Table of contents for 04-Feb-2016 in Pick Me Up!

4  That’s how many times Leo DiCaprio’s been up for an Oscar so far. Now he’s been nominated for 2016 Best Actor for The Revenant. Let’s hope that he finally wins! What A Fall! I’m jetting off on a ski trip in March, so thought it’d be a good idea to try practicing with some indoor snow this week. I spent most of the time on my backside. It’s a slippery slope… What A Name! There have been two new additions to my family recently and I’m grateful to report my new niece and nephew don’t have wacky names. Take our quiz and see what some celebs have named their offspring! Visit www.lifedeath prizes.com and search ‘baby names’. What A Treat! Some friends and I stuffed ourselves silly at afternoon tea…

‘He was chatty, said we had some friends in common’ Dabbing on some lippy, I headed out to meet my mates at the local nightclub. It was April 2014, and I was looking forward to some drinks and a boogie. Only, as I waited in the cold, dark town centre, time ticked by. ‘They’re late,’ I sighed. Sorry! Still getting ready, one friend texted. Typical! Shivering, I’d wandered over to sit on a nearby bench when a stranger approached me. ‘Can I borrow a lighter?’ he asked me. ‘Sure,’ I said. He was medium height with ginger hair, about my age. We got talking and he seemed friendly, so when he asked me for my number, I agreed. Then he invited himself to the nightclub and said he’d nip home…

Spark up If a battery is running low, rub each end gently with sandpaper . Rita Rogers, Crewe Reuse them Batteries that don’t work in digital cameras will still have enough charge for clocks or remote controls. Ian Laird, Birkenhead Full stop At times when you aren’t wearing your watch, pull the stopper out so the battery will last longer. Colleen Bunt on, Enfield Boost performance You should reboot your mobile-phone battery by first letting it run down to about 10 per cent, then recharge it fully. Phillip Morrison , Exeter…

‘The virus left me with severe muscle wastage’ As I soared through the sky, adrenaline flowed through my body. I’d always dreamed of skydiving, and now my dream was coming true... Despite being left disabled by polio, I’m an action-woman. I’ve already swum with sharks, ridden a camel and bungee-jumped. And I’ve travelled all over the world, from Iceland to South Africa. Polio - a viral infection which can lead to muscle wasting and paralysis - struck me when I was only a baby. My mum realised something was wrong when I cried all night, wouldn’t settle and went floppy. A neighbour helped Mum to get me to hospital. But, despite treatment, I was left with long-lasting problems. Both legs were left weakened, but I had severe muscle wastage in…

‘Amazing – I’ve not had any kind of headache since’ The first warning was the visual disturbances, or auras - seeing things that weren’t there and being sensitive to light. Then it hit me - the horrible headache, starting behind my eyes and tensing, like a rubber band being pulled tightly at the back of my head. Next, the pain would run down my neck and I’d have to lie in a dark room for hours. Since the age of 13, I’d been suffering with severe migraine with aura attacks. I was prescribed painkillers and a tablet called Imigran, which I had to take as soon as I felt a flare-up coming on. By the time I was 18, the migraines had got so bad, I was given a drug…

‘The scan showed Pule’s heart wasn’t working’ On 4 April 2013, myself and husband, Leeto, 36, welcomed our second child into the world. Weighing 6lb 3oz, our boy, Pule, was so gorgeous. The perfect little brother for Palesa, then 5. Pule was a lively little boy. He loved to bop around in his highchair to music, especially to the songs from Frozen and even the EastEnders theme tune! But when he was 8 months old, he started having frequent colds. Leeto and I took him to the doctor’s and to hospital a few times. They thought he might have asthma, but we were told they weren’t able to diagnose it until he was 3 years old. We weren’t too worried about him, though, and in July 2014 we jetted off…

