet warm. (What’s wrong with socks?!) Verdict: BONKERS! Snuggly, but silly! Ambition Tee with Hydrophobic Treatment, £54.99, www. reality-dreams. co.uk This hi-tech T-shirt has been protected from dirt (and even repels water!), thanks to a clever ‘hydrophobic’ treatment, meaning you can simply wipe away any spills with water between washes – no detergent needed! Verdict: GENIUS! Anything that saves on washing is a winner for us! Trolley Bags, £16.99, www. thetrolley  bags.com Take the stress out of food shopping with these four combined bags that spread out in our trolley in one action. Not…

Janet Schofield, 54, Lymm It was my partner, Nigel, 48, who introduced me to Quidco back in 2008. He told me: ‘There’s this really good new website which actually gives you money for buying things.’ ‘What? How does that work, then?’ I’d asked him, a little bit confused. Nigel explained that I’d get cash paid into my account whenever I bought things online using Quidco. He was right, too. After signing up that January, I started to reap the benefits. Initially, I went for the things that would give me a lump sum of cash. So I bought my home and car insurance online. Even a Post Office credit card, which gave me £40 cashback. But I buy everyday things, too. I go through Quidco to buy groceries and clothes.…

Usually, the most exciting thing that could happen to you of an evening is a bag of crisps in front of Coronation Street. Not that I minded. I liked it like that. Me, the kids and my husband, Richard, 34. All of us under one roof. Safe and sound. It hadn’t always been that way - Richard had been a soldier. Over the years, he’d been to lots of different places far away from home. Then, at the end of last year, he’d left the Army. Which meant he was back at home with me, our two kids, Bailey, 7, and Ellie, 4, and spending weekends with his son from a previous relationship. On that particular Friday night, we were relaxing with our feet up in front of the telly,…

When we arrived at Gatwick airport on 20 June, I noticed my boyfriend, James, 35, was acting weird. Together for 18 months, we were looking forward to a trip to Egypt. But, before I could say anything, two men with suitcases started singing... ‘They’re a bit odd,’ I laughed to James, before realising what they were belting out. When I wake up in the morning, love, and the sunlight hurts my eyesÉ they crooned. Lovely Day, by Bill Withers! Our favourite song. Then I heard women’s voices joining in. Looking around, I saw 10 ‘passengers’ slowly forming a circle around us. All of a sudden, James took me into the middle of the circle, got down on one knee and pulled out a beautiful, huge diamond ring. ‘Will you marry…

VIRGO 24 Aug–23 Sept Lies others have told come back on you as the stars hand you clarity and you no longer have to worry about trying to please others. Your ruling planet Mercury helps you make contacts in high places that bring offers to dream of. Call: 09058 170 715* LIBRA 24 Sept–23 Oct You now know who was responsible for a messy few weeks gone by. Cut ties and get on with your life as this week they will be trying to blackmail you into things you neither want nor need. Be strong and focus on your goals, not others. Call: 09058 170 716* SCORPIO 24 Oct–22 Nov Let love take its course and stop trying to control others. I know you have what it takes to make…