Table of contents for 16-Sep-2021 in Pick Me Up!

Beaming at my new husband, Amit, as we were pronounced man and wife, it was the happiest day of my life. We’d met four years earlier at a friend’s birthday party, and straight away I’d known he was The One. We set off on our honeymoon, and I was so excited to be married to Amit. But things quickly started to go downhill. On our way home, we were browsing Duty Free in the airport, and Amit picked up a bottle of expensive whiskey. ‘We can’t afford that,’ I said. ‘I’m getting it for my family,’ he said, ignoring me. I was furious, and we continued to argue about it as we boarded the plane. Suddenly, it was like a switch flipped in him. ‘Don’t tell me what to do,’…

Painful ulcers Q I’m going through chemo and I’ve started getting really sore mouth ulcers. What’s the best way to soothe them? Katie, Norwich A Chemotherapy can affect the lining of the mouth, which triggers changes such as ulcers, soreness and inflammation, called mucositis. If you experience mucositis, it can be treated very effectively and usually gets better on its own. The first protective steps are to drink plenty of fluids, use a very gentle mouthwash regularly and use a soft toothbrush. There are also a range of lozenges, artificial saliva sprays and mouthwashes available to help ease a dry mouth. Speaking to a dietician can also be useful for guidance on what to avoid. For example, if you have a sore mouth, avoiding spicy, acidic, salty or sharp foods…

As the sun crept through the cracks in the curtains, I rolled over and cuddled my 18-month-old daughter Seren. ‘Morning,’ my husband Lee, 52, smiled at us. Seren was an energetic and outgoing little girl. She was always bouncing around, and the previous day she had been playing in the back garden. She had a fall, but after checking her over, we thought nothing of it. We were enjoying our lazy morning in bed when Lee suddenly noticed a bump on Seren’s leg. ‘Look at this,’ he panicked. As a child, Lee was diagnosed with Hereditary Multiple Exostoses (HME) – a rare genetic disorder that causes painful deformities in your joints that develop as boney bumps. He endured a number of painful operations throughout his childhood until, at 14, he…

Top tip Add a colourful scarf to enhance your look Top tip Add a t-shirt underneath for warmth Find out more about our commitment to REAL woman womanandhome.com/real This week… Step into autumn Top tip Oversized shirts are fab for layering up…

Batiste Dry Shampoo Travel, £1.60, Boots Whether it’s back to school, back to work or a late summer holiday, Batiste Dry Shampoo has you covered with their new mini cans! You’ll never have a bad hair day again. Collection Hydrating Lipstick, £3.49, Superdrug Increase your lip’s hydration by up to 20% with Collection’s poutperfect lipstick. Available in 12 bold shades, the creamy formula will leave your lips kissable. Essence Double Trouble Mascara, £3.80, Wilko Double the length, double the volume, double the trouble! This new 2-in-1 mascara offers twice the bambi-eye benefits. Palmolive Feel Connect Shower Gel, £3, Superdrug Feel closer to yourself and nature every time you step in the shower. This body wash is pure self-indulgence in a bottle, and will help you unwind and reconnect with nature.…

Are you looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint and help save planet Earth? Tammy Fry, international marketing director at The Fry Family Food Co, shares seven simple ways to change the world… 1 Enjoy mindful eating Whether you’re a die-hard vegan or a meat lover who wants to make some simple swaps like swapping chicken breasts for chicken-style strips, plant-based eating can really reduce your impact on the environment. Even one vegan day a week can help. Try some of Fry’s tasty vegan recipes, like a delicious buddha bowl or creamy pasta – all are made with yummy plantbased ingredients. 2 Save your energy Try boosting your insulation to improve energy efficiency, use a smart meter to track how much energy you use or switch to a greener…

Walking around the busy supermarket, my little girl headed straight to the chocolate aisle. ‘Choc, choc,’ Lainey, two, squealed at me. I didn’t need to ask her what kind of chocolate she wanted. She may have only been two, but she had a clear favourite. Terry’s Chocolate Orange. Or ‘ball choc’ as she likes to call it. Thankfully, Lainey loves to share and always offers her siblings Kaci, 13, and Deacon, nine, a bit. After finishing our shop, I strapped Lainey into her car seat and carried on with the rest of the day. However, we must have forgotten all about the Terry’s Chocolate Orange, as we left it in the back seat. It was only a few days later, in July of this year, when we came across it.…

