Playful Parenting

The Fun in parenting

Raising kids is serious business, but making time for fun is equally important.

7 secrets to raising happy kids

Parents should be the space where children can express themselves freely and just have fun. -- ST FILE PHOTO

There is so much advice on parenting these days, it is enough to make any parent run screaming, a harried father once remarked to me.

In the serious job of parenting, where is the room for fun?

But play is important, says Ms Katy Harris, a behavioural therapist who works at the Kaleidoscope Therapy Centre in Novena. Fun and play are like immunisation, protecting kids against all the other tough things in life.

'They are the antidote to 'trying hard' and coping with urban life - be it learning self-care, skills or routine tasks - everything from how to clean our teeth to knowing the letters of the alphabet, to managing school,' Ms Harris said in an e-mail interview with Mind Your Body.

Ms Harris tells parents that eating, dressing and bathing all offer opportunities for teasing, making up stories and using the imagination. Children learn useful watching skills, steps and sequence abilities, memory lessons, good listening and engagement - all the secret weapons to learning well in school.

'If in doubt go for using what you have - the tins in the cupboard to play shop, the pans in the kitchen to play drums, old socks to make puppets, rice and pasta to glue into pictures. It doesn't take a toy store - only love and a commitment to sharing through joy,' she says.

Ms Suvi Pitkola, an occupational therapist at the centre says the most fun activities are three-dimensional, concrete and real. They involve using all our senses: touch, smell, taste, hearing and listening, vision, movement and body position. She says the best fun is when the child leads.

'The adult is not telling the child what to do and how, but creates a situation in which the child can take charge and use his own imagination and curiosity to come up with play ideas,' she said.

Parenting coach and father of two boys Kenny Toh says he tries to do this by understanding his kids' preferences first.

'Our boys have different tastes - Sean, eight, finds soccer with Dad fun, while Dylan, six, prefers 'cerebral' games like chess and Scrabble,' he said.

He offers another perspective, which is that parents could create a relaxed atmosphere conducive to playfulness. 'Do our children look forward to being with us, or their favourite uncle or aunt who are more fun to be with?'

So it is not how much time you spend with the children but how they feel around you which matters. 'Do they feel comfortable to be spontaneous and do crazy things in our presence, or are they always fearful of being scolded or nagged?' he said.

Mr Toh believes that ultimately to raise happy children, parents should be the space where children can express themselves with freedom - sort of like a safe playground on which they play their hearts out and have fun.

- SHEFALI SRINIVAS

MUSHROOM TART AND GRAVY

Mushroom Recipe

This is a vegetarian recipe using mushroom to make mushroom tart and gravy

1 lb. of mushrooms, 1/2 lb. of Allinson fine wheatmeal, 4 oz. of butter or Allinson frying oil, pepper and salt to taste. Pick and wash the mushrooms, remove the stalks, dry them and cut them into pieces;make pastry with the meal, 3 oz. of the butter, and a little cold water; roll it out, line a large plate and heap the mushrooms upon it,dredge well with pepper and salt, and cut the rest of the butter into bits to be scattered over the mushrooms; when you line the plate, keep a little of the paste, cut this into thin strips and lay them in diamond shape across the pie; bake the pie 3/4 hour in a moderate oven.

The Gravy.--The stalks of the mushrooms, 4 eschalots chopped very fine, 1 teaspoonful of Allinson cornflour, 3 bay leaves, 1/2 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste. Fry the stalks and eschalots in the butter, then gently cook them in 3/4 pint of water for 1/2 hour,adding seasoning and the bay leaves; strain, return the sauce to the saucepan, and thicken it with the cornflour.

Popcorn Recipe

Popcorn is a delicious, nutritious snack that has been around since before the late 1800s. Traditionally, popcorn was made over the fire. This was not the best way to make popcorn as most of the corn would end up in the fire as it exploded. Since then, there have been many new ways created to make popcorn, including saucepans, air poppers, microwave ovens and woks. Below is an easy, quick way to make popcorn that tastes great.

What You Need To Make Popcorn

One of the easiest ways to make popcorn is with a regular saucepan. Just make sure that it has a lid to avoid having popcorn exploding all over your kitchen floor. You can also use a wok. A wok is a large deep frying pan used to cook oriental dishes. Many people prefer them because they keep the oil and un-popped corn kernels in the bottom of the pan directly over the heat. If you do not have a wok, a regular saucepan will do just fine.

You will need some popcorn kernels. These are different from regular kernels, so make sure you have the right ones. Other ingredients needed are some butter, approximately one stick, some vegetable oil and some regular salt.

How to Prepare Popcorn

Once you have your wok or saucepan and all of your ingredients, you will need to have your stove on medium heat, and place the vegetable oil in the bottom of the pan. You only need enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Do not go overboard or you will end up with fried corn rather than popcorn. Slowly melt your stick of butter in another pan on low heat.

