Indice dei contenuti per 11-May-2017 in Pick Me Up!

What A Week! Kate Williams, Head of Features What A Jammy So-And-So! As you read this, I’ll be sunning myself in Ibiza. Don’t feel too sorry for me… I went for drinks in the 38th-floor bar of a swish hotel. And I could see my house… It’s that one, just there! (Maybe.) What A Pain! My new charcoal face mask may have made my skin super-soft… but why didn’t anyone tell me that peeling it off would really, really hurt?! What A Yarn! I can’t wait to get stuck into Kate Thompson’s The Wedding Girls on my sun lounger. It’s set in London’s East End in the 1930s. I live there now – so I won’t get homesick! £25! WIN PUZZLE can you unscramble this eight-letter word to reveal something in a…

Mel Stocks, 38, South Yorkshire I’d known all along that there was something wrong with my baby and now, finally, someone had agreed. ‘Jessie has got acute lymphoblastic leukaemia,’ the doctor said, last January. Fear, panic… I felt it all. But at least Jessie, then 14 months, could get treatment. It started when she was a couple of days old: infections, colds, runny nose, rashes... ‘There’s something wrong,’ I said to my husband Sam, 38. Sam and I have an older daughter, Macy, who was 4 at the time Jessie was born. I took Jessie to the doctor over and over, but was told that it would pass. It didn’t. Jessie was given antibiotics, they didn’t help. Back and forth to the GP and hospital – they said it was…

Online Shopping Rights 1 You have 14 days to change your mind. There are some exceptions, such as bespoke items. 2 You can reject faulty goods that don't match the description or are not of satisfactory quality. The seller must refund you and pay return postage. After 30 days, you may have to accept a repair or replacement. 3 If you’ve paid for a dated or timed delivery and this hasn’t happened, you're entitled to any out-ofpocket expenses that you’ve incurred. 4 Your contract is always with the company (or individual) to whom you paid the money. It's not with the courier, so don't be fobbed off when the retailer tells you to contact the courier company.…

Dr Arabella Onslow has been a GP for 11 years and was Rosemary Conley’s Health Professional Slimmer of the Year in 2012 after losing 10st. Toilet troubles Q Since I started working in a nursery, I’ve had persistent diarrhoea. Everyone says I'm just picking up infections from the kids, but I've started to lose weight. I’ve had a couple of stool samples, which have both been negative. Kayleigh, Deal A You’re likely to have picked up giardia, which is quite elusive to test for and may need up to six samples. The good news is that it’s easy to treat with a single dose of medication. Sleepy fears Q I’ve been feeling tired for a few months. I went to the doctor a month ago and the tests were all fine,…

Amira Khanom, 27, Birmingham For some people it’s a glass of wine and a good film. For others it’s a bit of retail therapy with friends, or a bubble bath… But my idea of the perfect ‘me time’ is playing bingo and having a natter in the chatrooms! I joined Pick Me Up! Bingo in February 2015, after seeing an advert in the magazine. I used to go to the bingo hall with my mum. But, since having my kids, I rarely found the time to go. Life as a full-time mum to four littl’uns was busy to say the least! But when I did have a few minutes to spare, I played Pick Me Up! Bingo. My favourite game was Bingo Lounge, in a 75-ball bingo room. And I…

PickMe Up! VALUE We test 3 products so you don’t have to. This week RED VELVET CAKE 1Sainsbury’s Red Velvet Cupcake Mix Easy-mix sponge makes six big cupcakes with a vanilla flavour and good, red colour. Lots of icing and plenty of sprinkles. 2Tesco Red Velvet Cake Kit This calls for 8in pans – we used 7in (all we had!) and the cake still wasn’t that deep, so give the mixture a really good whisk to add lots of air. Cake was brown, not red, though. 3Betty Crocker Red Velvet Cake Mix Makes enough to cut into 12 slices (or 24 cakes). It mixes easily into a smooth batter, and has a really good red colour. You also need to supply your own icing, but it does make an impressive…

Rhiannon Burrows, 20, Castlederg, Co Tyrone I was sitting in a classroom when it started – a bizarre twitching in my neck. It was May 2012, I was 15 and studying for GCSEs. ‘Can you see that?’ I whispered to a mate. ‘Yeah,’ he hissed back, watching as the muscle in my neck pulsed. ‘Freaky!’ But then it stopped, and we forgot about it. Only, as the new school year began, I started having funny turns. Walking out of class one morning, I passed out in the doorway. Then, later, I collapsed in assembly. I woke up with one of my favourite teachers trying to feed me a mint in case I needed a blood-sugar boost. My mum Nicola, 42, took me to the GP, who put it down to…

