Innholdsfortegnelse for February Special 2017 i Pick Me Up! Special

Ever feel like all eyes are on you? Hardly surprising when you see Mimi's incredible make-up ( p24 ). And she's not the only amazing lady keen to pursue an unusual career. Women are going wild for Jasmine's soap ( p38 ) - made from breast milk! Meanwhile, sisters Alexis and Marisela have found a unique way to meet eligible blokes... by getting men to pay to date them! ( p10 ) With Valentine's Day looming, Sue and her fella, Jono, still believe in good old fashioned romance... although he hopes to get her down the aisle after proposing in the aisles - at the supermarket! ( p14 ) But no bride could ever compete with plucky Monique ( p62 ) who, after cheating death, plumped to get married in…

He told me that he loved me, wanted to be with me Pouting into the mirror, at just 13, I was already a little fashionista! ‘Coming!’ I shouted to my mum, Kerry Bullock, 39. We were off to her cousin Kelly Ball’s wedding. I didn’t know her well and had never met her groom, Steven, but it was a big family affair and I wanted to look my best. Travelling from our home in St Helen’s to London, later that day we watched Kelly glide down the aisle in a strapless pink gown. It was amazing! And, after busting some moves at the wedding party, I popped outside for some fresh air. ‘Hey, come over here,’ someone shouted across the car park. It was Steven, the groom. He was smoking…

Meet the expert: Sheila Young is a reader with Psychic Sisters. Find out more at www.psychicsisters.co.uk QUIET TIME Danielle, 27, London Sheila says: I feel this is a very sensitive, quiet person on the outside but there’s a party girl within. This person is very caring and possibly has taken care of someone close to them. They’ve got a creative and very passionate side to them and will take relationships seriously, connecting deeply with their partner. They are very good with words and love writing and music. Danielle says: The majority is correct. I consider myself caring, creative and able to connect with people on a deep level. I do love writing and music and can be quiet. DO THE JOB RIGHT Carys, 35, Gwynedd Sheila says: This…

Celebrating my 20th birthday, in October 2014, me, my boyfriend, Chris, 20, and my family had dinner together. Then Chris stood up. We'd been dating since I was 14, and now he proposed. 'Yes!' I squealed. 'Put the ring on, then!' my mum, Tina, 42, said. I struggled getting it on. 'Don't, if it doesn't fit.' Chris urged, but I was determined. As we posed for photos, though, my finger started throbbing. 'It's stuck!' I yelped. Worse, my finger was blue! We tried everything from Vaseline to frozen peas – no use! At A&E, Chris couldn't stop apologising. After a two-hour wait, a doctor snipped off the ring in seconds. Phew! Looking back, it's hilarious. In August 2015, I spotted a competition on eva.co, the video social network, asking for…

1 www.thetrainline.com/ticketalert Train travel can be pricey so take advantage of trainline.com’s travel alerts. Fill in the dates of when you want to travel and if and when there are offers on those days, they’ll e-mail you. 2 ojp .nationalrail.co.uk/service / farefinder/search Go to the cheapest fare finder app on nationalrail.co.uk, enter your travel details and let the site search for the best deals from all train operators. 3 www.gopili.co.uk/bus Before you buy coach tickets, check out Gopili. It’ll search Megabus, National Express and European operators for special offers. 4 www.londontravelwatch.org. uk Trekking round the capital can be expensive, so visit London TravelWatch before you shell out for travelcards. 5 seat61.com This site is packed with nuggets of…

‘Red blotches appeared round his mouth’ ‘Elijah was kept under sedation for several days’ One second. That’s all it took. In that briefest moment, my hubby, Jim, 40, looked away, and our 11-month-old son, Elijah, got his hands on a bottle of oven cleaner. And put it to his lips. It was September 2015 -I’d been working late and was on the train home from my admin job. My signal was dipping in and out, when I got a text from Jim. Tried to call, he wrote. Elijah got hold of some oven cleaner. We're on our way to A&E. My stomach fell. In shock, I realised my train was pulling into the station down the road from Birmingham Children’s Hospital, so I leapt out and just ran. It was…

