Table of contents for 28-Dec-2023 in Pick Me Up!

Stepping into my local butcher, I scanned the selection of red meat on show. This was my first time – I wanted to try the best. ‘Could I get your best quality steak, please?’ I asked. And leaving the shop with a $17, New York Strip Steak in hand, I was excited to tuck in. Getting home, I plated up and found a spot on the deck. In May last year in Michigan, it was warm out, and I had a beautiful view of nature from my porch. And taking a bite into my steak, this was no typical cooked meal – it was raw. Biting into raw beef for the first time, the flesh was chewy but had a really subtle flavour. It was incredibly fresh, too. Sat on…

Meeting up with my sisters, I wanted to talk about something that we’d all noticed. Since April 2021, I realised that our mum Lesley, 78, had been acting out of character. From shutting the door behind her instead of leaving it open for the next person to accidentally locking her Collie cross Ruby outside, I knew something was up. ‘Have you noticed anything recently?’ I asked my sisters Laura, 55, and Emma, 53. And not to my surprise, they had. Collating everything we’d seen, we thought she could have dementia – the forgetfulness, the confusion… it all added up. And so we decided to be honest with Mum. ‘We’ve noticed you’re acting a bit unusual,’ we told her. ‘There’s nothing wrong with me,’ Mum said, in denial. But eventually she…

Gently holding my baby in the pool, he splashed happily. At nine months old, Mason was too young to take in all the sights at Hafan y Môr Holiday Park, Haven, but he was content. From splashing in the pool to crawling round the caravan, Mason had a great time. As did my partner Robert, 32, and our son Leo, six. Getting away for a holiday in October last year was just what we needed. And Leo loved visiting Haven – he was always so excited. Watching the entertainment in the evening, Leo would giggle and cheer while Mason would wriggle in a little dance on my lap – it was the perfect family holiday. Getting home refreshed, normal life resumed. Only, just two days after coming home, we noticed…

Getting the bath ready with plenty of bubbles, I knew it wouldn’t stay clear for too long. Not with three mucky, muddy and exhausted boys to wash, the bath would turn a jet black, sooty colour in no time. Only that was the norm with my partner Adam, 45, and our sons Joe, now 11, Stanley, now seven, and Ernie, now five. As somehow, we’d all landed in Joe’s passion – farming. Obsessed with tractors from a young age, with Adam’s dad Pete owning a smallholding 15 minutes away, when the combine harvester came out, I knew I’d find Joe inside. And despite Pete’s land not really a substantial working farm, simply fields of barley, it didn’t stop Joe from farming. Growing up, there was no getting that boy inside.…

What’s trending Are you partial to a pickle? You need to get your hands on this brand-new condiment from Heinz! A twist on the classic tomato sauce, combining two iconic flavours for you to relish, this is a must-try for pickle fans – like a burger in a bottle. • £3.99, available from Tesco Pickles and ketchup? The perfect combo! GET IN TOUCH Send us your stories and photos, including all names and ages, a daytime phone number and full address. E-mail hello@pickmeupmag.co.uk WRITE TO Pick Me Up! Media Centre, Emma-Chris Way, Abbey Wood Park, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7JU PHONE 0117 440 0607 FACEBOOK facebook.com/pickmeupmag SEE OUR WEBSITE lifedeathprizes.com Future Publishing Limited reserves the right to reuse any submission sent to Pick Me Up! magazine, in any format or medium. Unfortunately,…

Scrolling through Facebook on Boxing Day in 2019, I was missing my partner Alex, now 31. With me in Gloucester and him in South Wales, it was difficult spending the yuletide season apart. Looking through various festive posts, I stumbled across a Facebook group all about witchcraft and spirituality. I’d love to be someone who is physic or spiritually gifted, I thought. I’d always believed in ghosts and the supernatural – even as a kid. Going through my teens, I lost interest in apparitions, applying makeup instead. And qualifying as a beautician, a lot of my clients were spiritual – in a way I always felt connected to it, I had a subconscious interest in the unknown. But looking at the page, it felt like a bit like a wake-up…

Smells like heaven Want to smell like heaven? Well, Lush’s viral bestselling Super Milk conditioning spray is now available as a limited-edition perfume for just £30! Sweet and zesty, you’ll feel refreshed with every spritz of this citrusy, caramel treat. Part of the Lush X Community line, the perfumes and sprays have been recommended and voted for by devoted Lushies so you can have every confidence in these popular scents. Joining Super Milk is Creamy Candy, Tender is the Night, Toil and Trouble, Tram, Golden Pear and Sticky Dates. Get the glow Left Christmas shopping to the last minute? Well, if you still need to get a beauty lover the perfect gift that oozes thought and love, then this gift set from Liz Earle is a must. For just £36,…

Indira Chima is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy who is based in St Albans and specialises in helping people with anxiety, work stress and low self-esteem. She has helped people overcome issues such as self-harm, addiction, disordered eating and the emotional trauma of abuse. To find out more about counselling visit: bacp.co.uk and thecounsellinglivingroom.co.uk Can I change? Q In all honesty, I’m so stressed that I’m an awful person to be around. I’m grumpy, miserable and don’t know how to express my emotions without shouting. I know that I’m pushing my husband away – how can I change my behaviour before it’s too late? Stacey, Newcastle A It’s great that you recognise your behaviour and the impact it’s having on others around you. I’d like…