We put some truly original products to the test… Stages Hero Headphones, £240, indiegogo.com These might be the smartest noise-cancelling headphones ever! Eight microphones with three settings let you choose exactly how much noise you want to let in. Verdict: GENIUS! You can even listen from a specific direction Neen Aquaflex, £23.50, Boots This kit of two vaginal cones and weights is designed to help you practise exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor. The aim is to increase the amount of weight you can ‘hold’… Verdict: BONKERS! But can help with stress incontinence BuddyBox, from £21.50, blurtitout.org Treat yourself or someone else to five mood-lifting treats a month with one of these beautifully thought-out relaxation boxes. You can also buy a subscription. Verdict: GENIUS! Profits go towards helping those with…

Leanne Cooper, 28, Earlsfield South London On the first night of a girls’ holiday in Ibiza in September 2015, we hit the clubs. Around 11pm, I saw a hunk named Matt Woodward, 36. Matt was on a stag do for his brother James, 38, who was marrying a Lianne Garrett. ‘I live on Garrett Lane!’ I exclaimed. His eldest brother Ben, 39, is also with a Leanne, he told me. We swapped numbers before Matt flew home. I assumed it was just a holiday romance. But we texted and, days after I got home, Matt arrived on my doorstep with flowers. We became an item and six months later, Matt moved from Herts to London to be near me. Matt’s the general manager at a gym, and likes a challenge.…

Estelle Goddard, 40, Exeter It was a feeling that was scarily all too familiar. As I waited to be seen by a doctor, I gave my left breast a little squeeze. I couldn’t feel any lumps but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. See, four years before, in 2004, I’d been diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer. Only 27, I’d found a lump when getting dressed for work. The type of cancer I had was more common in menopausal women. It was incredibly rare, but I’d fought it. After a lumpectomy, I’d begun an intensive course of chemo, followed by radiotherapy. I’d lost all of my hair and it’d made me really sick. But I’d beaten the cancer. Or so I thought… Gut feeling…

I always stick labels inside the arms of my glasses. My name on one side, my phone number on the other. That way, if I ever lose them, they can be returned to me easily. Kim Yates, Birmingham Yo u r B e s t HAIRSPR AY Tips 1Thread A Needle Spray the end of a cotton thread and pinch. It’ll stiffen up nicely and enter through the eye of the needle easily. Agnieszka Rowlands, west London 2 Pet-Hair Removal If you’re covered in dog hair, late for an important meeting and can’t find your lint roller, don’t worry! Just spray some hairspray onto tissue paper and rub it over yourself. The hairs will lift off easily. Jay Crooks, Sheffield 3 Brow Beating Tame unruly eyebrows with hairspray. Spray some on your finger…

Catherine Stewart, 33, Leigh, Lancashire There are occasions when you want to look amazing. My mate John’s wedding was one. It was May 2009. And I hadn’t seen John in the best part of a decade. We’d known each other since we were kids. But you know how it is when you’re young. Your life changes a lot… When I finished school, I went to study Bakery at college. Then I landed my dream job – making cakes, buns and breads at a top bakery. It meant leaving home. Then, I met someone, and we moved in together. On Facebook Fast-forward four years... I was single again and back living with my mum Pamela, 62, and my dad Colin, 70. Keen to connect with old friends, I signed up to…

Katrina Neale, 31, Southampton Me and my hubby Chris, 31, were having the time of our lives. It was October 2013, and we were honeymooning in Florida, USA. We spent the first couple of days visiting water parks and eating burgers. But on the third day at SeaWorld, I felt queasy. Quickly it developed into bad stomach cramps. ‘Must be something I ate,’ I told Chris. I’d lost 31⁄2st before the wedding, and had been eating healthily. I assumed I’d just overindulged on fatty treats. But the following day, I felt worse. I kept throwing up and was dizzy. And the stabbing pains in my abdomen were more intense. Then, when I collapsed, Chris took me to hospital. There I was rushed through for scans and given some blood tests……