‘I love seeing the vulnerable animals become strong’ BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. Snuggled up in bed with my fella Andy Everett, 36, I could have slept for hours. But then, that sound again... BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. It was my 3am alarm...time to feed little Hugh! Leaving Andy cocooned cosily in the duvet, I pulled on my dressing gown and trudged into Hugh’s room next door. ‘Come here, you,’ I cooed, picking him up. I’d only fed him three hours before, and at 6am I’d have to do this all over again. But you see, Hugh wasn’t my human baby, he was a shrew I’d been hand-rearing. It was November last year and three times a night, every night, I got up to feed the teeny animal. I was a mum to…

‘He had 21cm chopped off – and loved the result!’ Kids are always full of questions. And with William, now 5, that's exactly what you get. 'Why hasn't Daddy got any hair?' he asked one day. He was worried his dad, Kirk Moyce, 33, was sick, after I'd explained why cancer patients he'd seen on telly were bald. Truth was, my car trader fella had simply lost his hair young. 'Daddy isn't sick, he just went bald naturally,' I explained to him. My lad was so proud of his own shock of blond hair – which was 35cm long – he'd refused to have it cut for two years. He loved tying sparkly ribbons in it, and people sometimes mistook him for girl. 'Your daughter's beautiful,' people would remark, when…

Adrenalin Quarry, South East Cornwall The Zip at Adrenalin Quarry is the only wire in the UK which you don’t have to pre-book. Jump off a 50m high cliff and fly across the quarry at speeds of up to 40mph. The wire reopens for half term on 11 February, and every weekend from then on. Thrill-seekers of all ages are invited to take the plunge. Prices start from £12.50. • Visit www.adrenalin quarry.co.uk Go Ape Battersea Park, London Swoop over Battersea Park in a fun-filled 750-metre obstacle course. Open especially for February half-term, bring along your own little monkeys for a treetop adventure. At over 13 metres high, it’s sure to get the adrenaline pumping! Open to ages 10 and above, prices start from £27. • Visit goape.co.uk/days-out/battersea Zip Trek Park,…

• THEY SAY Echinacea’s a traditional, natural remedy for helping ward off cold and flu symptoms. Chew two tablets two to three times a day when symptoms strike. • YOU SAY ‘I’ve used Echinacea products for a few years now, but I much prefer this chewable tablet form to the usual pills and liquids.’ Katie, Devon WE SAY It’s miserable having a cold! We’re massive fans of anything that helps soothe the sniffles.…

‘About 700 people gathered to watch us’ ‘I'd nearly died. What on earth did my weight matter?’ Delving into online dating, I was after a casual fling. Little did I expect Rowan Penberthy to be popping the question just a few months later. ‘Would you like to get married one day?’ he asked. ‘Yes, I think so,’ I replied. And, as 2015 progressed, he kept asking - making it clear, my non-committal response wasn’t good enough. ‘If you want to marry me, you’ll have to do it with diamonds,’ I eventually told him. With that, we started ring shopping. And in March 2015, when Rowan, now 27, proposed again, holding a gorgeous diamond sparkler, I accepted. Seeing Rowan’s picture online, back in October 2014, I’d started chatting and discovered we…

Say ahhh! My 2-year-old-son, Oscar, and I. After a delay in speech, he had just learned the word, ‘tongue’ and took great pleasure in showing it to me! Levi Scott, Isle Of Wight How funny!   What's the best thing about Valentine's Day? The day after – when all the chocolate goes on sale! Twist in the tail ‘Please Sir, I want some more,’ says my cat, Stripe… or should that be Mewoliver Twist?!” Christine Underwood, Surrey How funny!   A woman is late for work. Her manager says, ‘You should have been here at 9am!' She replies, ‘Why? What happened at 9am?’ Hello yellow! Here are my boys, Jacob, 8 and Zachariah, 4. They met some special Minion mates on the Royal Mile recently!…