1 Mr Kipling Treacle Tart, 370g, £1.45 There’s a high ratio of pastry to filling – so the golden-syrup flavour isn’t that strong. Nice and sticky, though – and good served warm with custard for pud. 2 Waitrose Treacle Tart, 425g, £3.29 A short-pastry case with plenty of rich, golden-syrup flavoured filling. Wonderfully gooey – just as it should be. A posh treat! 3 Sainsbury’s Treacle Tart, 410g, £2.75 Loads of rich filling, lovely flavour and a thin but crumbly and tasty pastry shell...nigh on perfect. Another slice? Don’t mind if we do! Make it yourself... Serves: 6 Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 30 min 1 Preheat oven to 200C/ Gas 6. 2 Mix golden syrup and lemon juice, and then mix in breadcrumbs.…

‘I’d seen One Born Every Minute , but that was it!’ ‘I can’t wait to tell my grandson all about it when he’s older…’ My daughter, Shannon, 24, was ready to pop. She was 38 weeks pregnant and had come to stay with me for a few days. A single mum, she already had a daughter, Amelia, 2, and needed help looking after her. ‘I can’t wait to be a nanny again,’ I beamed, excited. That night, last November, I drifted off around 11.45, but minutes later Shannon called me. ‘Mum! I think I’m having contractions!’ she screamed. Rushing to her, I grabbed the phone and called for a taxi to take us to the hospital. ‘It’s OK,’ I told Shannon. ‘We still have plenty of time.’…

Try this…. Weight Watchers Lunch Pots, £1.99 each, Asda These microwaveable pots come in four choices, including Smoky Sausage & Bean Stew, and they’re all under 300 cal. OXO Hand Held Spiralizer, £15, John Lewis, Lakeland This neat gadget turns veg into spaghetti – a low-fat replacement for pasta. Food Swaps Get Moving! Whatever exercise you do, using small weights makes it more challenging. This set has three sizes – to work through as you get stronger! It’s £14.99 from Home Bargains. Flattering Fashion Need motivation? This tie-side top should help! Take 3… Coffees Pick Me Up! FOR LESS  £5 Multtibuy deals at Iceland until 16/02/16 (usually £8.70) The Secret Of My Success NAME: Sarah Gilchrist, 37, from Stowmarket. VITAL STATISTICS: I’ve always been an overeater. I’d eat crisps and…

As a kid, I had fun trips with Mum, Christine, now 44. Only, in 2003, she had a panic attack,and developed agoraphobia and anxiety, terrified to go out. She was later diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which affects her joints, and needed a wheelchair. At 12, I became her sole carer. I’d help her go to the toilet, wash, dress, and cook. I was reluctant to leave her. So when I wasn’t at school, I’d busy myself with art at home. But by 17, I struggled juggling studies and Mum, so quit college. For months, I rarely socialised except with pals I made through Bristol’s Carers Support Centre. I grew depressed, so the centre put me in touch with The Prince’s Trust, who launched the Fairbridge programme. We talked through skills, and…

‘Insteadof a newborn cry, there was a sickening silence’ Checking the pregnancy test for the third time, me and my partner, AJ, 25, couldn’t stop smiling. ‘I can’t believe it’s positive,’ I laughed, thrilled to bits. We already had our daughter, Elouise, now 8, but we’d been trying for another baby for years, and had struggled to conceive. In July 2014, AJ and I had qualified for IVF treatment. But, after the first round failed, we worried it’d never happen. Now, after our second attempt, we were finally expecting again. Then, at a six-week scan... ‘It’s twins,’ the sonographer confirmed. At 20 weeks, we were told we were having a girl and a boy. ‘Our perfect little family,’ AJ beamed, overjoyed. But, just five weeks later, in May last year,…