Rachael Livingston, 24, Liverpool As the camera clicked, I winced, my stomach tightening. What on earth was wrong with me? I’d been suffering for four days now, but I’d hoped the pains wouldn’t interfere with my work as a photographer. I’d always had cramps during my time of the month. But nothing as bad as this. And I wasn’t even having a period! ‘I think I’ll have to go home early,’ I told my colleague. Hopefully, some painkillers and a hot-water bottle would sort me out. In agony As I stumbled through the front door, my dad Derek, 42, came bounding downstairs. ‘You’re home early! Everything OK?’ he asked. ‘Nothing to worry about,’ I told him. But for the rest of the day, the pains only grew stronger. I was…

TRIED & TESTED This week: Make-up sponges 1 Real Techniques Miracle Sculpting Sponge, £5.99, Boots This works as two products in one. I used the larger end to apply foundation and the smaller one for highlighter. My makeup has never gone on so flawlessly! 2 Brush Works Miracle Silicone Sponge, £7.99, lookfantastic.com Once I got over how Once I got over how much this looked like a chicken fillet, I loved it! Because it’s made of silicone, it doesn’t absorb any foundation so I could use less, and it was a doddle to clean, too! 3 Studio Ice Cream Shaped Sponges, £4.49 for 2, Superdrug These teeny sponges were the ideal size and shape for getting right into the creases of my nose and around my eyes. And they’re perfect…

On the morning of 29 September 1982, in Chicago, 12-year-old schoolgirl Mary Kellerman died, apparently from a cold. Hours later, postman Adam Janus died suddenly in hospital nearby. And his mourning brother and sisterin- law Stanley and Theresa died shortly after. The common connection? They’d all taken painkillers. Mary had woken up with cold symptoms and was given Extra Strength Tylenol. Adam and his family took the same brand of pills. Tests showed the victims took capsules that’d been laced with potassium cyanide. Each pill had contained enough cyanide to provide thousands of fatal doses. Then three more Chicago residents died from taking the contaminated pills, which had been bought at different drug stores, miles apart. WORLD OF CRIME The deaths created nationwide panic, and manufacturer Johnson & Johnson recalled…

ARIES 21 March–20 April I know you’re finding it hard to say sorry, but it seems that the only way out of the situation you’ve got yourself into is to eat a little humble pie. Do it before Tuesday, and your personal aspects will put you back in the driving seat of your most gratifying relationship yet. Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS 21 April–21 May We both know you’ve been used in the past, but we also know you’re never going to allow yourself to be treated like that or to even feel like that again. The person who’ll be trying to pull the wool over your eyes this weekend is in for a shock, it seems! Call: 09058 170 711* GEMINI 22 May–21 June Money is coming in and…

Julie Smith, 39, Edinburgh Aged 18, I felt like I had the world at my feet. I’d just finished school, had been accepted on a course to study Hairdressing – and, that summer, my aunt Linda had asked me to come and work at her ice-cream and hamburger kiosk by the sea in Newcastle. Arriving, I made myself at home with Linda, her daughter Sarah, 15, and her husband Andrew Robinson. ‘Hope you don’t mind me sharing your room,’ I said to Sarah. ‘It’ll be fun!’ she smiled. I was going to enjoy my first summer away from home. Andrew seemed OK, but when he wasn’t at work fixing and selling cars, he was at the pub, so it was often just us girls in the house, having a giggle.…

Snap Me Up! We’ve done the research – you save the dosh! Gorgeous Gift The lovely people at sparklingjewellery.com are offering PMU readers the chance to buy a To The Moon and Back necklace and bracelet for just £29 instead of the normal £70. Just enter the code MBPMU at the checkout before 11 May to take advantage of this amazing offer. Cupboard Essential Oil is a storecupboard staple! Pick up a huge 2L bottle of Crisp ‘n Dry Vegetable Oil for £2.50 instead of the normal £3.50 in Tesco until 9 May. Sweet Treat Get your mitts on a packet of the very moreish Choco Leibniz biscuits for £1 (normally £1.79) in Asda before 21 June. We challenge you to only eat one at a time! Say Cheese! Whiten…

Real-Life PLUS Trends, Info and Advice Fiona Garland, 42, Maidstone I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel as I waited for my son James, 16. I’d arranged to pick him up from an interview for a shop job, and had been expecting him 30 minutes ago. ‘What’s taking him so long?’ I asked my daughters Jennifer, 14, and Lucy, 9, in the back. In the end, I decided to go into the store. ‘I’m afraid he didn’t turn up,’ the shop manager explained. When I got home, I found James in his bedroom, wearing just a pair of trousers. Moving closer, I realised one side of his face had dropped and he couldn’t speak or move. Frantic, I dialled 999. ‘James has suffered a stroke,’ doctors told me and…