Q I’ve just turned 50 and I know I need to start going for prostate checks, but I’m nervous. Are there any signs of prostate cancer I should look out for? David, Manchester A Prostate cancer is relatively common in men over the age of 50, so it is wise for you to start being mindful of your prostate health. The good news is that when diagnosed early, the treatment success rates are very high. We would recommend that all men over the age of 50 book appointments with their GP to discuss prostate cancer. The most common test is blood test to measure PSA (prostate specific antigen). If your PSA is elevated, a biopsy may then be required. Symptoms of prostate cancer may include changes to the way you…

Propping my camera against my bedroom wall, I hit record. As a kid, I loved speaking to computers and pretending to be my favourite YouTubers. I’ve been confident from a young age, and used to love watching and recreating fashion content and videos that I had seen online. ‘Mum, Mum!’ I’d yell. ‘Look at my outfit!’ Whenever my mum Gemma, 37, was getting ready to go out, I’d run to her room to help her go through her clothes and pick out the perfect look. I was always that kid. I loved putting outfits together and dressing up. During lockdown last year, I would fill the days of boredom by scrolling through funny TikTok videos and watching people attempt the ‘renegade’ dance online. I’m going to try this, I said…

1. Find time for friends… Get out there and socialise with people. It takes a village to raise a baby, and a village to support a mama. 2. Get moving… Go for a walk, schedule time to do a class or some other exercise. Got 20 minutes to yourself at home? Put on your favourite YouTube workout or stretch. 3. Always face the day with a clean face! Sounds simple, but one of the only goals I set for myself when I first had a baby was to have a shower every day, the hairdryer could wait, but a shower and a change of clothes made me feel a bit more ‘together’. 4. Read… No, that doesn’t mean scroll the internet! Find some time every week to enjoy the mentally relaxing…

YOU WILL NEED: STEP 1 Carefully remove the inner sections of the sideboard doors. Wear eye protection and use a cutting board if necessary, or work outdoors. STEP 2 Paint the door frames and sideboard with furniture paint. STEP 3 Once the doors are dry, measure enough cane webbing to cover the missing inner section. Make sure it’s slightly larger than the opening so you can stick it down. For instance, we allowed a 1cm overrun on all sides. Cut out two pieces of cane webbing, one for each door. STEP 4 Use a staple gun to carefully attach the cane webbing on the inside of the doors. If you don’t have a staple gun, very strong tape or furniture…

Want to add a touch of fun to your dining table? Well Iceland are sharing some delicious recipes that everyone can get involved in making. With travel being off the cards for most this summer, food is one-way shoppers can relive their favourite trips. In true Iceland style, the supermarket’s innovation kitchen has taken classic holiday meals and added a new and fun twist. All items used in the recipes can be found in store and online via www.iceland.co.uk Porridge fingers Serves: 4 □ 1kg of Quaker rolled porridge oats□ Full fat milk□ 6 Granny Smith apples□ 39g jar of Schwartz ground cinnamon□ 150g of Snacking Essentials cashews & jumbo raisins□ 200g of blueberries□ 680g of Silver Spoon golden syrup□ 5 bananas□ 125g of British raspberries 1 Pour the oats…

Ambrosia dessert pots, £2.50, Tesco Incredibly luxurious, fun and nostalgic Ambrosia dessert pots have arrived! Choose between a milk chocolate mousse pot, or a smooth dessert pot in chocolate, with real fudge sauce, or vanilla, with a real caramel sauce. Eezy food boxes, from 47p per meal, eezyfood.co.uk Perfect for people who love good food, but want to make life eezy. A fresh food box delivered straight to your door - with everything you need to make delicious meals. Magners Rosé, £4.50 for 4, Morrisons A perfect summer serve to enjoy at home or on staycations, the light blush apple cider in cans have proven popular since its launch earlier this season. Canned for extra convenience to take with you on your trips away. OUR MUST TRY BACARDÍ Red Berry…

My partner, Lee Grace, was not impressed with navigating this coastal path on our recent staycation in Cornwall. Natasha Douglas, Kent STAR LETTER Me and my nine-month-old Raymond, making the most of my days off together. Sarah Bennett, West Midlands This is what happens when my husband doesn’t feed me. Deborah Oldham, Hereford Every picture tells a story. Marion Aldred, London Bridge 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.…