Cover the bottom of your pan with popcorn kernels, making sure not to put too many in at once, but enough so that you can not see the bottom of the pan and cover the pan with a lid. After about a minute, you should begin to hear your popcorn start to explode. Move the pan around from side to side to help the process.

Once the popcorn starts to reach the lid, place it on an unheated burner while it finishes popping. Use the butter that you melted earlier to pour over the popcorn and add salt to taste. Place your popcorn in a bowl, and give it a shake around to make sure the salt and butter are distributed evenly. If you want fat-free popcorn, just use salt without the butter or for a sweet snack, use icing sugar instead of salt. Then sit back and enjoy the popcorn that you have just made.

By Kelvin Ho

From www.rumorist.com

Making of Rice Dumpling

Huh ! Forgot to mention that it is a vegetarian rice dumpling. This art of making the rice dumpling is pass down to my spouse by my father.

10 Tips to Keep the Marriage Relationship Sparks Alive

I would like to offer you 10 tips on marriage relationship

I would agreed that it is not easy to maintain a good marriage relationship, the divorce rate has been going up trend. It seem that it will maintain at that trend. Hope that the below 10 tips help to have good marriage relationship.

10 little ways to keep the marriage sparks alive

1. Hold Hand
2. Laugh Together
3. Surprise each other with simple gestures and gifts
4. Praise your spouse
5. Go on date- just the two of you
6. Talk about your dreams for the future
7. Say 'I love you' at least once a day
8. Look your best - your spouse deserves it
9. Welcome hour spouse home with a hug and kiss
10. Say 'thank you' when your spouse does something for you.

As most married couples will tell you, getting hitched is the easy part. Fulfilling the 'till-death-do-us-part' vow, however, is another thing.
- BY KEITH EMUANG

Life Balance and How To Be Happy

Having life balance is something many of us strive for. We believe that when the different areas of our lives such as relationships, career and health are humming along we will be happy or happier.
How would you like to ensure that this really does happen for you? Would you also like to free up your time so that you can enjoy more of your life? Well you can as long as you consistently take action on the following:

1. Look After Yourself First

Exercise regularly and eat healthily. Do the right thing by yourself and you'll have heaps of energy, be motivated,more productive and happier.

2. Surround Yourself with Positivity

Circulate with positive people, read motivational books and listen to motivational tapes/cds while driving, commuting, waiting for appointments.
Avoid negative people like the plague. They will drain your energy.

3.Clean out the Clutter

You will save yourself heaps of time, energy and money if you clear out your work and home environment…paperwork, books, old equipment etc. regularly. You'll be able to find things, save money because you won't have to buy what you already have hidden somewhere, plus you'll be less stressed. You'll feel better which will make you happier.

4. Jazz Up Your Environment

If you work and live in a pleasant environment, you'll naturally feel better and happier. A clean, uncluttered home or workplace makes you feel good and happy to be there.

5. Dress for Successs

When you look good, you feel good , when you feel good you are happier. Have an image makeover.

6. Plan Time For Fun

With so much to organise in your busy life you need to record your appointments, things to do and goals somewhere. Use a paper diary or digital organiser that you can take everywhere. This is the most effective way to get things done, plan your work and your life.

7. Learn to say "No"

To dramatically improve your productivity and do more of the things you want in your life, you have to be firm with others and let them know if you cannot, will not or are unavailable to fulfil their requests. If you constantly say "yes" to everyone else's requests you will never have life balance.
Book yourself into a self-assertiveness course to learn these skills if you feel you need to.

8. Do What You Do Best and Delegate the Rest

At work see if there are ways you can delegate tasks which would suit someone else's talents. Many office and home based workers are spending heaps of time on mundane secretarial tasks which would take a person who is trained in that area a quarter of the time to undertake.At home hire a gardener and cleaner to take care of the basic household chores. It's worth investing the extra dollars if you can have more free time to do what you want to.

9. Compliment Someone Every Day

How do you feel when you receive a compliment? Make someone's day…give before you get because what goes around, comes around.

The Final Word

To ensure you continue to have life balance, you'll need to continually action these simple yet very effective ideas. You'll feel good, look good and have more time to enjoy your life… and when you're enjoying life, you're happy!

How to make Crispy Oatmeal Cereal Bean Curd

A published news from Google mentioned that the higher keyword search for food in Singapore is "Roti Prata". I am showing how to make roti prata; an indian pan cake each with curry, but how to cook Bean Curd with crispy oatmeal cereal.

Crispy beancurd with oatmeal cereal

Ingredients

300g beancurd
150g oatmeal
cereal(instant cereal)
5g curry leaves
10g chilli padi (sliced)

Method

Cut the beancurd into cubes.
Deep fry until golden brown.
Pan fry the chilli and curry leaves, then add cereal and stir fry until crispy (Take care not to turn on high heat).
Toss beancurd pieces with cereal and serve.

