Table of contents for 14-Jan-2021 in Pick Me Up!

Slipping into leggings and a nice jumper, I was ready for a night with friends in October 2019. My friend, Holly*, 24, had organised the night and had let me know the plans. Wetherspoons first with Osman and a few others, then back to his, she’d text me. He said we can crash. And so, at around 11pm on the Friday night, a group of us squeezed around a table. Once we all had our drinks, the night got off to a good start. Sat next to each other, I mostly chatted with Osman Suleyman. We’d met a while ago through mutual friends and he’d always seemed like an alright lad. I was enjoying his company, but it wasn’t long before we all wanted to move the party on. ‘Let’s…

Adding yet another layer of makeup to my skin, I was trying my best to conceal my spots. But no matter what I tried, nothing seemed to work. Aged 13, and at boarding school with my friends, I was suffering from terrible acne. ‘Don’t worry about it,’ one of the girls encouraged. ‘But my skin’s awful,’ I’d cry. Covered in painful acne, I always hated what I saw in the mirror. The only saving grace was the fact I wasn’t alone. Lots of my friends were in the same boat, too. Luckily for me, as I got older my skin started to clear. But when I hit 18, my acne was back. And now, it was worse than ever before. ‘Why me?’ I’d cry to myself. While most people my…

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Listening to the TV from the next room, I cringed as I heard my own voice. My husband Nathan, 45 and eldest daughter, Lauren, 18, were glued to the screen as they watched me appear on Dragons’ Den. And while they were loving watching my five minutes of fame, I was hiding in my office over the other side of the house. I’d been dreading the show airing since filming it back in spring 2019. I’d got a spot in the Den after a friend of mine put in an application for me. She thought the company I ran, called Zip Us In, would be perfect and the producers seemed to think so, too. At Zip Us In, I’d created a jacket expander for pregnant women, so they could keep…

Goats really are my spirit animal. They are incredibly smart and inquisitive about the world, and are always down for an adventure! That’s why Frankie makes such an excellent travel companion, with me and my husband Chad, 48. We’ve had her since 2014, and I remember the very moment I met her… My friend Ronnie drove me from North Carolina to Tennessee, and on the way up, he told me: ‘I’ve got a surprise for you!’ We arrived at a Farmer’s Market to a herd of goats. Every single goat was black and white, and there was one brown Nigerian dwarf/pygmy goat that looked like a fawn. I was so excited. ‘She’s the one!’ I beamed. I took Frankie home to Chad and we fell in love instantly. Frankie was…

Yogurt Flake crispy treats Makes: 0ne 30x20cm tray □ 300g sugar free marshmallows□ 50g coconut oil□ 200g Rice Crispies□ 5 individual packets Fruit Bowl Yogurt Flakes□ 300g yogurt drops 1Line a 30cm x 20cm tray with parchment. Place the marshmallows and coconut oil in a large glass bowl and microwave for 2 minutes until melted, give them a good mix with a spatula to ensure they are thoroughly combined. 2Pour in the Rice Crispies and 4 bags of Fruit Bowl Yogurt Flakes and stir until evenly coated. The marshmallow will start to set so try to do this quickly. 3Pour the mixture into the lined tray and with wet hands, flatten it all out and push into the edges. 4Melt the yogurt drops in the microwave, 30 seconds at a…

Chucking all the gear into the back of the van, the whole family piled in. Me, my husband Lee, 37, and our two children, Gracie, 10, and Nate, four, were off for a day at the beach. Westward Ho! is just a five-minute drive away from our house and it’s the perfect destination to get our surf on. Lee has been surfing, paddleboarding and doing various other water sports since he was a child, so he’s always wanted to pass that down to our kids. We first took Gracie and Nate into the sea when they were babies, so they are more than used to it. ‘She can sit on the end of my board,’ Lee suggested when Gracie was young. Growing up in North Devon, it was quite normal…

GOOD DEED OF THE WEEK Teach your little ones to help protect the planet with Bendies! A fun collection of character pouches containing two reusable silicone straws for little ones to use time and time again. Made from food grade silicone, Bendies straws are odourless, completely tasteless and 100% safe. These durable straws can be used for hot and cold drinks alike, so whether it’s a hot chocolate or cooling juice, Bendies is the handy sidekick that all kids will love, helping them to combat the wasteful use of plastic. Each Bendies pouch comes with one fat straw – perfect for milkshakes and smoothies – and one angled thin straw – ideal for normal drinks. Once little ones have used their straw, they can wash it, or pop it in…

Flicking through the TV channels, I stumbled across Paul Hollywood Eats Japan. I watched in awe as I saw families spending hours cooking and preparing dishes for their loved ones. In Japan a huge amount of love is put into making meals as food holds great significance in their daily lives. By coincidence, a couple of weeks later, at the end of April last year, I came across Japanese Bento boxes online – specifically Character-bento Boxes, or Charben. They’re lunch boxes which parents in Japan spend a great deal of time making for their children to take to school. Anything from characters, people or animals are created out of rice, vegetables, and meat for their little one’s lunches. It’s seen as an expression of the parents’ love for their child,…

Standing at Twickenham train station, my knees began to weaken, and my body swayed. Me and my friends had spent all day watching the rugby sevens, on an unbearably hot summer’s day, in 2010. ‘I think I must be a bit dehydrated,’ I said, while my body felt heavy and my head was spinning. Suddenly I felt the blood drain from my face, and everything went black. I woke up on the cold, hard floor, with a crowd around me. ‘I’m OK,’ I said, slowly lifting myself up off the ground. My ears were ringing, I was in shock. ‘I need to get back to the hotel,’ I whispered. A short train ride later, we were back at the room and it happened again. ‘I don’t know what is wrong…

