Table of contents for 19-Jul-2018 in Pick Me Up!

Ever since we were little, Cassie has been more than just my cousin. She’s been my best friend. I have countless memories of us spending long summer days together, just playing and laughing. We spent our summer mostly around at my gran’s and it was always magical. I relied on Grandma Kitty for everything. She was my shoulder to cry on, someone to confide in and make me laugh. When she passed away in July 2016, aged 77, I felt lost. I was pregnant and in the midst of a separation, too. The whole world felt like it was crumbling in on me. But lovely Cassie made everything better. She stepped into the role of Gran and looked after me. She took me into her house, and helped look after…

Yoga in pregnancy QI’ve just started yoga and I love it, but I’m now pregnant... Is it safe to carry on throughout my pregnancy, or will I have to stop sometime? Ann-Marie, Manchester A There are differences to the practice of yoga in pregnancy so you will need an experienced practitioner. However, with that, there’s no reason why you can’t continue safely throughout your pregnancy. Can I keep driving? QI've noticed a tremor in my hands and I’m terrified that it’s Parkinson’s disease. But if I go to the doctor and they diagnose me with it, I’ll have to stop driving... Kathryn, London A Not all tremors are caused by Parkinson’s disease and not everyone with Parinson’s has to stop driving. However, you must be safe on the roads. See…

Freakshake, £9.99, firebox.com Available in three different flavours (Rainbow, Unicorn and Fully Loaded Chocolate), these kits have (nearly) all you need to make your own Freakshake – just add milk and ice cream. Verdict: BONKERS! Get ready for the sugar rush! The Garlic Card, £4, aplaceforeverything.co.uk Grate your garlic in seconds, with no need for a knife or fiddly press. Simply rub your garlic clove against the jagged side for perfectly puréed garlic, and you’re all ready to cook your recipe! Verdict: GENIUS! And easy to store. Design Your Own Fragrance The Bespoke Collection, £49, theperfumestudio.com Want a perfume that no-one else will have? This kit lets you make your very own fragrance at home, using a blend of six different scent layers –…

Pip and Chip say hello the Hawaiian way to all our friends at Pick Me Up! – hooray for summer! Kimberley Whyatt, Chatham Monty the tortoise, chowing down on his favourite meal of all – that’s, erm, well, anything green and leafy actually! Emily Lewis, Chessington Little Rupert the bulldog hopes he’ll grow as tall as his new buddy Kai… Elain Dillon, Bradford 'Thou shalt not do the dishes,’ says snoozing Alfie. 'Well, if you insist!’ I reply. Barbara Darward, Seaton Corny the corn snake will only drink water from my glass. Bottoms up! L Woodburn, Stedham This is my very gentle and friendly hamster Sandie. She loves getting out of her cage for cuddles. Amber Johnson, Harold Hill…

‘It is definitely a parent’s responsibility. From birth, we have our children weighed and are given guidelines, then it’s up to us to decide what to feed them. You can’t blame adverts, we all should have some self-control and we’re allowed to have the odd unhealthy meal in moderation. Another factor is price. If buying a takeaway is cheaper than healthy-meal ingredients, what choice do you have?’ Shariah Mear, Stafford ‘I can’t think of anything worse than weighing a child at school. Children can be fragile, and other kids can be cruel. Sometimes, there’s a medical disorder and no amount of healthy eating is going to help. Advertising isn’t the issue. We have brains and the ability to reason. We should make our own choices and mistakes.’ Gillian McKinnon, via…

With her long, blonde hair in a ponytail, her white polo top and black skirt, my daughter Amber, 7, was ready for school. But today, 30 March 2017, was going to be different. The school was holding a disco that afternoon as a treat. ‘Are you looking forward to it?’ I asked as I was about to set off to my job as an environmental consultant. ‘Yes!’ Amber said. ‘I hope they play Katy Perry’s Firework!’ I smiled. Amber was such a bubbly little thing, had lots of friends, was always laughing. ‘I can’t wait to hear all about it,’ I said, kissing her goodbye. My husband Callum, 34, who had the day off from his engineering job, was driving her to school. A few hours later, I was at…

Walking gingerly through the dark cellar, my mate John grabbed my arm. ‘What’s that?’ he gasped. We’d just come across an enormous wheel, with arm and leg restraints attached to it. It looked like a torture device. Well, we were on a paranormal investigation in a haunted sex club! We made our way upstairs, which was no less creepy than the dungeon downstairs. One room had been set up with a dentist’s chair in the middle. As we flickered our torch around, we saw an orb leap across the room. ‘Did you just hear something?’ my mate gulped. I nodded. It sounded like a little girl’s voice. What was she doing here? A tattooist by trade, I’ve been ghost hunting since I was 17. I got a job in a…