Good to go! Just how keen is my grandparents’ dog, Lotty, to play fetch?! Eleri Webber, Little Neston Cute car Makes a change from white-van man! I spotted this adorable vehicle in Japan. Mary Cook, Market Rasen Look who I met! I visited Ian Towning’s antique shop in London, and was delighted to find he was exactly the same as he is on telly’s Dickinson’s Real Deal – charming and glamorous! Colleen Brunton, Enfield Water bod! How stunning! And the scenery around my boyfriend, Justin, 26, at this lake in Laos, is pretty awesome, too! Sienna Robbens, Llanarmon Yn Ial Seeing double As you can see, this cushion cover and my cat, Jeremy, share an uncanny likeness. Sometimes I get the two mixed up! Sarah Rushton, Manchester In paradise This…

‘The blog raved about the benefits of breast milk’ I sank into the sofa holding my 3-month-old boy to my breast. ‘It’s nice to put my feet up,’ I murmured to myself. Nursing Rowan was one of the few times I got to sit down. I was already mum to Caden, 7, and Sebastian, 6, when I had Rowan in March 2014. With a house full of energetic boys, I never had time to myself. But I felt really blessed - breastfeeding was something I’d never had a problem doing and, after every baby, I also produced excess milk. With my first two sons, I’d been able to pump any leftover milk into bottles. Frozen This was ideal, as it meant my partner, Mark, 35, was able to help with…

HRT and periods Q I think I must be menopausal because I’m in my late 40s and keep getting awful hot flushes and sweats. However, I’m still having periods. Can I have HRT and will it stop my periods? Megan, Portsmouth A If you want HRT and no periods, then take oestrogen as a medication and have the progesterone coil. Otherwise, you’ll need cyclical combined HRT, which will give you regular bleeding. Painless jaundice Q I’m really worried about my husband, 45, as he looks a little yellow. He says there’s nothing to panic about, as he feels completely well and has no pain. Should he still get checked out? Sian, Swindon A Yellow skin is jaundice, and painless jaundice is a worrying sign with links to pancreatic cancer, so…

‘Miller started the Carolina Knights of the Ku Klux Klan’ ‘He’d killed three innocent people in a hate-filled attack’ On the morning of 13 April 2014 - the day before Passover -Frazier Glenn Miller Jnr visited the local Jewish Community Centre three times. He wasn’t there to appreciate the sense of community, or to watch the talent contest they were running that day. Instead, Miller was checking out the place for his own dark motive. Deciding there weren’t enough Jewish people to ‘satisfy’ his quota, he decided to return to the motel where he was staying. But something made him turn back and, around 1pm, Miller returned. Armed with various weapons, including two shotguns, Miller opened fire, killing two people before driving to nearby Village Shalom retirement home. Miller spotted…

Patients from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities are more likely to need an organ transplant than the rest of the population, as they’re more susceptible to certain illnesses. Blood and tissue types need to match for a successful transplant, and organs from people from the same ethnic background are more likely to be a close match. On average, patients from the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities will wait a year longer for a kidney transplant, for example, than a white patient. See www.organdonation.nhs.uk…

Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. ‘And you need to get tough,’ a close friend told me seriously. Trouble was, I felt more like a squidgy marshmallow. It was October 2010, and my friend was giving me tough love. ‘You won’t live to see Mia grow up at this rate,’ she’d said. At age 18, I’d been a size-12, and happy with my body. Then I’d been accepted onto a Psychology degree course at the American College in Dublin. Mornings were a rush, so I’d grab a pasty...and a cake. Well, you can’t have savoury without sweet, can you..? I’d reason to myself. Within a year, size-12 was a distant memory. So were sizes-14, 16, 18... At the end of my third year, I fell pregnant with my…

On a quiet street in Muswell Hill, London, an unassuming flat was recently put up for sale. With an asking price of £300,000 – far cheaper than other homes in the area – you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d be snapping up a bargain. But 23 Cranley Gardens was home to serial killer Dennis Nilsen, who murdered and dismembered several young men in the 1980s. It’s one of many houses of horror – homes with terrible secrets to tell – which remain standing and have occupants. These residences can attract people who come to take a look at the crime scenes. And in some areas around the world, there are even tour operators running ‘true-crime tours’ for visitors. Despite this interest, many homes – such as Ian Huntley’s Soham house,…