Laying on the hospital bed in agony, I was taken off of my painkillers and on my way to the labour ward. I’d been in labour for three days, and in the Watford General Hospital for two, before there was any progress. I was 8cm dilated and was in no fit state to move. When I got up there a group of eight or nine people rushed into the room they had moved me to. Looking at my hand and noticed that I was on a drip. My mum, Jane, and partner Anthony, 34, were in the room with me looking worried. They had clipped a monitor onto my baby’s head, and I could see it beeping on a screen next to me. Anxiety flooded through me. ‘It’s too late…

Seeing two blue lines appear on the pregnancy test, a grin spread over my face. I was already a mum to Seren, 12, and Ellie, 10, but this was my first child with my partner Alex, 36. I’d had a bit of morning sickness in my first two pregnancies, so I was expecting to suffer a bit. But when I was five weeks pregnant, just a week after finding out, I woke up one morning and couldn’t get out of bed. When I tried to move, I felt a horrific wave of nausea. I couldn’t even lift my head off the pillow. ‘Alex,’ I called out, and he rushed into the bedroom. I must’ve looked terrible, as he looked worried and felt my forehead. ‘It’s probably just morning sickness,’ he…

Getting ready for my first day at middle school, my parents sat down with me to have breakfast. ‘So what do you say if someone says something nasty?’ my dad said as I tucked into a bowl of cereal. I rolled my eyes. ‘This is what makes me, me,’ I said. ‘Everyone is different, and my difference just happens to be visible.’ I knew my parents were only looking out for me. I’d been parroting the same line back to them since I’d been in kindergarten. All because of a giant port wine stain birthmark, on the left side of my face. Ever since I was little, I’d noticed my parents constantly defending me when people asked about it, and I quickly picked up on their attitude. They built up…

Sitting nervously watching Boris on TV, I worried what the future would hold for my daughter Autumn, then four. ‘We’ve got to stay indoors for a little while,’ I told her, as she stared up at me looking perplexed. ‘Why?’ Autumn questioned. ‘I want to see my friends.’ ‘The thing is, there are lots of poorly bugs at the moment and we need to stay at home, so we don’t get poorly, too,’ I explained. ‘Can I see Nana and Grampy?’ she asked. ‘No Autumn, not for a little while,’ I said. Huffing and frowning, she hadn’t got a clue what was going on. I’m a single mum and the first week of just me and her was pretty fun. Me and my mini-me played together and loved spending each…

Mr P Soap Dispenser, £18, redcandy.co.uk The Mr P Soap Dispenser sits happily by the sink, sticking his tongue out and generally acting as a playful ornament when not in use. To use, you just push his head down into the body to dispense the soap from his red tongue. Verdict: BONKERS! How do you drool? Hand soap stick, £3.99, madbeauty.com You can be worry free when you’re out and about and equip yourself with Mad Beauty’s delicious, scented soaps. You can choose from three yummy and fruity flavours! Verdict: GENIUS! So handy! Crabby Spoon Holder, £13, redcandy.co.uk This rubbery red crustacean is made from heat resistant silicone and, with his strategically designed legs, he can either stand on top of the flat surface, on the edge of a cooking…

Mum-of-four Dominique Clayton was always the life of the party. Her friends and family loved being around her, and when Dominique, 32, wasn’t there, it wasn’t the same. Dominique, affectionately known as Lucy, was a single mum to four children all under the age of 14, living in Oxford, Mississippi. Her two boys and two girls were her whole world. Money was tight and although she was devoted to her family, it could be tough on her own. Around August 2018, she started dating a man named Matthew Kinne. Matthew was an officer in the Oxford Police Department and a member of the mounted patrol team. He’d served in the department for around four years and would go on to be named the mounted patrol officer of the year. On…

Catch Claire live on Facebook ARIES 21 March–20 April You know, Aries, it’s better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret. Pluto sees your imagination running away, and you may end up accusing your loved ones of things they haven’t done. Think with your head and not your heart, especially midweek. It can help you build up, instead of breakdown, important relationships. You know what to do, Aries. Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS 21 April–21 May Love and hate are strong. Try to take a step back, and realise that sometimes finding a middle ground and taking time out to watch and review is the best way to reveal who really has your best interests at heart. Plans you make regarding the home get help from…