We’d row, then cuddle, it was a love-hate relationship I was just 16, hanging around outside the sunbed shop when a bloke approached me. Broad-shouldered, he swaggered over with a smirk on his face. ‘Hey, what’s your name?’ he asked me. My heart thumping, I hesitated, fiddling with my school uniform. ‘Chelsea,’ I stammered. Laughing, he shook my hand and we started chatting. ‘I’m Dean,’ he said. Funny, confident and charming, he seemed to be a good bloke. I sort of fancied him, but he was eight years older than me. He worked with his dad’s property developing business - I was still at school... Exchanging numbers, I couldn’t wait to tell my mates. I thought about him all the time. Sending flirty text messages back and forth, we really…

Looking at me with daggers in his eyes, my son, Thomas, 13, sloped round the house and slammed his bedroom door. Most teenagers were stroppy, but it was like Thomas was always annoyed. Banging doors, huffing and puffing - my once sweet little boy seemed to have changed overnight. It was spring 2004 and it was safe to say that Thomas had become a nightmare teenager. He was my first child, born in 1991. I was a single mum, so he had no father figure. It was hard on him, but as he grew up, he’d been kind and polite. Only, the older he got, the more we seemed to grow apart. He’d get annoyed if I wouldn’t let him do something, or if I dared to try and give…

1 Coeliac disease is a common digestive autoimmune condition. True False 2 It is caused by an adverse reaction to meat or dairy-based food products. True False 3 Symptoms include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, bloatingand flatulence, indigestion and constipation. True False 4 There is no cure for coeliac disease. True False 1 TRUE The small intestine becomes inflamed andunable toabsorb nutrients. 2 FALSE It is caused by an adverse reaction to gluten –a dietary protein found in wheat, barley and rye. 3 TRUE More general symptomscan be fatigue, weight loss, arash and nerve damage, aswell as problems conceiving and with co-ordination. 4 TRUE However, symptomscan be managed by switching to a gluten-free diet which is healthy and balanced.…

NHS England spent £5.1 billion on obesity-related ill health in 2014/15 At the beginning of this year, a shock report revealed that childhood obesity in the UK had hit an all-time high. In several areas, nearly 50 per cent of the child population is dangerously overweight. The London borough of Brent led the way, with 44 per cent of 11-year-olds classed as obese. Health professionals have warned of the potentially life-threatening risks children could face in the future as a result, from conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Plus, obese children are five times more likely to remain obese through their adulthood. So who is to blame for this drastic rise in child obesity? According to a recent YouGov poll, 94 per cent of Britons believe that parents…

Batiste Mini Dry Shampoo, £1.50 If your hair tends to go lank and greasy in the hot weather, then keep this handbag hero close by to freshen up and revitalize tired, weather-weary locks instantly. Sure Invisible Antibacterial Anti-Perspirant Deodorant, £11.95, feetlife.co.uk When the heat is on, this will keep you fresh as a daisy. Even better, it won’t leave white marks on your clothes. Using genius motion sensor technology, the more you move, the harder it works to keep sweat at bay. Lacura SPF30 Sun Spray, £2.39, Aldi Staying protected from harmful UV rays needn’t be costly, thanks to this five-star UVA and UVB protection spray, which helps keep sunburn to a minimum – as long as you reapply regularly! Neutrogena Hydro Boost Express Hydrating Spray, £5.49 Keep…

Chicken wontons  Makes: 20 Prep: 20 min Cook: 5 min ◻ 120g chicken, minced ◻ 40g white cabbage, cored and diced ◻ 10g asparagus, diced ◻ 10g tinned water chestnuts, drained, diced ◻ 1tsp toasted sesame oil ◻ 1tsp light soy sauce ◻ 3g salt ◻ 6g sugar ◻ 3g cornstarch or potato starch ◻ 20 wonton wrappers ◻ Soy sauce, sesame oil, sliced red chilli and spring onion, to garnish 1 Put the minced chicken in a mixing bowl, then stir in the cabbage, asparagus, and water chestnuts. 2 In a separate bowl, mix together the sesame oil, light soy sauce, salt, sugar and potato or cornstarch with a pinch of pepper. Stir this into the chicken mixture. Cover and chill for 30 mins. 3 Place a wonton wrapper…