‘I played on my laptop while watching the soaps’ Me and my mum, Marlene, 78, have always loved playing bingo together. ‘Dabbers at the ready,’ we’d laugh as we settled into our seats at our local bingo hall. We had such fun and, if one of us won, we’d share our winnings. But, really, it wasn’t about winning - it was just a giggle. Then, three years ago, I started a new job, and couldn’t go to bingo as much. Mum was busy, too, with her friends, and going to the bingo hall wasn’t so convenient for her. ‘Try Pick Me Up! Bingo,’ a friend suggested. She explained I could play whenever I liked in the comfort of my own home. Sounded perfect, so I signed up. So lovely! There…

Spudnik,£7.99, www.phakitchen  essentials.co.uk No more pounding spuds with a masher! Spudnik’s shape means you rotate it instead of pound. So fluffy mash with less muscle power! Verdict: GENIUS! A kitchen cupboard must-have. Withings Aura Smart Sleep System, £189.99, www.currys.co.uk Want to know what you do while sleeping? Place this sleep sensor under your mattress and it’ll monitor your body movements, breathing and heart rate. It also analyses the sound, temperature and light during the night to see how your sleep was affected. Verdict: GENIUS! Fascinating information! Potty Piano, £19.99, www.prezzybox.com Don’t waste time while you’re on the loo – use it to create a musical masterpiece! This toilet piano will entertain both big and little kids alike and even comes with a songbook! Verdict:…

‘Swapping biscuits for satsumas, I learned new recipes’ Maintaining an average size-14 in my 30s, I thought I’d avoided ‘middle-age spread’. Then, in March 2014, I had a hysterectomy. Inactive for six weeks, I ate custard creams for comfort, devouring a packet a day. ‘They’ve no calories...’ I’d kid myself, but my expanding waistline begged to differ. Turning 39 in January last year, I was size 18, tipping 16st. ‘I can’t be fat turning 40,’ I fretted to my mum, Brenda. Running my own computer-game shop, I’d no time to attend weekly slimming classes. So, I signed up to an app called Nutracheck on a free trial. It had a calorie and exercise tracker, offered interactive advice from experts, and a user forum to swap recipes and tips. It calculated…

Your Favourite Brands Work WithQuidco! New you Getting fit, eating healthier and sprucing up your wardrobe doesn’t always come cheap, but with Quidco, you can earn cashback every step of the way. From Weight Watchers subscriptions to bikes from Halfords, gym equipment from Argos and fashion from Nike, there’s always cashback available! You can also earn on essentials from supermarkets, and products from Boots and Superdrug! Cash in Quidco users earn an average of £280 per year, earning money back when they shop online, in-store and on mobile. SO HOW DOES IT WORK? Browse the offers available on Quidco and, once you’ve selected the offer you want to take advantage of, click the retailer link and make your purchase as you would normally. Quidco tracks your purchase and, when it’s…

‘With just £100, they couldn’t afford a wedding dress’ ‘Our fighter had lost a battle, but she’d won the war’ They’re heroes, my mum and dad. Before retiring, Dad, Kevin, 58, was a firefighter. My mum, Carol, 54, worked at TK Maxx, but in her spare time was always baking cakes or knitting for charity events. She was a fighter, too. But there was one battle she knew she’d lose. ‘I’m not going to be one of those people who beat cancer,’ she told me softly in May 2014. ‘Cancer’s going to win.’ She’d had pains in her stomach for years. At first, the tests hadn’t shown anything. Then, in May 2013, she’d been diagnosed with oesophagus cancer. And, a year on, doctors told us there was nothing they could…

