Innholdsfortegnelse for 1715 i Woman's Day

For the past few months my 10-year-old son Max and I have been lying down on his bed each night and enjoying what he calls “music appreciation sessions”. Turns out he loves a big piano ballad and is a huge John Mayer fan… which works just fine for me, too! But the best part for me is he’s still young and gorgeous enough to hold his mum’s hand while we listen – and it melts my heart every time. I was thinking of our closeness as I read the story of amazing Sydney mum Christina Skaros and her beautiful seven-year-old son, Samuel, this week. The pair share an unbreakable bond after both of them were diagnosed with cancer and subsequently helped each other through years of gruelling treatments. The two…

Their pregnancy news in February made them the toast of Hollywood. But with George and Amal Clooney due to become parents to two babies in two months’ time – and with Amal barely showing – some celeb watchers are suggesting perhaps the couple could be playing games. Despite being almost seven months pregnant with twins, the gorgeous 39-year-old human rights lawyer has very little in the way of a bump, forcing her and George to face questions over whether they’re “faking” the pregnancy. Amal is not the first star whose pregnancy has been the subject of a Hollywood riddle – Katie Holmes and Beyonce both appeared to have “fake” baby bumps while supposedly carrying their respective girls Suri and Blue Ivy. Last week Amal was hard at work in London,…

Jen & Ben’s joy WE’RE GETTING MARRIED AGAIN! If there’s one thing Hollywood loves, it’s a happy ending. Estranged couple Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have provided just that, telling friends they’re back together and renewing their wedding vows. The couple shocked the world in 2015 when they announced they were separating after 10 years of marriage. But they remained living on the same LA property to co-parent their three children, and no divorce papers were filed, suggesting they were committed to working out their differences. If these new photos of the pair looking lovingly at each other are anything to go by, their efforts – along with Ben’s recent stint in rehab for alcohol addiction – have reaped rewards. In fact, we’re told…

‘My doctor said I’d end up with full-blown diabetes’ With not an inch to pinch on her incredibly fit body it’s hard to believe that just over two years ago mum-of-three Mel Wright struggled with her weight. “My problems started when I was pregnant with my first child – I had undiagnosed gestational diabetes,” she tells us. “I put on 40kg with her and I couldn’t lose it. A petite size 10-12 and 65kg before having her children, three kids later Mel, 39, ended up a size 22 and stopped weighing herself at 120kg. “I felt despondent and that I was always going to be heavy,” she says. “Then my doctor said I was pre-diabetic and if I didn’t do something about my weight I’d end up with full-blown diabetes.”…

DIY Easter wreath So easy to do, this Ferrero Rocher Easter wreath makes the perfect centrepiece for any Easter garden party. Gather some pretty seasonal flowers and grasses, and a purchased vine wreath for a base and follow these steps: YOU WILL NEED • Monkey vine wreath, available from florists• Selection of seasonal grasses leaves and flowers• Green ribbon (5mm and 10mm wide)• Ferrero Rocher, for decorating• Garden secateurs and floral wire STEP 1 Place your monkey vine wreath on a firm board and tie a 5mm green bow at three points around the wreath. STEP 2 Bind flowers and grasses into small clusters and attach them to the wreath at intervals with floral wire. Attach 10mm green ribbons at opposite ends of the wreath, to help keep it secure. STEP 3 Carefully place the…

If you wear WOODY SCENTS try… The Body Shop Nigritella EDP 50ml $59.95 Spray it on the ironing board to infuse your clothes with this warm, heady fragrance. If you wear ORIENTALS try… Tom Ford Velvet Orchid EDP 50ml $175 This drop lingers long after you spritz, and it’s powerful enough to last from desk to dinner. If you wear FLORALS try… Nest Fragrances Black Tulip EDP 50ml $105 A modern floral that’s sweet but not summery – if you like lighter fragrances, choose this one. If you wear FRUITY SCENTS try… Sisley Paris Izia EDP 30ml $130 This fruity fragrance is blended with cedar and musk, so it’s perfect for between seasons. If you wear MUSKS try… Calvin Klein Eternity Intense EDP 100ml $59…

It’s official – nine to five is dead! New research reveals that one in four Aussies now have a “side hustle” – aka another project outside of their day job. Chances are you’ve see this new wellbeing phenomenon in action as your social media feed fills with posts from friends who’ve embraced their entrepreneurial spirit – from the work colleague who’s developed a cult beauty product out of her kitchen to the friend who’s an accountant by day but teaches yoga at the weekend. Even your fave celebs are all over it! Here are three reasons why you should jump on the bandwagon… 1 YOU’LL BE YOUR OWN BOSS The ultimate career goal is to become your own boss one day, so think of your side hustle as a practice…