 Sitting in the passenger seat of my boyfriend Broughton Smith’s car, we tucked into our fries and chatted. ‘We were stranded in the dark and didn't have a clue where’ ‘What a view,’ I smiled, looking out through the darkness at the sea of lights below. It was Friday 8 May, 2015 and Broughton had driven us to Havant, Hampshire, to show me the estate agent office where he’d just started working. Afterwards, we’d bought a McDonald’s and parked up in the car park at the top of Portsdown Hill. At about 10.30pm, Broughton, then 18, started up his black Vauxhall Corsa and we began the drive back to mine. We made our way steadily along a country road. It was dark and surrounded by trees, so we were going…

‘We tied the knot in a festival-themed wedding’ Dancing my socks off, as the festival music roared, I was on cloud nine. ‘Give us a smooch!’ my fella, John Heselwood, 34, cooed. With floppy tentacles covering his face, it was hard to believe he was my dream man. We’d been together since 2009, after meeting in a bar in Chester. Now here we were on 2 August 2014, at the muddy Kendal Calling festival in the Lake District, dressed as the Futurama cartoon characters - one-eyed Leela and lobster-alien Zoidberg. And as the band, Razorlight, finished their ear-busting set, I was ushered into the centre of a circle of my friends. ‘Not another dance-off,’ I moaned. Suddenly, John dropped to one knee, with something shiny in his hand... ‘Will you…

1 Screen queen Set out bowls of popcorn and sweets, borrow your kids' bean bags to rest your feet on, dim the lights and finally watch that film you've been meaning to for ages. 2 Cook up Rather than ordering in, rustle up a meal you've never cooked before together. 3 Game on Crack out the kids' games - or dig out an old box of Twister - for a fun night in. 4 Massage Watch massage tutorials on YouTube, buy some oils and take it in turns to give each other foot or back massages. Practice makes perfect! 5 Lovely bubbly Pop some fizz in the fridge, run a bath for two, and toast in the tub. Aldi is doing champagne for just £9.99 a bottle! 6 Look back…

‘I was powerless as Alan dunked my head under’ My boyfriend, David Alan Owen, known as Alan, was carrying my bags on one arm and had the other wrapped firmly around my shoulders. ‘I’ll look after you,’ he promised. ‘You’re safe with me.’ We’d just started dating, but Alan was just the sort of man I’d been looking for. He was 18 years older than me, but I thought that made him reliable and responsible. He was so protective, I couldn’t help falling for him. We’d met in the summer of 2014 at a party. He was laid-back, and I was drawn to that. My mum, Geraldine, 53, took a different view. She’d worked with Alan’s ex-wife years earlier, and had nothing good to say about him. ‘I’d keep clear…

GOING NUTS Get a group of mates together and tackle a very muddy military style obstacle course in Dorking, Surrey. Run by Action Days Out, you’ll clamber up rope ladders and scramble nets, and wade through muddy water. Just remember to keep your mouth shut when swimming in all that mud! • Adults, £29.99. Visit www.actiondaysout.co.uk IT’S WELLY GOOD FUN! Wicken Fen Nature Reserve near Cambridge runs monthly ‘mucky pups’ sessions for under 5s. Expect lots of tramping about outside and getting to know a whole host of creepy crawlies. • Children, £4.75. Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wickenfen-nature-reserve THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE... Nab a seat on the tractor for a tour of Thornton Hall Country Park and meet all the animals, or up the ante and go quad-biking in the grounds. For…

1 Finest Fiery Ginger Popcorn, 170g, £1.79, Tesco This warming ginger-spiced popcorn comes with slices of sweet apple, making it a real taste explosion. Delicious! 2 Chosen By You Salted Popcorn, 90g, 79p, ASDA You can't go wrong with this mega bag of salted popcorn. The seasoning is nice and light, so while it is savoury, it's well-balanced. 3 Epic Toffee Popcorn, 200g, 79p, Aldi For those with a sweet tooth, this pack of toffee popcorn is a winner. The corn is well-coated and very moreish.…

