Fifteen years ago I married a wonderful man who already had one child. He had lost his wife in an accident a few years earlier. A year after the wedding I gave birth to our son. I don’t know if I was prepared for a ready-made family. Having my own baby made me realise how […]

Question: How do I keep my dog happy while I’m away? Answer: When leaving my dog to go to work, I throw a handful of pellets all around the backyard and also leave a chew for her to find. This keeps her busy for hours trying to find everything and she associates my leaving with […]

Question: I have a lot of trouble with blackheads on my nose. I have tried everything — pore strips, cleansing, toning, steaming, creams, but nothing seems to work. Is there a new way to solve this ugly problem? Chanelle Answer: I think what you need is a proper deep clean from a professional beauty therapist. […]

Question: My Staffy pup has started to lose her puppy teeth and the adult teeth are coming through. My concern is that her lower canines have come through and are not yet positioned correctly as the baby teeth were. Will this change as the adult teeth grow? Will they eventually position themselves correctly as she […]

When I was 18 years old I had an unplanned pregnancy. I had been with my boyfriend for three years and like all girls at that age, I thought he was the one. When I found out I was pregnant, I was devastated. I was shocked by my boyfriend’s response. He was elated and on […]

Question: I have heard that when male dogs are de-sexed they have a lot of bloating around their lower stomach area. Is there any truth in this or is my dog just slightly overweight? Collette Answer: Dear Collette, It is a very common misunderstanding that de-sexing animals makes them fat. What actually happens is that […]

Almost two million Australians are living breathing proof that life with asthma goes on. Most people with asthma are diagnosed during childhood, but it’s important to remain vigilant as we grow up.

Question: I wear contact lenses and my eyeliner has a tendency to run away by the end of the day. Is there such a thing as waterproof eyeliner? Grace Answer: Companies such as L’Oreal and Maybelline have smudge-proof eyeliners, but not waterproof. However, one tip is to keep your eyeliners in the fridge so they […]

I am the eldest child of four and a fraternal twin in a loving Italian family. However, it always annoyed me that Anna (my younger twin by three minutes) was deemed the “beautiful” one out of all the children. Anna was definitely Dad’s favourite; spoilt by him and encouraged by him to take modelling, singing, […]

Question: Dear Julie, We have just moved into a flat with our six-month-old male cat Tiger and a new two-year-old male cat, Tally. Apart from the terrible cat litter smells in a flat, they are new to each other and have taken to sleeping all day and running amuck at night. They can’t go outside […]