The cutlery basket from an old dishwasher makes a great container for storing clean flannels. Bea Wilkinson, Cullompton Show your children this clever trick from your own childhood! Growing cress 'hair’ on eggshells. They can turn them into eggy people by drawing on faces! Louise Hext, Hayling Island Don’t throw away your empty lemon juice squeezer. Give it a good clean and fill with water and use it to spray delicate young plants. Carole Casan, Tiverton, Got bent playing cards? Well pop them in the microwave for a few seconds and they’ll straighten right out! Judith Cairns, Colchester Store nail scissors safely by sticking a cork onto the ends of them. Patricia Madden, Glasnevin Pull an old sock over your hand. It’s ideal for dusting both sides of blind slats…

‘I don’t really like the idea of eating cakes made with breast milk. But we drink from animals, so why not humans? If it keeps her kids healthy and she’s not wasting it, why not?’ Lauren Balmain, Gateshead ‘I’ve not heard of this before, but I know people drink urine for the supposed health benefits! She’s not harming anybody and, if it’s helping her family, good luck to her.’ Melanie Lodge, Mirfireld ‘We drink milk from cows, eat cheese, use animal produce. It’s not so different. Her breast milk comes from the source that made her children and she’s intimate with her partner – it’s a good resource.’ Susan Hawksley, Wakefield…

ALBINISM 1 Albinism is a brain condition. 2 It is not genetic. 3 People with albinism are very pale. 4 Many of the symptoms need treatment. 1 FALSE Albinism is a condition that affects the production of melanin – the pigment which colours hair, skin and eyes. This can lead to eyesight problems, involuntary eye movements and light sensitivity. 2 FALSE In people with albinism, cells that produce melanin don’t work properly because of inherited faulty genes. A number of these cause the condition and are passed down from parents to their children. 3 TRUE Affected people’s skin won’t tan, and will burn easily in the sun. Hair and eye colour are usually very light, too. 4 TRUE Albinism itself isn’t treated, but associated eye conditions are. If your child…

In court, Reat Underwood’s brother, Lukas, 13, spoke of his loss and seeing his grandmother ‘try to exist with a broken heart’. ‘I lost my childhood in a split second,’ he said. The court listened as his mum, Mindy, played a recording of Reat singing the National Anthem. His grandmother, William Corporon’s wife Melinda, said: ‘It’s hard without my best friend of 51 years. The evil that entered our lives that Sunday can’t be denied. I’m here to make sure this voice of evil is silenced permanently.’…

Carrot Cake Pancakes Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 10 min Topping: 1 Put flour, mixed spice, caster sugar, eggs, grated carrot, yogurt and milk into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Stir in sultanas. 2 Heat a nonstick frying pan over a medium heat. Add a splash of oil and cook tablespoons of batter in batches for 1-2 min. Flip and cook a further minute. Make 12 pancakes altogether, adding a few more drops of oil to the pan with each batch. 3 For topping, mix together soft cheese and vanilla extract. Finely grate orange zest and add 2tsp to mixture with caster sugar. Peel and segment orange, removing all pith and serve…

‘It felt like my lungs were being crushed’ Heading home from uni for reading week, I was excited to catch up with mates. ‘I haven’t really seen them since the summer,’ I said to my mum, Karen, 41. That night, I was getting ready with my best mate, Hannah, now 21, when I started to feel odd. ‘My fingers and toes are tingling,’ I said. I didn’t think much of it and headed out to see my mates. We had a great night drinking and dancing, but my legs grew heavier and heavier. Must be my heels, I thought. I got into bed at 4am, a little tipsy. I woke up at lunchtime, feeling horribly hung over. I had terrible backache, and wondered if I’d pulled a muscle. ‘I don’t…

We’ve teamed up with Lyncroft to offer Pick Me Up! readers the chance to claim this pretty bracelet with its heart and T-bar clasp for FREE by sending a 74p stamped SAE to the address below. The bracelet is part of a collection of matching gold-plated jewellery that’s available at incredible prices. There are two lengths of heart necklace - 20in with a medium-sized heart on a fine chain for only £5, and a 28in necklace with a large heart on a chunky chain for just £6 - plus two pairs of earrings - gold-plated heart drops and hoops - at just £6 for both pairs. The full set costs just £17 and if you order it all, we’ll enclose a mystery jewellery gift - absolutely free! How To Claim…

