Wednesday, 19 January 2022

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Matcha Spinach Smoothie

 

Preparation and cooking time: 1 minute

Ingredients:

1. 2 tsp Matcha green tea powder
2. 2 dried date pitted
3. 2 walnuts
4. 1 handful baby spinach rinsed
5. 1 tsp hazelnut butter (optional, here is the homemade recipe)
6. 1/4 cup rolled oats (optional)
7. 1 cup (250 ml) of fresh skimmed or low-fat milk

Directions:

Mix together and blend in a mini-blender for a few seconds. Pour into glass and serve or drink directly.

Nutritional Value:

Green tea is known to be very good for health due to its antioxidant properties.

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Additional Information:

I tried to make this for the first time today for Little FECS and Baby FECS. They both liked it a lot. We even added tapioca pearls into the smoothie to turn it into "bubble tea". We couldn't taste the spinach at all, but they added so much nutrients into it :-) We also couldn't taste the oats. Spinach and oats are two very neutral power nutritious ingredients that work for every smoothie :-)



Monday, 17 January 2022

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Frederiksberg Ice-skating Ring

17 January 2022 (5Y8M1D): Frederiksberg Runddel

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shinning. I picked C earlier from the preschool and we went to the outdoor ice-skating ring at Frederiksberg Runddel with a friend and her daughter.

Every year, Frederiksberg Runddel is turned into an outdoor ice-skating ring. It has a very nice atmosphere just outside the entrance of Frederiksberg Garden (Frederiksberg Have) with sight to Frederiksberg Alle. When it gets dark, it looks magical with the lightings of the surrounding trees.

It is free and you can skate the whole day, if you have your own pair of skates. you can have it sharpened for 70 DKK. If you don't have a pair of skates, you can rent them.

If you need something warm to drink, you can get coffee or hot chocolate at the kiosk to the side of the entrance to the garden. They also sell ice-cream. 

After ice-skating, the children can go to the playground of the garden which is only a five minutes walk.

They have skates for very young children, even for 4 years old.

Address:

Frederiksberg Runddel,
2000 Frederiksberg
Tel: 4010 6050

Opening hours:

Every year from end November to end February

December:

Monday - Friday: 11am - 9pm
Weekends and public holidays: 10am - 9pm

January - February:

Monday - Friday: 11am - 8pm
Weekends and public holidays: 10am - 8pm

Rental of skates:

Rental of skates: 50 DKK per hour (1 hour 15 min in total including the grace period of putting on the skates)

Rental of penguin: 50 DKK per half hour

Last rental of skates is one hour before closing time.

References:


Here are other links to other ice-skating rings:






You can buy hot chocolate from the kiosk just behind to the left


Having fun at the playground at Frederiksberg Garden after ice-skating

Hungry? It is a 10 minute bicycle ride to the Ramen Bar at Valby (Ramen to Biiru) Valby Langgade 61, 2500 København

They provide free free-flow of water :-)

They have a lunch offer from 12-4pm - for 150 FKK, you get a big bowl of ramen of your choice, chicken karage or edamame and a soft drink. Although we came at 5.15pm, they still gave us the lunch offer :-) We love their service. You have to book a table or risk waiting for a long time.

Thursday, 13 January 2022

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Naturally Sweetened Easy Energy Balls

 

Makes approx. 20 energy balls

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup rolled oats
2. 10 dried dates pitted (A little more than 1/4 cup)
3. 1/4 cup hazelnut butter
4. A handful of chopped nuts - almonds and walnuts
5. A handful of sunflower seeds
6. A handful of Ruby chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Process dried dates into paste in a food processor.
2. Blend hazelnut into hazelnut butter in a power blender.
3. Mix all ingredients together.
4. Adjust with more hazelnut butter and date paste to achieve the consistency as desired.
4. Form into balls and ready to serve :-)

Additional Information:

If you chill your mixture in the fridge, it is easier to form it into balls. To store, freeze them up in the freezer. To eat, just take one out of the freezer. It is ready very fast in a minute.

It has been a long time since I have made another batch of energy balls. I finally made it last night. Little FECS, who is a pre-teen now and very fussy about food said that it tasted very good. That flew me to heaven with joy :-)

You can add chocolate powder into it to make Chocolate Energy Balls as below:


Wednesday, 12 January 2022

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Montessori Activity: Arithmetic Trinomial Cube

 


AGE: From 3 to 3.5 years old


OBJECTIVE(S): 

1. Visually introduce the child to the concept of cubes of trinomial, while providing a fun challenge. 
2. To prepare the child for mathematics, especially algebra, through the cube’s visual representation of the following algebraic formulas:  (a+b+c)3 =  (a+b+c) * (a+b+c) * (a+b+c)  = a3+3a2b+3a2c+b3+3ab2+3b2c+c3+3ac2+3bc2+6abc

MATERIALS:

1 Arithmetic Trinomial Cube: This cube represents the equation (a+b+c)3 in concrete form and differs from the Trinomial Cube in that the component pieces are color-coded to represent hierarchical values from 1 unit to 1 million. This makes it possible for the child to equate an arithmetical value to each of the cubes and prisms.

PRESENTATION:

1. Remove the lid and place it on the table with the picture facing up.

2. Take out all the prisms out carefully one layer at a time, keeping each level together.

3. Bring your child’s attention to the red cube.

4. Place it into the back left corner of the box.

5. Bring attention to one of the red sides of the cube and place a prism that also has a red side in front of the red cube.

