Pick Me Up!12-Mar-2020的目錄

At just three-weeks-old, my gorgeous Jessie was diagnosed with multiple learning difficulties, and later, autism. She was a very shy girl, but she made it until year nine in state school, before combining it with a specialist school two days a week. I was so proud of her, but as her time in education drew to an end, we weren’t sure what the future held. ‘I want to work in a posh restaurant like Pizza Express,’ Jessie told me one day. She’d always wanted to work in the catering industry, but due to her complex needs, she wasn’t able to get a job. So, instead, we signed her up for residential classes in college, but again, we soon discovered there wasn’t enough funding and time to support her. I felt…

Cathy Wassell is a business coach and owner of Socially Contented. She’s also an autism advocate and the founder of Teen Calm, a subscription box for anxious teens (teencalm.co.uk). Second try Q My ex and I separated over 10 years ago but recently, my feelings have changed. I think I’ve fallen back in love with him, but it’s going to end in disaster like last time, isn’t it?  Molly, Leeds A This is what is known as catastrophising. There’s no more proof that it will end badly than that it will be successful. 10 years is a long time ago after all. Still it would be good to ask yourself some important questions. Why did you break up? Is it something you can forgive or forget? Can you repair trust…

Crawling into bed, I tried to be quiet. It was the middle of the night in September 2017, and I’d just spent ages sat on the toilet, frustrated. I didn’t want to wake my husband, but it was no use. ‘Is everything OK?’ Daniel, 36, mumbled. ‘It’s happened again,’ I said. Lately, I’d been suffering with stomach cramps. I’d been finding it hard to use the loo, and now, I’d found blood in the toilet. ‘You need to see a doctor,’ Daniel said, half asleep. I knew he was right, but, being stubborn, I put it off. But the bleeding continued, and when I read up about it, I discovered that it could be a sign of bowel cancer. Alarms bells ringing, I went to see my GP. ‘It’s most…

1 Giving blood isn’t important. □ True □ False 2 Giving blood is simple. □ True □ False 3 Anyone can give blood. □ True □ False 4 Some blood types are in higher demand than others. □ True □ False 5 As a woman, my blood can only be donated to other women. □ True □ False 1 FALSE The NHS requires 400 new blood donors every day to meet demand and ensure they have the right mix of blood groups to meet patients needs. 2 TRUE Giving blood is simple and helps save lives. All you have to do is register and book an appointment at www.blood.co.uk 3 FALSE Sometimes it’s not possible to give blood or you may be asked to wait before donating again. 4 TRUE Sometimes specific blood types…

Wendy Heagarty, 56, from Newton Abbot, Devon, had a wedding that was good enough to eat… ‘When I told my fiancé Ian, 64, that I wanted a chocolate-themed wedding, he thought I was bonkers – but it was us down to a T. Both having been married before, we wanted to steer clear of a traditional white do in a church. Ian agreed to it and we set on planning our Cadbury’s wedding. I made my whole wedding dress out of chocolate wrappers – it wasn’t hard, I’m a chocoholic! On 9 May 2015, I wore a one-of-a-kind dress, Ian was dressed as Willy Wonka, and my bridesmaids wore purple dresses decorated with individual Roses chocolate. All guests wore fancy dress and really got into the spirit. It was the…

Underwater disco lightshow, £9.99, www.firebox.com Dance like crazy as you scrub your soapy body clean! This waterproof disco projects multicoloured light patterns to make bath times a party. Verdict: BONKERS! Wash n’ glow! Kind Bag, £10, www.kindbag.co.uk Kind Bag recycles six plastic bottles to create each one of its super-cool, eco-friendly shopping bags. 12 fun designs to choose from. Verdict: GENIUS! There’s a new bag on the block! You’ll do cushion, £14.99, www.prezzybox.com Forget lovey dovey romantic poems and heartfelt words. This personalised photo heart cushion is the ultimate romantic gift. Verdict: BONKERS! They’re not too bad……

With its stunning beaches, ocean views, laid back lifestyle and sunshine, it was no hardship when US Army Medic Sergeant Michael Walker was posted to the island of Hawaii. His supportive wife Catherine, 38, came with him. After 11 years of marriage, she was used to the life of an Army wife. Catherine loved to travel and try new experiences and she made new friends easily, so she never struggled to settle somewhere new. It was 2014, and the couple were living on the Aliamanu Military Reservation in Honolulu, Hawaii. Michael worked in the emergency room at Tripler Army Medical Center. After a decade of trying for a baby, the pair were about to start in-vitro fertilisation and Catherine was full of hope about the future. She had absolutely no…