If you want to know what it takes to be a bodyguard to the stars, ask Mark “Billy” Billingham. The new star of SAS: Who Dares Wins has put himself in the firing line for names as big as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe. “I’ve worked with a lot of celebrities and they’re nice people and hard workers. My role is to protect their physical being and their livelihoods,” says Billy. “People always ask me, ‘Would you take a bullet for them?’ No, I wouldn’t. What you would do if you’re a good bodyguard is make sure there’s never a situation where they’re put in front of a bullet. I think and I plan. If you’re my client, I tell you not to put things…

Monday ROAST TOMATO, FENNEL & SAUSAGE PASTA SERVES 6 PREP 15 MINS COOK 50 MINS PER SERVE 3320kJ •  2 x 250g punnets cherry tomatoes• 2 fennel, sliced, fronds reserved• 1 red onion, sliced• 2 tbsp olive oil• 375g spaghetti• 500g Italian-style pork sausages• 60g packet baby spinach leaves• shaved parsmesan, to serve 1 Preheat oven to moderate, 180°C. Line an oven tray with baking paper. 2 Toss tomatoes, fennel and onion with half olive oil on tray. Season well. Roast 40-45 minutes, until tender. 3 Meanwhile, in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook pasta following packet instructions. Drain, reserving ⅓ cup cooking liquid. Return to pan. 4 Remove sausage meat from casings and tear into small pieces. In a large frying pan, heat remaining oil on high. Saute sausage pieces 4-5 minutes, until browned…

Jodhpur style Ashley, health & lifestyle writer  “I have long legs but hate my wide ankles, so tend to wear baggy styles. These jodhpur-style skinnies mean I can show off my legs without the jeans looking too tight at the bottom.” Classic bootcut Sabina, senior sub-editor   “I’m short, curvy and have always struggled to find the right shaped jeans. But these balance out my curves, and the high waist helps to make my legs look longer.” Stylist’s tip When buying bootcut styles, always make sure that the hemline of your jeans hits the ground. Cropped Natassia, photoshoot coordinator   “I’ve got a curvy bum and wear flares a lot. But these tailored, patterned jeans distract from that and even out my shape. Love them!” Stylist’s…

GET THE LOOK STEP 1 Choose your shade – you can go bright and bold like J.Lo or soft and subtle like Emma. STEP 2 Use a fluffy shadow brush and apply all over the lid before blending out towards the browbone for an even wash of colour. STEP 3 Assess and apply more if desired, then layer your lashes with black mascara. MEET OUR TESTERS JESSICA, 27, JUNIOR DESIGNER “It’s easy to blend for a subtle wash of colour. If you want a more dramatic finish, just apply more. It suited my skin tone really well. Instead of making me look like I had been crying (which was my fear), it actually made my eyes look fresh. I’d definitely wear it again.” SOPHIE, 44, SUB-EDITOR “I didn’t want to…

My 12-year-old son Daniel is about to disappear into a dark tunnel. I watch from the platform as he vanishes into a world where an angry, fire-breathing dragon is on the hunt for intruders. There’ll be a hair-raising, high-speed chase before this ride is through, dodging ghostly dementors and a plague of spiders along the way. Wearing 3D glasses, he’ll fly on an enchanted bench from room to room inside the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, before soaring high over the castle grounds with only a broomstick between him and disaster. Welcome to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the new flight-simulating, virtual-reality ride wowing fans at the home of movie magic, Hollywood’s Universal Studios. It’s five years since the final Harry Potter movie – and a whopping 20…

AMANDA SAYS Kimbo tells me a severe infection took her life very quickly. She tells Bonita it was not her fault and she knows she was looked after very well. Kimbo tells me she was only about a day old when she first came to Bonita and stayed for about five months. She was very stubborn and did not often take the bottles Bonita tried to give her. Kimbo understands that she had to be sent to another lady after Bonita, as she needed more space to run around. She tells me she was first sent to a new home and there was a nasty and deliberate impact from a much larger male goat, and this injured her. She was then sent to another lady’s home, and this is where…

She’d never even attended an opera, but that didn’t stop The Living Room host Amanda Keller from jumping at the chance to star in Puccini’s classic La Boheme at the Sydney Opera House. Still, she didn’t expect to be thrown quite so far out of her comfort zone. “When The Living Room told me I could be an extra in an opera, I thought I’d be in the background selling roses or something,” says Amanda, who recently starred in the production, which is set in Paris around 1830. “But then I turned up and they told me I was playing a prostitute! When I saw the costume I had to wear – which was nothing more than some stockings, suspenders and a feather boa – I could hardly believe it,”…

