Table of contents for 6-Jul-2023 in Pick Me Up!

This week, our tip of the week will receive a great product from Addis! With a refillable bottle, that can be a handheld spray, this 2-in-1 Spray Mop cleans up spills in no time. With a 100% microfibre cleaning pad, there’s no need for harsh cleaning chemicals, you just need to use water. The swivel mop head helps in reaching hard to get to places and can be used on most floor types! For more ways to make your life easier, please visit: addis.co.uk Get it all up! Use a loofah to pick up hairs on carpet before vacuuming. Amanda Holloway, Bedfordshire Best foot forward Put a bar of soap in a smelly shoe and leave overnight. Abbie Cairnes, Colchester Sizzle season As we head into peak summer season, it’s…

Packing the last of my things into a suitcase, there was a knock at my bedroom door. ‘Ready?’ my social worker asked. ‘Ready,’ I smiled. Taking one last glance at my childhood home, I headed out of the door and didn’t look back. Aged 14, I was being placed into foster care. But while some kids might have been scared, I felt excited. I loved my mum, but she struggled with alcohol addiction and mental health difficulties. I’d been used to fending for myself from a young age – at times it felt like I was parenting Mum – and I was excited to live with a proper family who would take care of me. Seeing my friends at school with their loving families, I wanted that stability. But it…

THE FIRST STEP Head down to Superdrug for the newest launch from their Studio London own brand. At just £5 each, these purse-friendly primers will help create a flawless base for any occasion. Brightening Banana Primer Looking to brighten your complexion this summer? With banana flower extract, this will leave your skin feeling nourished and revitalised. Hydrating Berries Primer Hydrate your skin before makeup application with this ultra-dewy primer, infused with goji berry – moisturising dull skin for a smooth makeup application. Anti-Redness Avocado Primer If you suffer with red, sensitive skin, this budget-friendly primer is for you. It will soothe and hydrate skin to help tackle redness before applying makeup. Love lashes The official lash provider for Love Island this year, Ardell lashes are perfect for your summer looks.…

Cross it! Solve the puzzle to find a word. Fit the words back in the grid and the letters in the highlighted squares spell out the answer. We’ve put in one word to help. Answer on page 47. 3 letters Age Ape Far Fat Fee 4 letters Epic Feel Flag Fuel Tutu 5 letters Pasta Pearl Purrs Salsa 6 letters Alpaca Amused Assert Salads Salami Soared Squash 7 letters Observe Rascals Rumours 8 letters Landfill Leopards Seasonal Snowfall Latvia Sudoku! To solve the puzzle, each 3 x 3 box, each column and each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9. Solve the puzzle, then read down the numbers in the highlighted squares for the answer. Answer on page 47. Sudoku pg 45 5, 1, 4…

THE BIG READ Settling down for the night with a cuppa and Netflix, I put my feet up and wrapped a blanket around me. I’d just been through a break-up, so my Friday nights were looking rather quiet. On my third rich tea biscuit, my phone lit up with a friendly message from a chap I’d met a couple of years before. Hey Stacey, I’d love to take you out on a date – I’m not letting you slip through my fingers this time, it read. It was from Phillip McGlinchey, 31, who I’d met in a bar back in 2018. We’d exchanged social media handles at the time, but nothing came of the encounter and we both went on to date other people. I always thought of him as…

At 8.30am, with the sunlight streaming through my curtains, it is time to start my day. First, I apply my makeup. Powdering my skin, adding a rosy cheek and applying a natural lip, I’m ready. I brush out my curls and choose a pretty house dress. Pink with little strawberries – how perfect. I call it my uniform and it sets me up for the day. You see, I live in a traditional home – I’m a Tradwife and I think it’s important to look my best for my husband. This means myself and husband Conner, 23, follow ultra-traditional values. Conner is the provider. Working as an electrician he goes out and earns the big bucks while I stay home and cook and clean, keeping the house ticking over. Lots…

Fire up the barbie and make the most of the sunshine!…

Who doesn’t love a tipple when the sun’s shining? Head on one of these fun boozy days out with Virgin Experience Days – strictly for grown-ups! • Please visit: virginexperiencedays.co.uk Gin Cocktail Masterclass and Guided Discovery Tour Bombay Sapphire Distillery, Hampshire A classic beverage, an ice-cold G&T just hits the spot. Now, you can discover 1,000 years of history as you explore the home of one of most iconic gins – Bombay Sapphire. See the exotic botanicals at work in the Glasshouses and Botanical Dry Room and find out about the Vapour Infusion Process. Then head to the Mill Bar to begin your masterclass – where you’ll make (and drink!) a signature cocktail and sample a Bombay Sapphire Leggero Martini. You can even create your own cocktail recipe! • £45…