Waking up in the early morning, Keishla Rodriguez Ortiz always followed a similar routine. Feeding her two puppies and two kittens, Keishla, 27, would then call her mum Keila and make herself a hot cup of coffee. A self-proclaimed coffee lover, Keishla simply couldn’t start her day without a refreshing, buzzing fix of caffeine. Living in the capital city of Puerto Rico – San Juan – Keishla was living a quieter lifestyle than you might expect of a young woman in her twenties. Keishla didn’t go out to pubs and clubs, she didn’t upload her life to social media and she didn’t have many friends. Keishla was a homebody, calling her mother first thing in the morning, at noon, in the afternoon and once again at night. Close as can…

This week, our tip of the week will receive a great prize from Addis. This 50L Roll Top Bin with easy to clean surfaces is the perfect household essential. Featuring a foot plate for easy removal of bin liners, the lid also locks into the base, meaning that your liner will stay in place, too! There will be no bin blunders with this clever design. Its modern design means it will fit in any home, too. For more ways to make your life easier, please visit: addis.co.uk Be a winner! On a roll! Cover trestle tables with a roll of wrapping paper at parties. Makes the tables look nice and can just be thrown away at the end. Judith Cairns, Colchester Tip of the week Roasty toasty Over the year,…

Moving a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s into a care home can be a challenging time as it may take a while for them to settle in. But there are a few things you can do to ensure a smooth transition. • Consider a trial period or day visit to the care home before the person moves in. • Ask the home how they usually settle in new residents. Alzheimer’s Society produces a simple form called ‘this is me’ where you can record personal needs and information. Please visit the website to download. • Take familiar objects such as photos, books or mementoes to personalise the person’s room. • Sharing memory boards and memory boxes with the care home staff can help them understand more about the person.…

Crusty eyes Q I’ve been waking up multiple times a week with conjunctivitis. Sometimes I can’t even open my eyes. Why is this happening? Julia, Greenwich A Conjunctivitis is a common eye infection. One of the main symptoms is a sticky discharge which causes your eyelids to stick together on waking. This discharge occurs because the cells of the conjunctiva on the inside of the eye lids produce mucus and the glands produce tears. When inflamed, more mucus and more tears are produced, leading to more discharge being created. There are different types of conjunctivitis including bacterial, viral and allergic. In a bacterial infection, the discharge is thick and sticky. But, in viral infections and allergic reactions, it is thin and watery. It is important to treat conjunctivitis immediately and…

AcuPips Ear Seed Kit, £32, acupips.com Do you struggle with migraines, stress or the menopause? Then these sparkly ear seeds may be the answer. By placing the seeds on various pressure points on the ear, as a form of acupuncture, they can help improve your well-being and they look great, too. Including 80 crystal seeds and a guide, give it a go. Your body will thank you. Verdict: GENIUS! Play it by ear That’s a record! We’ve all heard about acupuncture – a treatment that came from ancient China, where thin needles are inserted into the body for medicinal purposes. However, Wei Shengchu has taken this to a new extreme. Breaking the record for the most amount of pins inserted into a head in 2013, Wei achieved 2,188 in total –…

Checking my phone the second I woke up, I was already inundated with messages and tasks. Which meant a 14-hour day spent on my device, replying to my clients, snapping steamy content, editing, uploading and giving my OnlyFans subscribers something to get excited about. And with over 12 years in the adult industry, I certainly knew all the tricks of the trade – something I had been pining to achieve since school. Wearing little heels and a bright pink patterned bag, trying to switch up my ordinary uniform, I wanted to stand out amongst the crowd. And when it came to discussing what we wanted to be when we were older in career classes back at school, it was clear that my confident and attention-seeking personality was destined for something…

Nursing a headache and getting under the bed covers, scouring through the latest issue of Pick Me Up! magazine had become somewhat of a hangover cure. With my partner Michelle cuddling in to read every story, there was no other place I’d rather be. Together since 2004, Michelle really was the love of my life. Obsessed with food and making her friends and family smile, I didn’t know it was possible to love someone so much. She’d even come to Comic Con with me each year after I’d dragged her along to her first in 2016 – after that she was hooked. In December 2009, we welcomed our son Cillian into the world and Michelle was the most amazing mum. We had the perfect life, but by 2016, there was…

ARIES 21 March–20 April It’s time to take back control of your life. Those you finally make up with prove to be your strongest allies in the year ahead. Don’t be afraid to say sorry where it’s due, either. Your life will be a better place to live if you do. Flirtations which begin during this festive time of year link to your long term future in more ways than you could possibly imagine! Call: 09058 170 710* LEO 24 July–23 Aug You’re working out what’s best to do, but instead of looking at how you can get back at those who have done you wrong, you’re losing sight of what has to happen next. Travel you embark on now helps you come full circle in a disagreement you were…