‘I was doing crazy things... I was a lonely child, I didn’t do well at school’ With his good looks, acting chops and an adorable young family, Ryan Gosling appears to have it all. But behind the veneer is a childhood of pain and torment that has cast a dark shadow over his glittering success. Now, explosive revelations show Ryan endured a deeply painful family rift that tormented him during his formative teenage years and left a scar on his life. Although Ryan has spoken in the past about his difficult childhood, the true extent of his suffering has only just become apparent with the discovery of the papers from his parents’ bitter divorce. The Canadian star’s parents Thomas and Donna separated in 1994 after 20 years of marriage and…

‘Stephen got into a bloody fight with three men in London’ She’s always been one to embrace “girl power”, and last month former Spice Girl Mel B had fans praising her strength and independence when she finally pulled the plug on her 10-year marriage to Stephen Belafonte. In the wake of her brave decision and amid claims she’d been plotting her escape for some time, the truth about their toxic union – and Mel’s desperation to be free – has been revealed. Although rumours had been circulating for years that producer Stephen was bad news, the extent of his behaviour was not widely known until Mel finally called time on their marriage. Sources now say Stephen, 41, was controlling and abusive, even taking over his wife’s social media accounts and…

BACON, CHIVE & POTATO QUICHE SERVES 6 PREP 20 MINS COOK 45 MINS PER SERVE 2874kJ COST •  20g butter, melted• 1 large potato, chopped• 4 rindless gluten-free bacon slices, chopped• 1 quantity gluten-free pastry• ½ cup grated tasty cheddar• 5 eggs, lightly beaten•  ½ cup milk• 2 tbsp finely chopped chives• mixed green salad, to serve 1 Preheat oven to very hot, 220°C. Grease a 24cm round loose-based fluted flan tin with melted butter. 2 Boil, steam or microwave potato until tender. Drain. Cook bacon in a medium frying pan on high, stirring, 5 minutes or until golden. Drain. 3 Roll pastry between two sheets baking paper until 5mm thick. Ease pastry into pan, pushing together any cracks. Press pastry into side and base of pan, trimming edges. 4 Sprinkle bacon, potato and cheese into pastry…

1 SEND THEM TO SPACE WHERE Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre, Canberra For a day that’s out of this world, check out the international aviation and aerospace exhibition, Above and Beyond. Perfect for budding galaxy explorers, they’ll get to build their own supersonic jets, and even perform aircraft testing. Until July 23, 2017, $17.50 for kids over four, $23 for adults; questacon.edu.au 2 BRING THE WORLD TO THEM HOW Lonely Planet Kids: The Cities Book, $29.99 Budding travellers can take a virtual tour through 86 of the world’s greatest cities, from Auckland to Zanzibar Town and everything in between! They’ll learn all sorts of wacky, wonderful facts – including which city is home to a famous goat derby, and which city’s transport system…

Aries MAR 21 – APR 20 As the song says, “Let the good times roll!” It’s time to turn off the TV and shake up your routines. Under April’s sentimental stars, it’s all about reconnecting with family and friends. Delay any life-shaping decisions and focus on drawing more love and laughter into your life. Taurus APR 21 – MAY 21 Life feeling topsy-turvy? If your head is spinning, spending time around nature should help to recharge your batteries. As Saturn shines a light on your finances, make this the month to reassess family expenses and investment options – just steer clear of anything remotely risky. Gemini MAY 22 – JUN 21 Self-expression is crucial for you, and with Jupiter stimulating those creative juices, a new pastime could re-balance your life.…

The lines between fiction and reality can often be blurred. Luckily, Wentworth’s Pamela Rabe says there’s no chance of her behaving like her character Joan “The Freak” Ferguson, a former governor turned psychotic prisoner. “If I came home brandishing a knife and acting like a psychopath, that would be rather worrying for my husband, wouldn’t it? the Canadian-born actress jokes. “He definitely has nothing to worry about.” There is one tiny similarity, though: “A little bit of OCD,” reveals Pamela. “That was the writers’ gift to me – that Joan had difficulty shaking someone’s hand and then squirted a bit of [sanitiser] on her hand.” With the fifth season of the prison drama due to hit screens this week, Pamela, 57, couldn’t be happier to be back in Joan’s shoes…

UMA THURMAN Uma’s beach boy! After a rough start to the year following a bitter custody battle over her four-year-old daughter Luna, Uma was in need of some R and R. The actress left her worries behind and jetted off to St. Bart’s for a relaxing break with a handsome mystery man. And while we’re yet to learn his identity, judging by the pair’s sizzling chemistry, it seems Uma, 46, has known this hunk for some time! VICTORIA & HARPER BECKHAM Mum’s the word! It’s no wonder Posh has a big smile on her face – the fashion designer has the sweetest daughter ever! Making sure UK Mother’s Day was extra-special for her mum, Harper, five, wrote her a note, complete with the cutest spelling errors: “Dear Mummy, I hope…