Pick Me Up! 09-Aug-2018

Michelle and I have been friends for 18 years, ever since she started dating my cousin Brian in 2000. We were inseparable at once, almost like sisters. When they married, she was my cousin-in-law, best friend and so much more. We live just 20 minutes apart in Kent and pop in on each other to share gossip and giggles! When I found out I was pregnant in February 2014, I couldn’t wait to tell her. After taking the test she was the first person I spoke to. She couldn’t wait to be an auntie again and I couldn’t wait for our latest addition. So when I needed help on the due date, Michelle was by my side as a birthing partner. She was incredible at helping my fiance Andrew and…

After a long day of work, I always get treated to these three poking their heads up at the window. It’s always a nice welcome home. Kerry Lucey, Tadworth I shaved my hair off for charity and then went to the Amsterdam Icebar. I realised a hat might have been a good idea! Chloe Cork, Stoke-on-Trent Snapped this robin while out walking in the sunshine, I think he’s a bit early for Christmas, don’t you? Liam McParland, Crosland Moor My five-year-old boy Louie has always been my little superhero! So, here he is donning his true colours. Jolene Shore, Stockton-on-Tees I love this photo of me and my partner fulfilling his dream of visiting Barcelona’s Camp Nou ground. What a good girlfriend I am! Natasha Douglas, Rainham I’ve always wanted…

Send us your stories and photos, including all names and ages, a daytime phone number and full address. E-mail pickmeup@ti-media.com CALL 020 3148 6460 WRITE TO Pick Me Up!, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP FACEBOOK facebook.com/pickmeupmag SEE OUR WEBSITE lifedeathprizes.com TI Media Limited reserves the right to reuse any submission sent to Pick Me Up! magazine, in any format or medium. Unfortunately, we can’t return photos without a stamped sae. Letters/photos must not be sent to any other publication.…

Stroking my 10-month-old daughter’s soft brown hair, I pulled the duvet up under her chin. ‘Night night,’ I smiled, as her eyes began to close. I was a young, single mum, only 19. It wasn’t easy, but I was lucky. Living with Mum and Dad meant I could still study Beauty Therapy at college and have the odd night out, too. Like tonight. ‘Taxi’s here, love!’ I heard Dad call from downstairs. It was past 8pm on a cold and blustery night in January 2018, and I was already late for a night out in Leeds. A friend was celebrating her birthday with a plush apartment she’d rented out for a group of us. Just 15 minutes later, I’d arrived in the city centre. ‘I’ll jump out here,’ I told…

Think outside the box! You can completely transform your dull old storage boxes into light and bright keepsakes. All it takes is a quick coat of paint and some 30p stickers. Mine looks much better and now it perfectly matches my bedroom. Anna Heslop, Dunfermline Dip tip! Rather than having loads of half-empty sauce bottles and bowls all over the table, simply put your dips and nibbles into the segments of a muffin tin. It looks so much better. Lisa Adams, Halesowen Bright idea If you have a jar candle that comes with a lid, you can reuse those lids as coasters. Perfect for keeping your furniture free from tea stains. Tanya Taylor, Rawtenstall Jewellery straw-age Stop necklaces from getting tangled up by using a straw. Ideal for when going…

My eyes fluttered open and, slowly, six blurry faces came into view. It was 20 May 2013 and my mind raced as I tried to focus. Only, it was like wading through treacle. What the heck’s going on? And why are all these people still staring at me? Looking closer, I recognised my mum Glenda, then 58, and dad John, 63. Next to them stood two teenagers, a little boy with twinkling blue eyes, and a tall man with a kind smile. ‘How are you feeling, Mum?’ asked the teenage girl, reaching for my hand. ‘Mum’? Oh, my… It dawned on me that these strangers were my family - the bloke was my husband and those children were all mine! My mouth gaped, a million questions at the ready. But,…