ARIES 21 March–20 April Live the life you love and love the life you live, or what point is there in being an Aries? New introductions go well at this time and you start to feel like the best version of you that you’ve seen in at least two years. Use this turning point to raise the bar in your career. Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS 21 April–21 May You’ve spent far too long recently listening to negative influences and it’s time to make you a priority. Surprise news from a family member makes you feel as if a weight has been lifted from you, but keep what you learn to yourself until after the 23rd. You’ll soon learn why. Call: 09058 170 711* GEMINI 22 May–21 June You’ve really…

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Devastated, I fell into my mum Vicky’s arms, sobbing. ‘You’ll be OK love,’ Mum, 44, soothed. It was summer 2016 and I’d just suffered my second miscarriage in a year. I already had Ava-Bella, then 3, and Jay, 6 months, but me and my then-partner wanted to expand our family. Doctors suggested my body was refusing another pregnancy so soon after having Jay by Caesarean. I decided to wait before trying again - and, in August 2016, I went to have a contraceptive coil fitted. First, I was asked to take a pregnancy test, just in case. ‘You’re pregnant,’ my GP told me. ‘What?!’ I exclaimed. I worried about another miscarriage, but the thought of bringing a new baby into our family filled me with joy. At first, everything was…

There were two sides to Edward Edwards. In public, he was respected and popular, particularly with the ladies. It helped that he was dashingly handsome, with a natural ability to charm people - and convince them he was something he wasn’t. In private, he was a totally different man - calculating, cold and violent. Even his own daughter April Balascio didn’t care for him. ‘People in the community liked him, which always bothered me because he was saying one thing and doing another,’ she told the Press. But what was behind Edward Edwards’ Jekyll and Hyde behaviour? It’s been reported that Edwards’ mother committed suicide when he was just 2 years old. And that, following her death, he grew up in an orphanage, where he was allegedly bullied and abused.…

Giving the cuppa a final stir, I grinned at my friend Louise, 28. It was last October, and she’d popped over to visit me, my daughter Mollie, 2, and 9-month-old son Freddie, while my eldest Ethan, then 7, was at school. I was looking forward to a gossip, but as I went to hand over her tea, a stabbing pain shot through my right side. ‘You OK?’ Louise asked as I winced. I smiled weakly. ‘It’s just a tummy ache,’ I said. Only it wasn’t the first time I’d had it. In February that year I’d collapsed in the bathroom after suffering the same symptoms. Mollie watched from the window for the ‘nee-naws’ My fiance Steve, 37, had found me and driven me straight to hospital, where doctors told me…

1 BE A GOOD ROLE MODEL  Eat healthily as a family and set a good example by being active yourself instead of watching telly or surfing the Internet. 2 GET THEM ACTIVE  Children need about 60 minutes of physical activity a day, but several short bursts of activity can be just as good as an hour-long stretch. 3 CHILD-SIZE PORTIONS  Start meals with small servings and let your child ask for more if they’re still hungry. Don’t make them finish everything on the plate and avoid using adult-size plates for younger children. 4 EAT HEALTHY MEALS  Aim for your child to get most of their calories from fruit and veg (five a day), and starchy foods like bread, potatoes, pasta and rice (preferably wholemeal). 5 LESS SCREEN TIME  Experts advise…

Meeting the doctor’s eyes with a steely gaze, I sat up straight and answered confidently. ‘I’m fine,’ I said. ‘I don’t know what everyone’s worrying about.’ The GP looked at Mum, then back at me. ‘You weigh 5st 7lb,’ he said. ‘That means you are dangerously underweight.’ But I still didn’t see what the problem was. It was December 2012 and I was about to turn 17. Surely it was up to me what I ate? OK, so I didn’t eat a lot... It’d all started when I was 14. I’d got smaller and smaller and it made me feel better I’d had problems at home and life had felt out of control. At 5ft 7in and about 7st 7lb, I didn’t think I was underweight. But food felt like…

Invites? Tick! Pink tutu? Tick! Matching cake and balloons? Tick, tick! It was April this year, and our little girl Isabelle was soon turning 1. I posted invites, shopped for pressies...all ready for the birthday girl’s grand entrance. But Isabelle’s first wasn’t the only milestone me and my hubby Ross, 26, were pumped about. There were two other ladies in our life worth celebrating - my boobs! I’d hoped to breastfeed for six months, until I went back to work - but, somehow, I’d made it through a whole year. And I had my boobs to thank for it. They were tireless! ‘Let’s hail a year of breastfeeding, too!’ Ross said. ‘What are you thinking?’ I asked him - he had a habit of milking silly ideas. ‘I’ll bake a…