Thursday, 31 October 2024

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Encouragement for Your Marriage: See Your Differences as a Gift

    

See Your Differences as a Gift


Different definition of a clean house.

Different ideas on taking holidays.

Different end-of-day routine.

Different interpretation of movies.

Different needs for sleep.

Different approach to making lists - or not making lists.

A list of annoyances that become the dreaded "irreconcilable differences" and indeed they are. They are raw material for endless going-in-circles arguments and a drift toward isolation

Every single marriage has this challenge, EVERY SINGLE MARRIAGE, unless you are married to yourself.

How to deal with differences and fight isolation?

Solution:

Believe that your spouse's differences are for your good - they are actually a God-given chance for us to grow and mature. 

Make a decision to see your differences through a lens of gratitude

- as a gift from God to grow you up

- as the raw material from God to shape you into something beautiful you wouldn't become on your own;

- as grounds for God to build something new on.

The everyday clash of those differences must be met with a steely decision to once again, on a daily basis, to accept and love the other person as God's gift to you.

But how are we able to succeed in making such a decision daily? We can only do so by showing grace, Gushing Grace And we need to go to God for this source of grace, enabling us to do so. We can't show grace by our own effort.

Source: familylife.com Ed Uszynski

Wednesday, 30 October 2024

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Pumpkin Chocolate Almond Wholewheat Bread


1. 55g Olands wholewheat flour (25% of total flour weight)
2. 165g wheat flour
3. 1 tsp baking soda
4. 2 tsp cinnamon powder
5. 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
6. 1/2 tsp cardamon powder
7. A dash of salt
8. 2 eggs 
9. 30g sugar
10. 50g brown sugar (total 80g sugar 36% of total flour weight)
11. 340g pumpkin puree
12. 120g vegetable oil (I use sesame oil) (54% of total flour weight)
13. 30g orange juice
14. 50g chocolate chips
15. A handful of almonds unchopped 

Pumpkin Puree:

1. 1/2 Hokkaido or Crown Prince pumpkin seeds removed
2. 8 dried dates pitted
3. 30g skimmed fresh milk

Directions:

Pumpkin Puree:

1. Bake 1/2 pumpkin at 170 degree C for 30 minutes or until soft.
2. Add 30g fresh milk, 8 pitted date and blend in a food processor until creamy and set aside to cool down.

Pumpkin Bread:

1. In a mixing bowl, add 55g Olands wholewheat flour, 165g flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder, 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder, 1/2 teaspoon cardamon powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, a dash of salt and mix well.

2. In another mixing bowl, add 2 eggs, 30g sugar and 50g brown sugar and mix well. Add 340g pumpkin puree, 120g vegetable oil and 30g orange juice and mix well.

3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix well.

4. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and almonds.

5. Grease a bread pan with oil on all side and the bottom.

6. Pour the bread mixture into the bread pan.

7. Bake at 175 degree C for an hour, checking for doneness by inserting a tooth pick after it has been baking for 55 mins. If the tooth pick comes out clean, it means the bread is done. Take it out of the oven.

8. Let the bread cool down first before cutting and serving.

Additional Information:

I am trying to find out what can I make with my pumpkin puree and found this wonderful recipe!!!

I used Crown Prince pumpkin to make the pumpkin puree. I reduced the sugar from 250g to 80g (37% of total flour weight). I substituted the original recipe plain flour with 25% of Olands wholewheat flour. I reduce the chocolate chips from 120g to 50g and used dark chocolate chips. I added almonds. I use neutral sesame oil for this batch and it turned out great. I omitted ginger powder and clove powder as I didn't have them. Daddy FECS and C really liked it. We made this for Halloween tomorrow. We don't celebrate Halloween, but will be having family fun time instead.

References:










Sunday, 27 October 2024

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Bøllemosen Forest


What an amazing day and a day filled with gratefulness as I got to watch and observe first hand leadership by example and learning to serve with a cheerful heart.
I got to see first hand how the Danes tackle the rain. 

It’s daunting and especially parenting our own kids, but God just sent people into my path, helping me to learn, teaching me in this journey of parenting and leadership for our kids.

We must not spoil our kids, and must not use the “teenager” label to excuse our kids too.

Lesson learned today:

1. Count the kids once in the train.
2.  A stop before getting off, walk to each kid and tell them to get ready.
3. Each kid is expected to carry her own back pack. Parents aren’t supposed to carry for them (this is the same principle in C’s school. Parents are not supposed to carry their school bag no matter how heavy).
4. Each kid learns responsibility by carrying something of the supplies.
5. Each kid is briefed to walk within the range of distance from the group.
6. Upon arrival, tell the kids the sequence of the event:

- Find stick each in the forest.
- Sharpen the stick with a knife.
- Saw wood 🪵 and encourage them to try, but they don’t have to finish.
- Start fire 🔥 with the woods.
- Find 5 leaves but within sight.
- Free-time, play with ball etc.
- Sanitize hands.
- Prepare food together.
- Clean up together.

6. When picking leaves and sticks, the kids were briefed to go where they wished, but within sight.

7. Everyone worked to enjoy the fruit of the labor -  help to find sticks, chop the woods, start the fire, etc.

8. Sanitise hands before preparing food, even n the forest.

9. Sequence of food presented, carrots, fruits, pizza, bread rolls. Only these are eaten, then each kid is allowed to grill max 2 mashmellows.

10. Each kid is allowed one cookie. 

As I followed the scouts today, I have been reminded once again that the Singapore’s government leadership during the nation building years (and even now perhaps) were made up with an overwhelming majority from the Singapore’s scouting background.

Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, our founding Prime Minister, once said that scouting is one of the best way to learn leadership.

Scouting is a Christian organisation, and thus the majority of the Singapore leadership are Christians.
J added that team sports is another excellent way for the kids to learn leadership, and he has learned much of it through basketball 🏀 

What a privilege we have to join these activities in Denmark 🇩🇰 

For those who are interested to reach your kids leadership, below is the website to the scouting organization we belong to:


References:









From Skodsborg station, 

take the direction towards Skodsborg Børnehave kindergarten to reach the forest nature playground.

You can also take bus 194 from Lyngby train station and it is about 21 minutes ride.

There is parking available near the entrance of the forest.




You will pass by Naturlegeplads Kronhjorten nature playground on your way to Bøllemosen.








The first thing we did was to find a long branch for the bonfire.

Arrived at Bøllemosen.

These twits are good for starting fire.

Sawing the branch into fire woods.

Sharpening the sticks








The length of the saw compared with the bench.

Starting fire.

Finding 5 leaves.

Playing balls.

Sanitizing hands before food preparation.

The happy girls assembling their pizza.
















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