6. Build the first layer by working your way from the back left corner to the front and then from the right side to the front.

7. Build the second and third layer in the same manner. 

8. Close the box, one side at a time and then replace the lid.

9. Invite the child to work with the trinomial cube.

VARIATIONS:

1. Build the trinomial cube layer-by-layeras in the presentation without the help of the box.

2. Build the trinomial cube outside of the box.

3. Line the blocks in rows by color: a row of reds, a row of blues, a row of yellow and a row of blacks. Then build it layer-by latyer.

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEZnNFxsnS8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2VHQAy1oAo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcMRfogqRpE

CONTROL OF ERROR:

1. The pattern constructed compared to the pattern shown on the box.

2. The blocks fitting back into the box.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

J saw the trinomial box on the shelf and was very eager to try this on 5 May 2014 (5y2m). Before I could show the presentation, he was too impatient and he had already taken all the blocks out of the box. So he built it, with a bit of help from me. I will like to repeat it again, this time, one layer at a time.

Update 16 Jan 2022:

C worked on this at the preschool. C assisted me with demonstrating this work to the kids at the Chinese class on 12 January 2022.

REFERENCES:

http://www.montessorialbum.com/montessori/index.php?title=Trinomial_Cube

http://www.infomontessori.com/sensorial/visual-sense-trinomial-cube.htm







This is the solution showing 27 factors

28 October 2021: Show Me Day at the preschool







C assisted me with demonstrating this work to the kids at the Chinese class on 12 January 2022.












Tuesday, 11 January 2022

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The Amazing Love Story of Lee Kuan Yew and His Wife Kwa Geok Choo


We all entered marriage at the peak of our lives looking the most dashing and gorgeous like Prince Charming and Cinderella (before balding heads and growing beer belly set in for the men and stretch marks etc. set in for the women :-P). 


But would our marriage last as solid and meaningful as when we got married? How could you nurture your marriage? How would your love-story end?

Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, the former State Minister's marriage is inspiringly and truly out-of-the-ordinary. Theirs is a true fairy-tale marriage. 


To the western world, the former State Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew is viewed perhaps at best as Singapore’s benevolent dictator who ruled Singapore with an iron grip. 

But for those of us who are grew up in Singapore, we saw first hand with our own eyes the solid marriage lived out between Mr. Lee Kuan Yew and his wife and their frugal life. That left a remarkable mark impression since I was a teenager. 

How many world leaders does one see that are so devoted and faithful to their wife? 

Whatever your political view is, Lee Kuan Yew’s marriage is one I aspire to emulate.

1. Put your marriage at the center of your family and life

One thing I learned is that even as a busy statesman, Lee Kuan Yew and his wife put their marriage at the center of their life and always make time for each other.

“Spending time as a couple was an important aspect in nurturing their relationship. Ever the busy statesman, Mr Lee still set aside time to walk around the Istana gardens, arm in arm with his wife in the evenings.”

“When given some peaches in hospital, she asked the maid to take one home for my lunch. I was at the centre of her life.” - A nurse at the hospital

It is not easy to put our marriage first. We tend to put our children at the center of our lives.

2. Live frugally as best as you could in order to put your marriage first in this material world that is full of temptations

“I’m not interested in changing either my suit or my car or whatever with every change in fashion.” Of course, I don’t approve of people who are sloppy and unnecessarily shabby or disheveled… But I’m not impressed by a $5000 or $10000 Armani suit (either).” – Lee Kuan Yew on material pursuit in life in the book “The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew”

Recently talk around the dinner table kept resolving around money and wealth. That shows we have much work to be done in the area of steering the character development. Boy, parenting is challenging and challenging a soon-to-be-teenager is getting tougher! 

Over dinner, our Little FECS asked why don’t we have a bigger house so that he can have the whole floor to himself just like his cousin? 

Money is not the only concern, time is. And time and stress go together. Time required to move house, time required to shape the house to our liking – it took us 15 years to slowly bring our current home up to the level that suit our daily routine and lifestyle, even though it is a relatively new building! And finally, that spells time away from each other. Already life is super busy enough with two kids, which will only get worse when they become teenagers! 

If mommy and daddy are going to have carefree time for each other, we cannot have a big house. Sorry Little FECS, in life, sometimes you don’t get what you want. But mommy and daddy will do our best to give you what you need😊A mommy and daddy that love each other and have time for each other - that is the best way we can show our love for you. 

Because we love you, we would not indulge you in material things to the degree that is not good for you. It may be painful, and you may not like it, but this is our loving way of molding your heart.

What is your marriage goal this year as a couple? I hope you would read these two articles and be inspired.

https://mustsharenews.com/lee-kuan-yew-kwa-geok-choo-2/

https://www.todayonline.com/rememberinglky/love-his-life-0

The greatest privilege is to grow old and still having your spouse loving you in return until the day you die, and even after you die. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew and Ms. Kwa Geok Choo's marriage is an amazing love-story that endures even after death. Theirs is a truly fairytale marriage that comes alive!

May God help us to put our marriage above our kids. May God help us to grow old gracefully and lovingly. And may God bless your marriage too. Theirs is a truly fairy-tale marriage comes alive!

“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.”- Proverbs 23:4





New Year's Eve 2021
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