Table of contents for November 12, 2015 in Pick Me Up!

16,077 That’s the number of pictures I have on my phone. Seriously! And most are of dogs I don’t even know! Time to start sifting through my snaps and printing out the ones with me and my mates in… What A Sign! On holiday in Italy, I couldn’t help but pose under this sign. My cooking is pretty poor. Here’s hoping I fare better when I pucker up! What A Sucker! No doubt about it, dating is a minefield. Especially when one ‘hottie’ posts a half-face profile and you take a little too long to realise it isn’t the person in question but Hollywood tough guy, Jason Statham… A girl can dream, eh.?! What A Spark! The bang and fizz, the explosion of colour… I never tire of Guy Fawkes…

All mums know how hectic the school run can be. Bundling your kids out the door on time is no mean feat. For us, organisation was crucial! My partner of 10 years, Matthew Wilding, 26, and I had three gorgeous girls. Our eldest, Katie, 6, Lucie, 3, and Ellie, 7 months. They kept us on our toes. And one day, in May this year, we’d everything planned out. I was picking Katie up from school, while Matthew took Lucie and Ellie to wash his car. ‘I’ll just pop Lucie in your car,’ I told Matthew. Opening the front door, I walked down the path and through our gate. Little Lucie toddled behind me. Suddenly, from nowhere... Whack! I whipped around at the noise. Lucie! Sent flying A cyclist had crashed…

Throw your hands up in the air! Seems fun, doesn’t it? Imagine doing it every minute though - that’s 1,440 times a day. My compulsion to fling my arms above my head began aged 3. They jerked every few minutes and my mum, Amanda, now 53, didn’t know why. She’d refer to it as my ‘one-man Mexican wave.’ It was totally involuntary - I even did it while asleep. At primary school, my friends noticed, but it wasn’t an issue. When I was 9, the school nurse noticed my quirky movements. Uncontrollable ‘Emma may have Tourette’s syndrome,’ she advised Mum. Heading to my GP, I was officially diagnosed with the neurological condition, which causes a combination of involuntary noises and movements called tics. Mine was flailing my arms. Growing up,…

1 This condition affects the blood. 2 Dizziness is a major symptom. 3 You will need antibiotics. 4 Special exercises can help retrain balance. 1 FALSE This is an inner ear infection, causing a delicate structure within the ear (the labyrinth) to become inflamed, affecting hearing and balance. 2 TRUE Other symptoms include vertigo – feeling like you’re moving when you’re seated or standing still, hearing loss, pain or tinnitus. 3 FALSE Unless it’s bacterial labyrinthitis, which is rare, doctors advise bed rest in the very early stages, plus anti-nausea drugs. It should usually resolve itself within three to eight weeks. 4 TRUE Some people have persistent symptoms and will need referral to an ear, nose and throat specialist. Special exercises, known as vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) can help treat…

1 Tesco Italian Spaghetti & Meatballs, 400g With a sauce that’s thick, rich and has a very slight peppery kick, there are five good-sized pork and beef meatballs and loads of pasta, making this a satisfying, good-value meal for one. 2 Morrisons Spaghetti & Meatballs, 380g There are only four beef meatballs in this fresh, but slightly pricey meal, but they’re solid and meaty. Fresh tomatoes and spinach make a tasty addition to the light tomato sauce. 3 Sainsbury’s Spaghetti Meatballs, 430g This is a big meal with plenty of thick spaghetti strands, a rich tomato sauce and six pork and beef meatballs. Tasty and filling.…

As the photographer snapped away, I smiled. A professional model, I was used to posing in lingerie and skimpy outfits. Body confident, I’ve always loved my figure. But unlike other models, I’m not 6ft with long, slim pins. In fact, I don’t have any legs. See, when I was born, my legs hadn’t developed properly. Doctors didn’t know why - it was just one of those things. I was born in Thailand, but when I was just weeks old, I was abandoned on the steps of a Buddhist temple. Monks took me in, looked after me. Then, when I was 5, my picture was put in an international adoption magazine. A couple from Oregon, USA, Dave and Jane Sesser, offered me a loving home. They didn’t care about my disability.…

iKettle, £99.99, Maplin This clever kettle can be controlled via your mobile phone – so you can switch it on from your bed and even set wake-up and welcome-home timers. Experts believe it can save you over two days a year in waiting time! The World’s Most Expensive Apple Watch, £150,000, www. firebox. com Made from solid 18K gold and encrusted with diamonds, this ticker is one of the most extravagant things we’ve ever seen! It also has a sapphire crystal retina display, measures your heart rate and manages your e-mails. Hi! Voice Recorder Fridge Magnet, £12.95, www.prezzybox.com Designed for those times when you’re trying to find a pen and paper to leave a note for your someone, you can now record…