Lavazza Eco Caps, £4.40, www.lavazza.co.uk. New from Lavazza, these eco capsules are 100% compostable and should biodegrade in 180 days, all while retaining the same great flavour Lavazza is known for. Holy Moly Snack Pots, £2.75/150g, WHSmith. Holy Moly have launched a brand-new range of chip-n’-dip style Snack Pots which pairs their all-natural guac with a range of dipping favourites, including veggie crudités, tortilla chips and boiled eggs. Salmas Authentic Mexican Recipe Corn Crackers, £1.59, Sainsbury’s. Promising a delicious taste of Mexico for healthy foodies, these crackers come in two different varieties – Original and Chia and Flax. For those looking to make healthier choices, these bars contain 40% less sugar than ‘standard’ cake products and are naturally high in fibre. Plantastic cake and flapjack bars, £13.5, Tesco Express stores.…

Did you know? Gone are the days when a shower was designed only for washing yourself. Nowadays, it’s becoming more normal for people to multitask during their showers. With Alexa-enabled showerheads now existing and allowing people to perform in the shower, bath and shower experts at ShowerstoYou.co.uk decided to do a survey to see what we all like to get up to… • Surprisingly, drinking beer made the top three, and 1 in 3 participants said it was their favourite place to drink beer. • Two-thirds admit to crying in the shower, and 82% of people like to act out scenarios, some of them being winning an argument, having a job interview, and creating movie scenes. • Of course, singing in the shower came out top, with 91% performing Beyoncé,…

INSTANT appointment With Daniel Mace Restorative Dentist at The Implant Centre www.theimplantcentre.com Wisdom teeth Q My wisdom teeth have started coming through and it’s quite painful. Will I need to have them removed? Jane, Liverpool A Although some people can experience some discomfort when wisdom teeth start to come through, most issues are in fact an infection of the gum around the wisdom teeth in the bottom jaw, when they are partly through and it is hard to keep them adequately clean. Once wisdom teeth come through fully this problem often settles. If you get recurrent infections, you may need the wisdom teeth out. Also, some wisdom teeth lie in positions that prevent them from coming through fully, or can increase the risk of decay or gum disease and you…

Brew, stir, sip, repeat With recent studies showing tea is good for our hearts, there’s even more reason to put the kettle on! Studies analysed by the Tea Advisory Panel confirmed that the rich polyphenol content in a cup of tea, meant that tea drinkers were 20% less likely to develop cardiovascular disease. One study even found that habitual tea drinkers lived for 15 months extra on average and enjoyed an extra 17 months without any cardiovascular disease. 24%… that’s the percentage of Brit’s who experience back pain every day. The research by Furniture Choice also discovered that on average we spend a whopping 44 days a year sitting on the sofa!…

Staring down at the pregnancy test, I couldn’t help but smile at it. Me and my then-partner, Eddie, 24, had only been trying for a baby for about a month. As Eddie was at work as an apprentice engineer, I decided to surprise him with the news when he got home. I popped out to the shops and bought a little white babygrow with the words ‘I love my daddy’ embroidered, and wrapped it up in a box with the positive test. ‘I’ve got something for you,’ I told him when he got back later that evening. ‘What is it?’ he asked, as I handed him the gift. He opened it up and a wide grin spread across his face. We were both so excited to become parents. My pregnancy…

This recipe was created by celebrity chef Francesco Mazzei to celebrate Italian Grana Padano – a hard cheese that dates back to the middle ages and is perfect on your pasta! □ 400g spaghetti □ 100g Grana Padano Riserva, grated □ 1 tsp pink peppercorns, crushed □ 1 tsp pink peppercorns, whole, to garnish □ 1 Amalfi lemon (peel zested, and juice reserved) □ 50g butter 1 Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of salted boiling water (for 100g of pasta you need 1l of water). In a separate pan, melt the butter, add three quarters of the lemon zest and the crushed pink peppercorns. 2 When the pasta is almost cooked (and is al dente), use a pair of tongs (or drain the pasta but keep some of…

Struggling to get your kids to pick up a book? Experts at parenting forum www.parents.com share genius ways to get your little ones to love reading… Try audiobooks Audiobooks count as reading, and they can help children do it better. Hearing someone reading a book confidently is a great way to experience fluency. Start off with classics like E.B White’s Charlotte’s Web or The Magic Tree House series. Borrow them from your local library your download them from Audible.com. GOOD EXAMPLE Model reading love Children take cues from adults – when you grow up surrounded by junk food, you like junk food. So when you grow up surrounded by books, chances are you’ll love reading. Make sure your kids see you reading, and also talk to them about what you…