You may have noticed that many couples you know have broken up during lockdown. Perhaps, unfortunately, you’re even experiencing this first-hand. Every year in January, as the festive cheer fades, and the pressure of the holiday season comes around, many couples are pushed to their breaking points. That’s why the first Monday of the year has been dubbed ‘Divorce Day’, as divorce enquiries in January double from the previous month. From December 2019 to January 2020, enquiries increased by 257 per cent. Kate Daly who has a background in psychology and is the co-founder of Amicable, a lawyer-free online divorce service, offers her insight. ‘Christmas and New Year’s is often a time for selfreflection and forwardthinking, as people set goals and resolutions for the upcoming year,’ she says. ‘For some,…

Jonathann Daval was hiding a secret behind his tears It was a terrible scenario for any husband to find himself in. A wife had gone out for an early morning jog on her own and had not returned. There had been a number of high-profile cases in the US when Alexia Daval went missing – and it was no different in her home country of France. Alexia’s husband Jonathann was visibly upset after reporting her gone, and no one could blame him. A frantic search began. Alexia, 29, was a bank worker. She was married to IT programmer Jonathann, and they lived in Gray-la-Ville, in Eastern France. They’d been together since Alexia was a teenager. While Alexia was independent and outgoing, and Jonathann was shy and quiet, they both had…

Berczy 250ml cans, £2.30, www.Berczydrinks.com and Amazon. This new alcoholic sparkling water comes in three delicious flavours. Choose from zingy lemon and lime, fruity peach and raspberry or tropical passionfruit and turmeric. Doughlicious Lite Bites, £1.99, Planet Organic and doughlicious.co.uk. These delicious pouches of organic, vegan and gluten free cookie dough are packed full or protein and fibre - making them a great post-workout snack when you’re in need of a treat. Oreo O’s, £3.99, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. Making breakfast a little more exciting, Oreo’s have just launched its very own cereal in the UK. With crunchy cocoa ‘O’s and vanilla flavour discs, it’ll make the perfect treat for fans of the biscuit. The Gü Free From range, £3.50, all major supermarkets. For the ultimate vegan pudding this…

Flicking off my morning alarm, I could barely open my eyes. ‘School Amber,’ my mum, Daniella called. Unlike most teenagers, I would have loved nothing more than to throw off my bedsheets and get ready for school. Only, as I laid in the darkness, pain seared through my head. ‘Everything OK, Love?’ Mum soothed, popping her head around the door. However, just one look at me with my hands clutched to my head and she knew it would be another day at home. I’d first started suffering with headaches when I was around eight-years-old. At first, they weren’t too bad and with the help of painkillers, I would carry on like normal. Only, within the space of just two years, they’d grown into horrendous migraines – most days I could…

Complete the grid then read down the shaded squares to reveal the hidden answer. Clue: Sport. ACROSS 6 Latin American dance music (5) 7 & 26 Ac. 2018 music biopic starring 10 Across, 17 Down & 22 Down (8,8) 10 Lucy _, star of the films Miss Potter, Murder on the Orient Express and Apostle (7) 11 Stillness (7) 12 In love (7) 13 Glass reflector in a road (4,3) 14 Computer picture (6,5) 19 Statue, painting, e.g. (7) 21 _ toenail, minor ailment (7) 23 Imaginary circle around the earth (7) 25 Connected (7) 26 See 7 Across 27 Strange (5) DOWN 1 Womanisers (8) 2 Permanent design on the skin (6) 3 Barbacue food item (1-4,5) 4 Not that (4) 5 Sandwich, informally (6) 6 Underground passage (6)…

Sun lotion – check. Flip flops – check. Bikini – check. Towel – check. I ticked off the items on my packing list with a flurry as I neatly put them in my suitcase. My husband, Jonny, 35, and our little boy, Isaac, three, were heading off on holiday to Majorca, Spain. When we arrived, I couldn’t wait to relax for two weeks. But not long into our break, I started to feel a bit funny. We had spent the afternoon exploring an old town when I became suddenly disoriented and confused. ‘Are you OK?’ Jonny asked me, concerned. ‘I probably just need to drink some water and have a lie down,’ I assured him. But later that night, back at the hotel, things went from bad to worse… THUMP.…

The Great Pottery Throw Down, Channel 4 The battle of the clay returns in a brand-new series! Hosted by Siobhán McSweeney, we follow as 12 of Britain’s best home potters compete to become champion. In this first episode, judges Keith Brymer Jones and Rich Miller set the potters two challenges against the clock: to throw a cheese set and port chalices, as the spin to win kicks off at the wheel. Who will be named potter of the week, and who will be first to leave the pottery? Junior Bake Off, Channel 4 Selected from thousands of applicants, 16 talented junior bakers enter the iconic white tent and compete in the most challenging and exciting contest to date. Hilarious host Harry Hill returns with Liam Charles and they’re joined by…

www.theastrologyroom.com ARIES 21 March–20 April Your personal and professional life are going to be placing quite a few surprises in your path. In particular, the feelings of a close one are going to be revealed to be a lot stronger than you had ever imagined. This last year has made us all appreciate what we didn’t before. Go slow or you will scare yourself away from the prospect of anything permanent. Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS 21 April–21 May Figures need to be revised to work out if you can afford something to make your life more comfortable. An older male can help with this. Don’t get into arguments with the younger generation – they won’t see your side of any debate at this time. They only see what they…