Table of contents for TAK2447 in Take 5

Reading Tarryn’s story, over the page, this week, it really struck a chord with me. Wanting a family, and sick of dating apps, Tarryn decided to go it solo, and turned her attention to finding a sperm donor instead. I have two friends going through this at the moment and I’m so proud of them for knowing what they want and making it happen. I was happy Tarryn shared her story with us, so I can show them that it worked out, and the amazing community Tarryn has around her, so she feels supported. If you have an unconventional family, or taken matters into your own hands to get it, we’d love to hear from you. For a creepier read, turn to page 54, for our story about kids who…

Motherhood changed my breasts, surgery destroyed them Micki Daniels, 29, Brisbane, Qld. BEFORE Looking in the mirror, I felt like crying. After breastfeeding my beautiful baby Ellie for six months, my boobs had never recovered. Four years later, they hung down like deflated balloons after a kids’ birthday party. “She sucked the life out of them,” I sighed aloud. I still wore a size 10E bra but all the fullness from my breasts had vanished. Even in a push-up bra I didn’t have a nice cleavage, just folds of skin. I was only in my 20s and was proud of the physique I worked hard at the gym for, but I didn’t feel sexy at all. I felt embarrassed to take my top off in front of my partner. After…

A chef friend taught me to grate some lemon over pasta meals for extra zesty flavour. Naomi Gibbs, Whangarei, NZ. When my kids were quite little they hated taking medicine. I used to add it to a juice and they’d swallow it quite happily. Ash Nguyen, Canning Vale, WA. I’ve started using hummus in salad wraps instead of mayonnaise. It’s yummy and healthier. Maggie Cruz, Springvale, Vic. If you want to ripen a banana faster, you can put it in a paper bag. Trish Cameron, Nowra, NSW. My top kitchen tip is to toast nuts in a popcorn maker. Elaine Sheppard, Bunbury, WA. If you have a puppy, cut carrots into chunks and freeze them. It’s nice and soothing for your puppy’s gums when they’re teething. Lindsay McCormick, Lake Macquarie,…

Caramel biscoff wreath SERVES 16 PREP 30 MINS + CHILLING COOK 5 MINS 900ml thickened cream 3 tsp vanilla extract 2 x 250g pkts plain rectangular biscoff biscuits Cocoa powder, to dust Jersey caramels, caramel buds, to decorate PRETZEL TREES 1 cup White Choc Melts, melted 4 pretzel sticks Gold and white cake sprinkles, plus extra to decorate 1 Grease a 25cm springform pan. Line base with baking paper. 2 Beat 600ml cream and 2 tsp vanilla in a large bowl with electric mixer until firm peaks form. Spread 2 tsp cream onto flat side of one biscuit. Sandwich with another biscuit, then stand on its side against edge of pan. Spread 2 tsp cream on another biscuit and join to biscuits in pan. Continue process with…

My solo surf trip took a downward turn… Jensen Kirby, 19, Perth, WA. With a camera attached to the end of my surfboard, I jumped up onto my feet, then leaned and twisted, as a wave carried me towards the shore. I could do this every day and never get bored, I thought. I was in Indonesia on a solo surfing trip, staying at a surfing resort in the Telo Islands, in northern Sumatra, to film content for my YouTube channel. With the stunning scenery and perfect conditions for catching waves, I was having the time of my life. Then, one afternoon, I climbed onto one of the resort’s boats to go surfing. The manager and a mechanic were already on board. “We’re just replacing the battery,” the manager…

Sick of dating apps, I joined a sperm donation app instead Tarryn McKay, 36, Geelong, Vic. I opened one of my many dating apps, checked my messages and sighed. The guy I’d been chatting to for a month still hadn’t replied and it had been over a week now. We’d been talking every day and then suddenly, out of nowhere, there was nothing. And it wasn’t the first time this had happened. “I’m so sick of this,” I groaned. If I wasn’t being ghosted, I was going on awful dates, or being propositioned for casual sex. At 34, I was ready to settle down and have a family, but I realised dating apps weren’t going to help me achieve that, so I deleted them all from my phone. Good riddance,…

Kind strangers made the impossible come true for my dying girl Ashhie Wallace, 29, Upper Coomera, Qld. Snuggled up beside my girl, I was reading to her from her favourite book, It’s Nice to be a Narwhal. “It’s nice to be a Narwhal, I have a twirly horn. It means I can dress up like a magic unicorn,” I said, animatedly. After only a few pages, I noticed Audrey, four, was struggling to stay awake. “Sleepy now, Mama,” she said with a yawn. It was May 2022, and usually Audrey would be hanging on my every word. She must have had a big day at kindy, I thought, kissing her on the head and turning out the light. A few hours later, I was watching telly with my husband,…