‘Finding one pearl has odds of one million to one!’ We get the keys next week!’ my fiancé, Mark Jupp, 37, said. After a year’s search, we’d bought our first home on 4 September, 2015. That night, Mark returned to our rented home with a bottle of bubbly and eight rock oysters. ‘Time to celebrate!’ he beamed. Mark grilled the oysters but, tucking into my first - crunch! ‘A bit of shell,’ I said, spitting it out. But to my surprise, a round, white gem rolled across my plate. ‘A pearl!’ Mark exclaimed. I kept munching - what the... I spat out another pearl - a black one. We put the pearls in a glass jar for safety. Then, in the excitement of our move, forgot about them. A week…

‘It helps reduce redness, acne and itchiness’ Settling down on the sofa next to me, my sister, Chrystal, 30, let out a sigh. ‘It’s so nice to put my feet up,’ she smiled, cradling her 3-month-old daughter, Gypsy. Also mum to Pearl, 2, the poor thing was exhausted. I knew the feeling… I’d been juggling setting up my own business with looking after my kids, Noah, 16, who has cerebral palsy, and his little sister, Rosie, 9. Most days, I barely had time to leave the house, never mind hold down a 9-5 job. My partner worked in the oil industry, but we struggled to support the whole family on his income alone. But then one afternoon at home in 2014, when Noah was at school, I started rummaging through…

‘The laptop had been sold on in just half an hour’ ‘Norris and I have tried hard to forgive the thief’ Come here, you’ve gotta see this,’ I chuckled to my husband, Norris. Our toddler, Norris Junior - known as TJ - was in our front room dancing to his favourite song, Gangnam Style. Absorbed in his own little world, he didn’t see us watching. It was wonderful to see him so happy. Just 3 years old, his short life had been plagued with chronic health problems. He’d arrived in August 2009. Born five weeks early, he weighed just 5lb and seemed too weak to feed properly. Then, a week later, we noticed some red spots breaking out on his forehead. Poor thing also had a fever, so we…

Bad breath Bad breath often occurs after we've consumed something stinky such as strong coffee or garlic. Smoking is another culprit. Bad breath is also linked with poor oral hygiene, so make sure you brush twice a day and see your dentist regularly, in case it's gum disease or tooth decay causing it. Changes in the breath are sometimes associated with health problems, too. A condition called ‘dry mouth' (xerostomia), where there's a lack of saliva, can lead to higher levels of bacteria in the mouth, and sometimes it's due to things going on in the gut. A sweet, fruity odour can be a warning sign of diabetes. See your GP if you're concerned.…

Kerry-Ann, 38, Wolverhampton My husband was very ill and died when our kids were only tiny. It’s been really tough without him around. He was such a good dad in the short time he had with them. Between me, the kids and our wider family, we chat about him loads, remembering the things we did together when he was alive and always celebrate his birthday and Father’s Day. For the last 11 years, it’s just been the three of us against the world and I feel incredibly lucky to have such great kids. Although I still love their dad very much and miss him, I’m finally ready to move on and find love. Last year I met a man I think I can do that with. He’s kind and understanding…

VIRGO 24 Aug-23 Sept Venus moves into an excellent part of your Solar Horoscope on the 4th. This can see you benefit in the following four weeks from an improvement in your financial circumstances and particularly around any close links with others. That said, Jupiter, the planet of good luck, does go into retrograde on the 6th, reminding us all that when it comes to generating hope in our situations, hard work and perspiration are as important as great ideas. On the 7th, Mercury moves into an excellent location for micromanaging any important strands in your situation. The big picture is also important, and you know more than any other Zodiac sign that attention to detail is vital. The lunar Eclipse of the 11th could bring an issue into the…