My daughter, Elizabeth, loves a challenge. Aged 7, she joined the 1st Tibberton and Taynton Brownies unit, and of course they earn badges for activities designed to teach traditional and modern skills. Three months on, she earned the Science Investigator badge, conducting several experiments and reporting on them. Examining her badge book, she counted how many she’d need to accomplish every badge – 57! ‘I’ll do them all!’ she declared. ‘It’s a huge commitment,’ I said. I’d been a Brownie, too, and had only managed four. But Elizabeth was determined and, sure enough, four months on, she’d earned four more – Craft, Book Lover, Communicator and Artist. ‘I’ve more than you, Mummy!’ she exclaimed, delighted. Getting stuck in at every Wednesday after-school meeting, she’d spend each school holiday pursuing the…

No more children. That’s what my husband, Graham, 43, and I had decided. So it came as a bit of a surprise when I found myself pregnant in April 2007. We already had daughters Kirsty, 11, and Ayesha, 3, and sons Zechariah, 6, and Samuel, 5, who both have disabilities after being born with the same genetic condition as Graham - neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), which causes tumours to grow along the nerves. NF manifests itself differently in different people. Graham has coffee-coloured patches on his skin, called cafe-au-lait spots, and little lumps and bumps on his body. Zechariah has muscle weakness, and needs a wheelchair, and Samuel has Asperger syndrome. But we were both excited about the new addition. ‘I hope this baby doesn’t have NF,’ I said to…

Sun, sea and sand! Three weeks in Corfu with my partner this July and I was having the best time ever. Except for one thing. Mosquito bites. ‘That bite looks nasty,’ my partner said one morning, pointing to a lumpy mark under my knee. It wasn’t like a normal-looking mozzie bite, though - it seemed to be spreading outwards, looked like the bull’s eye on a dartboard. So I saw a pharmacist who sold me some antibiotic cream. But that didn’t work. By the time I flew back to the UK two weeks later, I’d started having joint pain and muscle cramps, as well as swollen lymph nodes in my neck. I went straight to the GP. ‘I’ll send you for a blood test for Lyme disease,’ he told me.…

When I was a teenager, my life was all about sport. Running, basketball, squash, pretty much everything. At 15, I was accepted onto a local ladies’ football club after a successful trial. I couldn’t wait to get started. Only, my heart began to feel a bit funny. I started getting palpitations, like it was skipping a beat. And sometimes it’d thump so hard I’d see my chest twitching. Scared, I tried to avoid coffee and sugar, hoping it’d go away by itself. But a month on, my mum Ellen, 49, noticed the twitching. ‘I’ll take you to the GP,’ she said, worried. My doctor monitored my heartbeat, said I’d need to be referred to a specialist at the Glenfield Hospital, Leicester. There I had all sorts of tests, from ECGs…

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, my husband, Terry, 43, shouted up at my eldest daughter, Brook, 15. ‘Turn that racket down!’ he bellowed. But Calvin Harris’ Summer was turned up so loud, she couldn’t hear him. Bright, bubbly Brook was a typical teenager. She loved shopping, hanging out with her mates and listening to all the latest music - at top volume. But Terry only had himself to blame... ‘You bought her the most powerful speakers in the shop!’ I teased. ‘That’s true,’ Terry sighed. A few weeks on, Brook went back to school after the summer, and I noticed her uniform was hanging off her. She’d been eating normally, so it seemed odd, but she’d complained about being very thirsty and always needing a wee. When she…

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 30 min 1 Mix beef, egg and parsley. Season with salt and black pepper. Take a large tsp of mixture and roll into a ball. Roll in flour and put to one side. Repeat. 2 In a frying pan, heat oil and cook onion 10 min. Add meatballs and fry gently 5 min until golden. 3 Add wine, simmer 2 min until almost evaporated. Add tomatoes and chilli and season. Simmer 5 min. 4 Cook spaghetti as per pack instructions, drain and serve with meatballs and grated cheese. Find more recipes at: www.cirio1856.co.uk PLUS How to whip up your own at home!…

You know how it is when you’ve got kids. 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 together under one roof. Safe and sound. It hadn’t always been that way because Richard had been a soldier. Over the years, he’d been to places like Afghanistan. Then, at the end of last year, he’d left the Army. Which meant that he was back at home with me and our two kids, Bailey, 7, and Ellie, 4. Game time On one Friday night, we were relaxing with our feet up in front of the telly, the kids tucked…