Rudolph bark SERVES 6 PREP 10 MINS + 1 HOUR CHILLING 375g milk chocolate melts 1¼ cups rice bubbles 1/3 cup shredded coconut 18 edible candy eyes 9 Jaffas 9 pretzels, halved 1 tbsp silver cachous 1 Grease and line a 25 x 35cm Swiss roll pan with baking paper. 2 Melt chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (don’t let water touch base of bowl). 3 Remove from heat and stir in rice bubbles and coconut. Working quickly, spread chocolate onto tray as thinly as possible. 4 Working quickly, before chocolate sets, press eyes, Jaffas and pretzels into bark to form eyes, nose and antlers. Scatter with cachous, pressing in slightly if needed. 5 Chill 1 hour or until set.…

I’ve campaigned hard to get my daughter back where she belongs Rebecca Saunders, 36. I hopped into the muddy Jeep and smiled shyly at the farmer. “Rebecca, you asked if I thought you were pretty,” he said. I blushed and nodded. Then he kissed me and I swooned. I thought Martin McCarthy was gorgeous, but there was one problem. I was 16 and he was 42. I’d flown out from America to do some work experience on his farm. We had a secret relationship. When I went back home and told my mum, she was horrified. “He’s old enough to be your dad!” she shrieked. I didn’t care. A week after my 18th birthday in October 2005, I went back to Martin and we married in July the following year.…

My girl is already a catwalk queen at three! Bonni Sullivan, 32, Mudgee, NSW. Watching my tot Paisley, two, strut down the runway, I was in awe of her confidence. She’s a natural, I thought. It was 2023, and she was competing in a modelling competition for kids starting from aged one. At the end of the runway, Paisley did a little twirl and a hair flick, and I could tell by the judges’ faces, they were mesmerised by her. So, when she won first place in all 12 sections of her age group, I was thrilled, but not surprised. “My little superstar,” I praised her. Then, a few weeks later, I got an Instagram message from a designer in Melbourne, called Blaise, who’d launched the fashion label Fierce and…

Seafood sliders MAKES 10 PREP 20 MINS SMOKED SALMON SLIDERS 3 tsp caster sugar ¼ cup rice wine vinegar ½ tsp chilli flakes 1 small red onion, halved, thinly sliced 1⁄3 cup crème fraîche 1 tbsp horseradish cream 5 slider rolls, halved 20g baby spinach leaves 150g smoked salmon 1 small Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds PRAWN COCKTAIL SLIDERS 1⁄3 cup whole egg mayonnaise 1 tbsp chipotle sauce 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp chopped chives 1 avocado, mashed 5 slider rolls, halved 1 small cos lettuce, leaves separated, wash, dried, torn 10 cooked medium king prawns, peeled, deveined, halved lengthways 1 SMOKED SALMON FILLING Combine sugar, vinegar and chilli in a bowl. Stir to dissolve sugar. Season. Stir in red onion. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Combine…

At 97, Mum’s still caring for kitties Susan Reed, 63, New Plymouth, NZ. Letting myself into Mum’s place, I found her on the lounge chair patting her beloved cat. “Should we head off to the gym today, love?” she asked me. Although my mum Mollie was 90 years old, she barely sat still. When she wasn’t snuggling with her moggy, Cheeky, she joined me at aerobics classes or out for leisurely walks. She was even known to go on the swings at the local playground! Mum lived in a self-contained unit beneath the house I shared with my hubby, Brian, 64, and our dog and two cats, and I loved having her nearby. Now that my four kids had flown the nest and I’d retired from my job, I had…

SCORPIO Oct 24 – Nov 22 Just when you thought you’d taken as much tumultuous energy in your life as you could possibly deal with, the stakes are being raised. It’s now time for you to clear out your private life. Which relationships or habits have gone toxic? ★ Don’t be the manipulative one! AQUARIUS Jan 21 –Feb 19 This could be the most important horoscope you read all year! Pluto is now nestling into Aquarius until 2043. The magnitude can’t be overstated. Do burn off anything toxic in your life. ★ Look for win/win outcomes. Avoid bullies. SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 –Dec 22 This is a rebirth time as the Sun moves into your sign and Pluto moves into your Mind Zone. Your thoughts and words are going to manifest…

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