When my 29-year-old granddaughter Tylajae does a bit of sunbathing, her pet Shihpoo Jessi, four, has to follow suit. I think they make a very pretty picture. Patricia Corden, Cheltenham This is my grandson Arthur, who is three years old and loves nothing better than going to the local farm so that he can feed the animals. Beverley Lindfield, Hextable If your letter makes Star Letter of the week, you will receive some beautiful blooms from Flying Flowers. With over 30 years’ experience of helping celebrate life’s special moments and FREE delivery by post, a gorgeous bouquet by Flying Flowers is a lovely way to celebrate sharing smiles and happiness. See flyingflowers.co.uk for more details.…

Mixing with guests in the garden, I was glowing. It was my baby shower and my partner Callum, 23, and I were having a boy. ‘Thank you so much for organising this,’ I smiled at my dad, Guy, 47, in September 2021. ‘It’s been perfect.’ Cradling my bump, I looked up and laughed when I saw my best friend Kayleigh, 35, racing towards me. ‘I’m so happy for you!’ she said, hugging me. ‘I know how much you want to be a mum.’ Kayleigh and I had met years ago working for a payroll company in Luton. Takeaway Fridays at her house and days out with her children Evie and Zach and her husband Gary, we were inseparable – I knew she would always be there for me. And aside…

International Executive Coach of the Year and Confidence & Human Behaviour Expert, Jo Emerson, answers your questions this week. Jo’s email course can help you build confidence – please visit: jo-emerson.com. Grab her book, Flying for Beginners, on Amazon. Follow: @jo_emerson_ on Instagram. Am I out of line? Q I’ve been with my partner for two years, he’s recently found out that when we were seeing each other I slept with someone else – he’s acted like I cheated on him, but I don’t think that I have as we weren’t officially together. How do I get that through to him? Fran, Newport A Gosh, I can really see both sides of this argument and I have to say that if my husband had slept with someone else when we…

Slow the symptoms Q My mum has been diagnosed with alopecia at 55, and she’s devastated. Is there anything she can do to stop the symptoms? Charlotte, Bideford A Alopecia is the technical term for hair loss, and I know that can sound very scary. Alopecia can be due to genetics, such a female pattern hair loss which causes thinning to the top/centre scalp, and this can be well-managed. It can also be autoimmune such as alopecia areata, leading to ‘patches’ of hair loss. Again, with supportive treatment, this can regrow. Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA) is a progressive condition where the hair follicles are destroyed and turned into scar tissue. FFA causes permanent loss and can also be an autoimmune condition. It largely affects post-menopausal women but can be seen in…

DOG DILEMMAS! Is your dog driving you barking mad? Dog behaviourist and star of Channel 4’s The Dog Academy, Nanci Creedon, is here to solve your problems. • For more, watch The Dog Academy on My4. • Contact us with your dilemmas via: hello@pickmeupmag.co.uk RUNAWAY DOG! My dog’s recall is awful – no matter how many treats I give him or train him on a long lead, he doesn’t seem to get it? HELP! Joanne, Cheshire Try running away at high speed, calling your dog in an excitable manner. This will trigger their natural urge to chase you. Once they catch up with you, give them a treat! Introduce training at the end of your walk, then five minutes before the end, then 10 minutes, and so on. Make sure…

OUR MUST TRY PROTEIN HIT Are you a gym lover? Then you may be interested in this foody news. Partnering with MyProtein, Iceland Foods have launched a vending machine of frozen protein meals! Available at selected Fitness First gyms, it’s an easy way to get your protein in post-workout! With a selection of delicious, tasty meals such as lasagna, Peri Peri chicken and Bolognese, simply pop to the vending machine after your session and cook when you’re home! Rolling out nationwide, this is a vending machine that’s got us talking. Not a Fitness First member? Gym-goers can enquire for a one-day guest pass! If you’re feeling peckish after your workout, you don’t need to worry about cooking a meal at home – Iceland have done that for you!…

www.clairepetulengro.tv ARIES 21 March–20 April Nothing is what it seems and you would be wise to check that others can honour promises they made. Mercury does not make communication at its best, as many of the signs are out for their needs and their needs alone. This is a week to prove you can do what needs to be done for yourself. Use this as your chance to shine! The stars believe in you, Aries. Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS GEMINI 21 April–21 May You’re finding it hard to know who you can trust after the last few days of dramatics but luckily for you, your sign’s instinctive nature kicks in and by following what your sixth sense tells you, events can not only be turned around but you can…

Pulling up to the supermarket, there was one thing on our agenda for the evening – shopping for a pair of new school trousers. After picking my son Jack, now four, up from school on 26 January this year, we rushed to his usual swimming lesson, before needing to stop at our local ASDA on the way home at roughly 5.30pm. ‘How did you manage to get a hole in them?’ I asked, scouring the rails for Jack’s size. With a hole in the knee, Jack needed a new pair of trousers for the following day at school – so grabbing them and a punnet of strawberries, we then headed to the till. Walking back to the car, I unlocked the doors, putting my keys in the ignition before getting…