Want the perfect… LIP PALETTE? Try one of these… Party: Seventeen All Out Pout Lip Palette in Fancy Free With six pastel, pink and bold-purple shades – get your hands on one of these palettes now in time for the party season! Versatile: Barry M Pout ’N’ About Lip Gloss Palette These sheer, glossy shades come in a fab range of colours! Wear the lighter shades for day, darker ones for evening. Rich: B. Kissable Lip Palette Perfect for keeping in your handbag for touch-ups on the go. I love the punchy colours in this set. ASK JESS Q My skin is dry and flaky and my moisturiser isn’t making a difference. What can I try? Paula Jones, 37, Alford A Vaseline Advanced Relief Healing Serum, £7.99, Asda, penetrates three…

Come the weekend, I love putting my feet up and watching drama unfold on telly. My favourites are Casualtyand Holby City, as the action seems so real. But, as a Maths teacher, I’ve never done a first-aid course. My daughter, Abbey, 20, and niece, Paige Toomey, 21, live with me. But it’s my three cats, Shelley, 15, Sophie, 10, and Sweetie, 9, who rule the roost. One day in June this year, Paige told us a friend had bought two kittens, and there was one female remaining needing a home. ‘She’s so cute!’ Paige pined. ‘I’d love a kitten!’ Abbey said. ‘No way...’ I replied. But, eyeing the kitten in question... well, I was smitten! Black and white markings with adorable blue eyes. Planning to surprise Abbey, Paige and I…

A tomboy in my teens, I’d short hair, wore sporty clothes and played rugby. Sadly, it meant school bullies labelled me an ‘ugly boy’. I’d ignore them, releasing my frustration through rugby but, deep down, it hurt. My sister, Frances, 16, overheard the taunts one day. She launched a school anti-bullying group to silence my tormentors - and it worked! Achieving good grades, at college I met my boyfriend, Ben Jones, then 18. ‘You’re beautiful,’ he’d say. Studying Criminology at the University of Gloucestershire, I coached rugby for the Cinderford Under-15s team in my spare time. Happy in love, I’d nothing to prove to anyone - except myself. In November last year, I saw on Facebook that the Miss Gloucester beauty contest wanted applications. ‘You should enter!’ Ben said. The…

Fab Fashion New plus-size fashion brand Polly Grace is offering an exclusive 20% off for Pick Me Up! readers until 13 November. Simply enter the code PICK20 at www.pollygrace.com to redeem the offer. Get Grilling Register before 6 December at www.bespokeoffers.co.uk to get this George Foreman Five-portion Family Grill for just £29.99, plus postage and packing! Beauty Bargain Tune into QVC on 15 November to bag this Elemis gift set worth £130.91 for under £45, saving you more than £85! Taste Of Italy Pop to Morrisons before 29 November to save up to 25% on all frozen Schar products. The range includes gluten-free pizzas, and Italian meals that are great for coeliac sufferers. Ride Away Get your little one the bike of their dreams this Christmas with 50% off all…

With two kids from two failed relationships by the time I was 20, I didn’t think anyone would want me. So when I met Nicholas Kirnon, 20, on a night out in 2006, I thought I’d struck gold. He was a natural with my sons, Thierry, then 3, and Kamran, 1. We’d only been together a few months when he was playing on the floor with the boys one day. ‘Dadda!’ Kamran beamed. To my relief, Nicholas smiled. After six months together, Nicholas offered to help with childcare. He was unemployed, while I worked part-time at a local bookie’s. ‘Thierry’s at nursery most of the time anyway,’ Nicholas said. I was nervous at first. But, a few weeks in, things seemed great. I always came home to a tidy flat…

1 Key position Make sure your family knows where the window-lock keys are kept in case of fire. Ann Johnson, Runcorn 2 Stay shut Lock scissor handles together with a small padlock so children can’t get at them. Colleen Brunt on, Enfield 3 Accident contacts Your car’s sun-visor is a good place to keep emergency telephone numbers. Judy Iles, Bristol 4 Close-up work Keep a magnifying glass in your first-aid kit – it’s useful for seeing splinters. Angela Crispin, Felixstowe…

Diarrhoea disaster QI can’t eat anything without it going straight through me as diarrhoea. I live off diarrhoea medicine, taking up to two boxes of it a day. What can I do? Leanne, Ashford, Kent A Overuse of diarrhoea medicine causes an unhelpful spiral of constipation with overflow diarrhoea. Every time you eat, your gut tries to move food along, but only the liquid can come out. Speak to your GP about this. Chronic pain and sex QI have persistent, severe pain, so it’s difficult for me to have sex with my husband. I’m too embarrassed to speak to my GP about it. What can I do? Rachel, St Helens A Spontaneous sex is hard with persistent pain, but shouldn’t be ruled out, as it can result in relief from…