Chocolate Gingerbread Cake Serves: 10 Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 50 min □ 75g salted butter, cut up □50g 70 per cent dark chocolate, broken into pieces □200g low-fat natural yogurt □225g plain flour □2tsp baking powder □25g cocoa powder □2tsp ground ginger □1tsp cinnamon □Black pepper □4 medium eggs □200g light-brown soft sugar 1 Preheat oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4, and grease and line a 20cm square tin. 2 Put butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water – make sure bottom of bowl doesn’t touch water – until melted. 3 Off heat, add yogurt and allow to cool a little. 4 Put flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and spices into a bowl, add a few twists of black pepper and mix well.…

To anyone walking by, it’s an ordinary house. Nothing unusual about it. Inside, though, it’s far from your average family home – according to society. Deborah Hodge, 44, from Bexleyheath, southeast London, is a single mother with four children. And each of her kids has a different dad. But they’re being brought up to be bright, kind and caring youngsters, so why do bullies target Deborah for being a ‘4x4 mum’? ‘I think the term 4x4 is very degrading. It adds a label and a stigma,’ says Deborah. ‘We don’t label men who have multiple children by different women, so why label us?’ Atomic Kitten singer Natasha Hamilton recently lashed out at being branded a 4x4 mum. Undeterred, she hasn’t ruled out a fifth child with her new partner. And…

Food Swaps Save 36 cal Flattering Fashion Freshen up your wardrobe with this pale-blue shirt. Layer it over a vest, wear on its own, use as a cover-up on the beach, or pop on over cropped white jeans. 100-Calorie Gallery 1 Blue Riband biscuit…99 cal 1 apple…55 cal 2 Mini Babybel light…84 cal Get Moving! www.jumpnjuice.co.uk Exercise from the comfort of your home with this new online health club. Join for a 2-week free trial and a 28-day detox plan, then it’s just £5 a month for a full timetable of fitness classes, yoga sessions and cooking tutorials. There's a new ‘live’ class every day (except on Sundays), then all the videos are available ‘on demand’ to watch whenever you like. Try this…. Funkin Cocktails Skinny Mojito, £4, Tesco Made with…

Swanning around her cluttered, two-bedroom council flat, high heels on, bleached hair coiffed, Ann Sabine had a dark secret. Dressed only in black, the 74-year-old pensioner had spent years stomping around Pontypridd, telling tales of her early life as a supermodel who’d married a millionaire. But it was all fantasy… Ann also told residents how she escaped her ‘b*stard husband’. But, in reality, she hadn’t left her husband John… He was dead. And his body was in the same place it’d been for 18 years – Ann’s flat. The grisly details only emerged in 2015, when Sabine had a fall and was admitted to hospital. Tests revealed she had cancer, and two months later, she died. Weeks after Ann’s death, John’s body was found by the bins behind her flat. Still…

Colette Mason, 39, Fulbourn, Cambs I was at my wit’s end as to what to do for my daughter Kaylee’s 8th birthday, as she’d said no presents... An unbelievably kind girl, last year she grew her hair out to get cut for charity. Raised £700 for Make-a-Wish. For this birthday, she wanted pet food instead of gifts! I wasn’t that surprised, as she loves animals. I’ve got a cat called Jem, who's 17 soon, and Kaylee has her own cat – Star, 4 – who she cares for on her own. Party invites were difficult... how do you ask for pet food? But on 20 August last year, at our social club, every one of her 32 guests from school brought two or three items. People were so kind. We shared…

Bumper Chrysanthemums A bold combination of tall, half hardy varieties with re-flexed and incurved petals, mixed with lower growing, hardy chrysanthemums that form neat mounds of colour. Savour the colourful shades of these magnificent perennials in your autumn garden when summer bedding plants have faded away. Their vibrant blooms also make excellent and long lasting cut flowers. Height: Up to 90cm (36in). Spread: 45cm (18in). Supplied as plug plants. Buy 5 of any variety for £9.99 Buy 15 (5 of each) for £14.98 – Saving 50% How to order: 1. Online – Visit www.thompson-morgan.com/PMU169Z 2. By Phone – Call 0844 573 1686 (Quote PMU169Z) Lines open 9am-8pm (Weekdays), 9am-6pm (Weekends) 3. By Post – Fill Out Coupon below & write your name and address on the back of your cheque…