Watching as my kids splashed around in the swimming pool, I sat back and relaxed. ‘Wonderful!’ I sighed happily to my partner, Russell, 30. We were on hols in Skegness, Lincs, with our kids – Heather, 8, Callum, 7, Tyler, 6, Oscar, 4, and twins Ruby and Scarlet, 1. We took them each year for a weekend. But, this time, we’d treated them to two full weeks. All thanks to Pick Me Up! Bingo. I loved the chat rooms.They were a brilliant way to make new friends, swap tips for the games. My fave room was Sapphire. One evening, with the kids in bed, I decided to have a quick game. I’d won a few tickets to Sapphire, so decided to play them. Quickly, I noticed that a lot of…

Pick Me Up! FOR LESS Jolen Creme Bleach now £2.80 (usually £4.29) at Boots until 5 February 2016 READER’S TIP Run out of dry shampoo? Use talcum powder to fix greasy roots instead. Sarah Clack, 32, Barnet ASK JESS Q Every day, my foundation vanishes from my face by lunchtime! How can I make it last? Jane Morgan, 34, Northumberland A Try Rimmel London Fix & Protect Primer, £7.99, Boots, to create a long-lasting base. Finish with a sweep of transparent powder. Jess’ Beauty Hero This Sweet Mandarin & Grapefruit Cleansing Hand Wash, £10, www.baylisand  harding.com, looks amazing in my bathroom! This week: Highlighters TRIED & TESTED 1 Sleek MakeUP Barekissed Illuminator in Monaco, £8.99, Boots Available in four shades, this pearlescent pink is perfect for my pale…

On a trek to Sabah, North Borneo, in April 2009, I was shocked to see hundreds of stray dogs - many wounded, in pain. ‘It’s terrible,’ I told my partner, Rick, 45, back home. Since training as a veterinary nurse, I fundraised in my spare time for animal welfare. Researching Borneo’s strays problem, I had to act. So, weeks on, I founded the International Aid for the Protection and Welfare of Animals (IAPWA) charity. Travelling back, I took over the city dog pound in July 2014, and now run a successful neutering programme there. On a recent trip, I joined the team at a dump, rescuing strays. There, I heard a whimper from a tattered cardboard box. Inside was a 10-week-old pup, covered in dirt. He was terrified, shrieked as…

AQUARIUS 21 Jan–19 Feb There’s a lot of pressure on you to get things done quickly, but your instincts are telling you to slow down and pay more attention to detail. Follow those feelings, Aquarius. Quality is better than quantity this week. Call: 09058 170 720* PISCES 20 Feb–20 March Time spent with loved ones, asking how they are and finding out what’s been going on in their lives, will be time well spent. Geminis provide the fun factor and can also lead you into some naughty behaviour in the coming days. Call: 09058 170 721* ARIES 21 March–20 April Romance is especially well starred this week, and you should also find it much easier to get on with those people with whom you seem to have shared somewhat of…

‘Social media can make me feel inadequate. I see people boasting and wonder if I’m doing something wrong.’ Jennifer Russon, Oldbury ‘I know people who feel that their lives are a mess because they see other people’s perfect ones on Facebook. They don’t realise people put on a performance. ’ Nia Morrow, Cumnock ‘I don’t believe that Facebook changes people’s personalities, making them depressed. If anything, the Internet highlights existing issues and brings them to the surface.’ Gina Skinner, East London ‘I post things I want other people to see on social media, such as happy times or proud moments. Some things should be kept behind closed doors and not aired on Facebook.’ Michelle Lander, Chesterfield ‘So many people are being damaged because of social media. But just think, who…