Hampton Court Palace Discover the magnificence of Henry VIII’s favourite royal residence. Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the bustling Base Court and marvel at the breathtaking grandeur of Henry’s State Rooms. Tickle your taste buds in the vast Tudor kitchens, stroll through over 60 acres of enchanting gardens, and lose yourself in the famous maze. Creep along the Haunted Gallery and discover the Baroque Palace, full of intrigue and gossip from the era. Audio guides are included in the palace ticket and costumed tours and talks happen daily. • From £11.90, hrp.org.uk Kew Palace The most intimate of royal palaces, Kew Palace was built as a private house in 1631 and used by the royal family between 1729 and 1818. In happier times, George III, Queen Charlotte…

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Putting in our personal details, me and my sister Carrie, then 43, finalised our summer holiday plans. A week in Benidorm – just what we needed. ‘I can’t wait!’ I grinned at her. Just a few months before in April 2017, we sadly lost our dad after a string of illnesses. I was caring for him full-time, but we were both absolutely heartbroken when he passed away. So, we needed some time away for ourselves. Excited, we set off in early August 2018 – thrilled to be staying in a fancy five-star hotel and finally having the chance to put our feet up. Arriving in the middle of the night, we quickly checked in and headed up to our shared bedroom to get some sleep. The next morning, we woke…

1 Cut a piece of duct take roughly the same size as your wart. Stick it on top and keep it there for six days. If it falls off stick a new piece on. 2 On the morning of the 7th day, take off the tape and soak the wart in warm water. File off the dead skin with a pumice stone or nail file. 3 Leave the tape off for the rest of the day and night then start the six-day regime with duct tape the next day. 4 Repeat this seven-day cycle for 2 months or until the wart goes, whichever comes first.…

with Daniel Mace Q I don’t like the shape of my teeth. Is there anything I can do to change this? Will, Leeds A There are many ways to change the shape of your teeth. Teeth can of course be straightened with braces, but the shape of the teeth themselves can be changed with tooth coloured fillings or porcelain veneers or crowns, depending upon what is most suitable. These days using modern composite tooth-coloured filling materials various aesthetic outcomes can be achieved without the need to damage the underlying teeth, which also tend to last well. Porcelain veneers and crowns do require some damage to the underlying teeth normally, and any restorations changing the shape of teeth are likely to require replacement over a lifetime. It is always important to…

Walking into the cosmetic clinic, I was so excited to finally begin the process of getting a boob job. I’d wanted one for years to build up my confidence. At 24-years-old, I was only a 32A and working in the fitness industry, my looks were important to me. ‘I don’t want anything too big, I still want to look natural,’ I admitted to my consultant. ‘We can do around a D, which will fit your body size perfectly,’ she told me. It would cost me £3,500 in total, but I’d been saving for this, and it would be worth every penny. But with such a major procedure, I had my concerns. ‘Don’t worry, it’s minor surgery,’ the consultant reassured. ‘It’s super safe.’ So, I booked in for November 2014. ‘Good…

Crack it! pg 38 Monkeys Cross it! pg 45 Grocery Fill it! pg 13 Heartbeat Bitesize! pg 3 Soon Number fit! pg 13 3182 Sudoku! pg 45 525 Follow it! pg 8 Pancakes Strike it! pg 13 Aardvark (Cross out: 9, 15, 25, 27, 31, 48, 52, 77, 84, 89) PLEASE NOTE Pick Me Up! will still be bringing you great puzzles to pit your wits against, but will no longer be offering prizes. All puzzle entries up to and including issue 26 will be processed as normal. Don’t forget, you can do puzzles for big cash prizes every week in our sister magazine, Chat.…

www.theastrologyroom.com ARIES 21 March–20 April If you don’t give a loved one some space to sort out how they’re feeling, you’re unlikely to get the reaction you were hoping for. The chance to let off some steam via a work event must be used constructively. This is your chance to be heard. Someone you thought you wouldn’t forgive seems to be stuck in your mind. Think through how to gain back your independence. Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS 21 April–21 May Other people’s reactions have forced you to make decisions of who has a place in your life and who you can no longer rely on. People know you are a kind sign but they can often forget that you are also a sign who is stubborn and does hold…