Pick Me Up! 24-Sep-2020

Training for the Ironman Triathlon back in 2015, at 39-years-old, I was the fittest I’d ever been. Only, by the following January, things were starting to go downhill. I felt tired, I’d put on weight and my periods were all over the place. And when I went to my doctor, they decided to put me on antidepressants. I persevered, but I knew they weren’t helping. Soon, I started wondering whether it was my implant that was causing all these problems and so I had it taken out. ‘Hopefully this will help,’ I confided in my doctor, desperate to get my life back. By this point, I was really struggling with day-to-day life. I was gaining weight, my emotions were everywhere and most days I struggled just to get out of…

WHAT A GREAT IDEA Sometimes little ones ask the biggest questions. How do bees talk to each other? How does a rocket work? Where does rain come from? Join CBeebies presenter Maggie Moate on a sound adventure to find out the answers, with the help of experts along the way. Maddie’s Sound Explorers is a new educational podcast series aimed at 5-10 year olds. In this podcast, kids can go anywhere: down the plughole, deep into the forests of India, or to visit the very first dinosaurs. At the end of each show, a new piece of music is made from all the sounds and conversations heard throughout the episode. Episodes are up to 20 minutes long and are available on all podcast providers. Did you know? Every year, a…

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As I sat in the passenger seat of the car, my boyfriend Ben Carter, 33, and I were out running an errand. We were near Stockbridge, Hampshire, and as I watched the scenery whizz by, I smiled. It was May this year, and Ben and I had been together for nearly two and a half years. We’d met when we were working together as teachers at a school in Worthing, had hit it off right away. Unfortunately, we soon got jobs in different cities – I was in Poole, Dorset, and he was in Hove, Sussex – around 110 miles apart – and we ended up in a long-distance relationship. But we were committed, would speak on the phone every day, and take it in turns to visit each other…

BARELY THERE Barely there makeup is the hottest new trend. Not only is it popular on the runway, but it saves you masses of time. With a few simple steps, you can enhance your natural features for a chic finish. With the help of Lottie London, you can achieve a quick and easy five-step routine. Available from Feel Unique. STEP 1 Coconut Primer, £8.95 Keep skin fresh, hydrated and radiant. Infused with coconut, this delicately scented primer illuminates and smooths, prepping skin for the ultimate foundation application. Micropearls add a soft, natural shimmer that adds dewiness to any look. Wear alone or underneath foundation. STEP 2 Freckle Tint, £6.95 Achieve that sun-kissed, just back from holiday glow vibe with this beautiful Freckle Tint. Freckles are in and this temporary skin…

Opening up my emails, my heart suddenly sank. I read the one from Stacie’s school twice before summoning up the courage to go and break the bad news. ‘Stacie, I’m afraid the school has to cancel prom, I’m so sorry darling,’ I said, waiting for my daughter’s reaction. ‘But they can’t, I’ve got my dress and all my accessories!’ she wailed. I knew Stacie,16, would take it hard. She suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy after being starved of oxygen at birth. She’ll never be able to walk, and so was wheelchair bound from an early age. Although there were lots of differences to the way we brought up our eldest daughter, Samantha, now 20, we made it work. When Stacie wasn’t using a wheelchair we would carry her, and…