GRAB A MEAL DEAL Make a saving on Kirsty’s healthier ready meals until 6 February. In Sainsbury’s the spicy meatballs meal will be £2, saving you £1. Smiles ahead Until 7 February you can save 33% on all Dentek products in Superdrug. Don’t miss out! I WANT CANDY Thorntons Fabulous Fudge Vanilla is just £1 for a 140g bag in Morrisons until 21 February, saving you 44p! Quids in If you go to Harvester during half-term, take advantage of the kids eat for £1 offer when you buy an adult’s meal. SWEET TREAT Keep the kids happy with these Haribo Tangfastics, which are down to just 50p for a 160g bag until 21 February in Morrisons.…

‘I had dozens of messages from men wanting to woo me’ Scanning the bar for attractive men, I sipped my champagne. Too fat…too bald… too nerdy… Where were all the hot single fellas? It was December 2015 and, recently divorced with two kids, Tatiana, 9, and Ariana, 6, I was ready for my next venture into love. So, all dolled up, I’d hit the town with my sister Marisela Guzman, 23. ‘None of the men here are worth our time,’ I sighed to her. Back home later, I scrolled through dating websites on Google, when one caught my eye. ‘WhatsYourPrice’ was a website that put forward attractive women to meet eligible men - for the right price. The men offered a substantial amount of cash - anything between £50 to…

Grabbing my shopping list, I jumped into the car. ‘Let’s get a nice bottle of vino for tonight,’ smiled my fella, Jono Dempsey, 48, as we headed to Aldi in Sale. For us, going shopping together was quality time! After meeting at 15, for years we were just mates. Then Jono, a construction and facilities manager, admitted he secretly carried a torch for me. And in December 2012 we got together. Now on the evening of 5 February 2016, as we drove to the supermarket, I looked down my list. Biccies, cereal, chicken joint... But Jono was acting strangely. ‘Hard day at work, love?’ I asked, as he started feeling around in his pockets. He must be tired. Shopping done, I started loading the food onto the conveyor belt when…

‘I look horrible. Like a whale in a wedding gown' My wedding fulfilled every promise. It really was the best day of my life. And my groom, David Rosser, now 29, was the man of my dreams. Together for four years after meeting at university, he’d proposed just after we had our 26-week scan for our first baby. And we’d set a date for 24 November, 2011, to tie the knot at the Parkway Hotel in Cwmbran with a lavish reception two days later at the Bull Hotel, Suffolk. I felt like a proper princess, in my silky white bandeau-style dress, with diamanté detailing. My mum Carol Long, 57, and I had spent hours, trawling the shops where I lived in Cwmbran, South Wales, looking for the perfect frock. ‘Oh,…

‘I got thousands of likes from all over the world’ Coming out of the bathroom, I gave my mum Don Lei, 57, a fright. ‘Mimi!’ she shrieked, ‘How on Earth have you done that?’ She was staring at my face -it looked like it was shattered into small pieces. ‘It’s an optical illusion,’ I told her. You see, I’d been experimenting with make-up for weeks, creating weird and wonderful designs. Inspired by a make-up artist online, I used black and white eyeliner to create a broken mirror effect all across my face. A few months earlier, in 2013, during the day I was working at a Montessori school in Vancouver, Canada as a pre-school teacher. But in the evenings, back home where I lived with my mum and dad Jacob…

‘Life was great, until I noticed a lump in my breast’ ‘Nurses couldn't keep up with all the yellow gunge’ Some women have big boobs and others have small ones. Me? I was one of the unlucky ones who didn’t have any at all. ‘Your boobs are so small, I need binoculars,’ one boyfriend told me when I was in my 20s. Charming! My minuscule 32AAs got a bit bigger when I was pregnant with my first daughter at 17, but afterwards, they vanished again. The same thing happened when I had my second daughter five years later, and my son two years after that. It really got me down. I wouldn’t take the kids swimming, used to put chicken fillets in my bras and suffered with depression. By 24,…

Serves 6-8 Prep Time 30 mins Cook time 50 mins Frosting: 1 Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 18cm/7in round loose bottom tin. 2 Using a mixer with a balloon whisk, whisk the sugar with the vegetable oil and then gradually add in the eggs. 3 Fold in the flour, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda. Add the carrots, raisins and yogurt and mix thoroughly. 4 Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40-50 minutes until firm to touch. Insert a skewer into the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked. Transfer to a cooling rack. 5 To make the frosting, beat the soft…