In early May 1998, a young woman ran herself a bath, then climbed in wearing her swimming costume. She’d taken an overdose of sleeping pills. Christine Malevre had decided to die. The day before, Tuesday 5 May 1998, she’d been suspended from her nursing job in the cancer ward of Francois Quesnay Hospital on the outskirts of Paris. That job had meant everything to Christine. She lived for her patients... One of whom had died during her shift on Sunday 3 May. His name was Jacques Gutton. He was 71, and terminally ill with lung cancer. All the same, he’d died long before the doctors had expected. Christine’s boss knew something wasn’t right. So Christine had been suspended, while the hospital authorities looked into it. But if Christine had hoped…

Salted Dark Choc & Orange Mousse Serves: 6 Prep Time: 25 min + 1-2 hours chilling 1 Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot, but not boiling, 3tbsp water. Add chocolate, syrup, water, booze and butter, leave until melted, and then stir to mix. 2 Mix egg yolks and cream, then stir into chocolate. 3 Whisk egg whites until stiff. Add quarter to chocolate mixture and beat until smooth. 4 Fold in remaining egg whites a quarter at a time, with a pinch of salt, until everything is well blended. 5 Divide mixture between 6 cups, chill in fridge for an hour or two to set. 6 Decorate with shreds of orange and a sprinkling of salt to serve. Find…

THE PRIZES FIRST PRIZE 1 x Complete Christmas Hamper from Park – includes everything you need for a Christmas Day feast and lots of flavoursome family meals over the festive period. 11 RUNNERS-UP PRIZES 11 x Park’s Biscuits & Cake Selection, over 30 delights! FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN • Simply opt-in to 12 Gifts Of Christmas on the promotions page and wager £2 on any game between 1-12 November. You can earn one entry per day into the Prize Draw! 18+ UK only . Reg and wager required. T&Cs apply. NOT ALREADY A MEMBER ? Join pickmeupbingo.com/xmas  with code PMUG46XMASAD Deposit £10 and you’ll receive £25 FREE-PLAY* www.pickmeupbingo.com/xmas Terms and conditions *New customers only. Registration required. Minimum £10 deposit. 18+ UK only. Valid until 30 November 2015.…

You can never truly know a person - but, when I married Simon Keeton, 47, I thought I had him all figured out. We’d met in January 2008 on dating website Plenty of Fish. Funny and charming, he swept me off my feet. My kids, Jess, then 15, and Sam, 12, seemed to like him, too. Simon lived over 100 miles away in Nottingham, but it didn’t stop our relationship going at lightning speed. Within eight weeks, Simon moved in. He was out of work, had no ties in Nottingham, so it made sense. Smitten I didn’t worry it was too soon. I was smitten, loved waking up next to him every morning. As he wasn’t working, he’d cook me romantic steak meals when I got home from my job…

5 ways to burn off… A CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE Just one chocolate truffle can contain 100 cal, so if you want to burn off the excess, you can… • Iron for 30 min – but do it standing up, not sitting down! • Dance for 15 min – turn on the radio and do your thing! • Walk the dog for 20 min. • Wash the car for 20 min. Forget the drive-through, it’s time to get out the bucket and sponge. • Kiss for 10 min, twice a day! 100-Calorie Gallery PickMeUp! FOR LESS Food Swaps Flattering Fashion Wrap up warm – in a wrap! Perfect to layer over jackets and coats, this check wrap is bang on trend this season. THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS NAME: Laura Lawson, 27, from Portlethen, Aberdeen. VITAL STATISTICS:…

My boyfriend, Tom Woodruff, 24, and I had been trying for a baby for over a year. With no luck, we’d decided to stop consciously trying. ‘Let’s just relax,’ Tom said. It was March this year when my pet Hog Island boa constrictor, Poseidon, 5, started acting weird. He’d started curling up on top of my tummy. When Tom went to move him, he’d coil up tighter. ‘What’s up?’ I whispered. With Poseidon playing gooseberry, Tom and I had no chance for cuddles on the sofa! And, at 5ft long, Poseidon wasn’t an easy lump to shift! He only left me to be fed by Tom, then he’d head straight back to my tummy. One day, while Tom was at work, I turned to Google to research whether Poseidon’s behaviour…

SCORPIO 24 Oct–22 Nov Just because you and someone close have different ways of going about getting what you want doesn’t mean you’re incompatible. As long as the final outcome is the same, that’s all that matters. But run alongside, not against, one another. Call: 09058 170 717* SAGITTARIUS 23 Nov–21 Dec If you continue to play games and gamble with your love life, you could end up losing the very thing you were trying to keep. Get rid of the things you know you don’t want forever. Your erratic behaviour is more obvious than you imagine. Call: 09058 170 718* CAPRICORN 22 Dec–20 Jan As the accusational mood that’s been hanging over you finally lifts, you’ll see that a loved one you thought was being harsh with their words…