I was 16 in 2009, and I had no idea the sounds coming out of the telly would change my life. You're my one love, my one heart… The song, One Time, was amazing, the video was fun, and the floppy-haired boy singer was adorable! That boy was Justin Bieber, and that was the day I fell in love with him. I couldn’t get enough. I followed his YouTube channel religiously, loving each song more than the last, went to his concerts in Sheffield and Nottingham. My bedroom quickly became a shrine to Biebs - his face on every wall, as well as my bedding. A true Belieber, I started collecting everything he’d ever put his name to. Not just CDs and DVDs, but clothes, nail polishes and even make-up.…

‘The thrill of hurtling over the landscape was second to none’ Amid the stunning Snowdonia scenery, the higher you climb, the better the view. But why spend all day scaling a mountain when you can just clip on to a zip wire and soar above the breathtaking Welsh landscape? That’s what my family and I did when we visited Zip World in North Wales - and the thrills took our breath away, even more than the scenery! The attraction offers 11 adventures at three sites in Betws-y-Coed, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Bethesda, ranging from Velocity, the fastest zip line in the world, to Junior Bounce in underground caverns (for children aged 3+). Adrenaline junkies can reach speeds of more than 100mph on Velocity as they soar above a quarry lake. I’m…

INSTANT Appointment With Dr Louise Newson The GP from Spire Parkway Hospital in Solihull addresses your concerns about rare illnesses... Fracture fears Q My son’s been diagnosed with fibrous dysplasia. How can we help keep his bones strong? Tammy, Gloucester A Fibrous dysplasia is an uncommon condition in which scar-like (fibrous) tissue develops instead of normal bone. Some types of medicines called bisphosphonates are often used, which can help strengthen the bones affected. These drugs also help improve any pain and reduce the risk of future fractures. Testing times Q My teenage daughter gets scary ‘attacks’, with palpitations, sickness and itching skin. She’s wiped out afterwards. Our GP thinks it’s anxiety, but I’ve read about a condition called mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) that sounds so similar. Should we push…

‘Just 20 years old, I was given a death sentence’ Hauling a large box out of the car, a sudden twinge shot through my left collarbone. ‘Ouch!’ I yelped. ‘Are you alright, love?’ my mum, Terri, 45, frowned. ‘Fine,’ I murmured. But as the days passed, the pain wouldn’t go away. Within a few weeks, a worrying lump had formed over my collarbone. I went to see my GP, who transferred me to Royal Alexandria Children Hospital Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, for a scan. I was terrified about what the doctor might find. Feeling the size of the lump, I knew it couldn’t be good news. But three weeks later, on 24 May 2011, Mum and I were called back for my results. As we were led into a side…

Quit quick Stopping smoking is by far the best thing you can do to give your heart a boost, according to the NHS. Puffing on cigarettes is a major cause of coronary heart disease – and just a year after giving up, your risk of having a heart attack drops massively. Ask your GP for help to quit. Ditch salt Too much salt in your diet can cause high blood pressure, which is linked to heart disease – so eating less will give your health a real boost. Adults should have less than six grams a day. Cut it out of cooking and replace it with tasty herbs instead. Don’t feel tempted to keep a salt shaker on the table, and go for low-salt options. Reduce sat fats Foods high…

‘Before I knew it, I'd scooped the £1,402 jackpot!’ Shirley Davis, 59, Bedford Over a cup of coffee, my mum Rose, 80, chatted about playing bingo with friends . Me? I like playing online in the comfort of my own home! I’d first joined Pick Me Up! Bingo in June 2013. The site was so much fun and there were lots of games to choose from. My faves were Tiki and Sapphire, both 90-ball bingo games. Everyone was really friendly, and the chat hosts were always on hand to help. In my first month of joining, I won £1,100 playing Tiki. I had a lovely time, treating myself to some nice new bits for the house. Mum was happy for me, too. Over the years, I had other, smaller wins.…