Bean Curd

Bean Curd Recipe

Savour these tasty treats that are worth their salt Bean curd roll with chilled mango sauce

Ingredients

300g beancurd
20g mushroom (minced)
20g carrot (diced)
8g coriander stem (minced)
8 pieces beancurd
skin (dry)
Truffle oil (to taste)

Seasoning

1 tsp
sesame oil
5g flour
Dash of pepper (powdered)

Method

Mash the beancurd and drain excess water.

Add ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Spread the mixture on the beancurd skin and wrap (like a spring roll).
Deep fry and serve.

How To Make Homemade Ice Cream

Home Made Ice Cream Recipe

Homemade Ice Cream

by: Beth Scott

Have you ever wondered if there was a healthful alternative to the sugar and preservative filled ice cream you buy in the supermarkets? If you have or if you would truly like to try homemade ice cream then this is for you. I have a recipe for vanilla ice cream, that will knock your socks off when you taste it.

The first thing you need to know is how to make your own 100% healthy and natural vanilla extract. You might buy this from a good quality store if you can find an unadulterated brand. To make your own you'll need about a quart of milk, a vanilla bean (available at most health food stores), and a teaspoon of honey. You put the milk in a saucepan and heat on high while you slice the
vanilla bean lengthwise and in half.

Then put the halves of the vanilla bean into the milk. Boil for around 15 to 20 minutes, then cook on medium heat for a half hour or until the milk has a thin sheet of film on top.

Stir the mixture constantly as it cooks to prevent burning. Cool the extract and freeze in a plastic bottle or container. This extract will last you for quite awhile since recipes call for only a few teaspoons each. You should-if you plan to make the ice cream anytime soon- save a cup of the extract in a container in your refridgeratior. Whenever you want to make more ice cream just get the extract out of the freezer and thaw in the refridgerator until a few tablespoons or so are thawed, then refreeze the rest before it thaws out.

Now I'll give you my vanilla ice cream recipe, follow the instructions carefully and you'll get wonderful results.

Vanilla Ice Cream

You'll need: 3 eggs, with the egg whites and yolks seperated, 1/2 cup honey,4 cups light cream, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

1. In a medium size bowl beat the yolks until smooth. Gradually add honey,beating until well-blended and thick. In a different small bowl beat the egg whites until stiff, stir beaten whites in with the yolk and honey.

2. Then add the cream and egg mixture together in a saucepan, cook on
medium heat, stirring constantly for 15 minutes.

3. Stir in vanilla extract, and either process in an ice cream maker or justfreeze in a bucket container overnight. Serve with an ice cream scoop.

This ice cream is rich, creamy, natural, and very healthy I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Beth Scott is the author of the eBook "The Ultimate Whole Wheat Bread Baking Guide!" to visit her website go to http://Breadmaking.Apt-Products.com
For more great recipes visit: http://snipurl.com/90j8

Source: www.a1articles.com

Low Calorie and Vegetarian Recipes

Sweet potato butter

Use it like dairy butter. Best served at room temperature.

1 large sweet potato or yam (500g)
1 large yellow onion coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 tablespoon of tahini
1/4 tablespoon of salt
Fresh ground pepper

* Preheat the oven to 160 deg Celsius. Bake the sweet potato until soft, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool, scoop out the sweet potato and discard skin
* Cook onion in 1.5 tablespoons olive oil over meduim heat till soft and brown, 10 to 15 minutes
* Combine browned onion, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, the remaining olive oil and the tahini in food processor. Puree till smooth
* Add sweet potato, salt and pepper to taste and blend till smooth and creamy. Add more maple syrup if desired. Let stand for 1 hour before serving

Sunburn Relief Recipes

Homemade Sunburn Relief Recipes

Author : Sandy Shields

Sun Burn Lotion

8 ounces non-medicated lotion
5 drops clove oil
5 drops peppermint oil
2-4 teaspoons powdered Comfrey Root
2-4 tablespoons Aloe Vera gel

Mix together thoroughly in a bowl. Chill, if desired.

HINT: Amounts of Comfrey Root or Aloe Vera gel may be increased, but do not increase the amounts of clove or peppermint oils, as they may cause skin irritation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cucumber Sunburn Lotion

1 cucumber - chopped

1/4 cup Glycerin
1/4/ cup Rose-water

Squeeze juice out of the cucumber with a lemon-squeezer, and mix with Glycerin and Rose-water.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunburn Soothing Bath

2-4 cups *Colloidal (not regular) oatmeal

1/2 to 1 cup baking soda
1-2 cups powdered Chamomile flowers
1 cup buttermilk, optional

Add all ingredients to bath water, or wrap in cheesecloth and tie to the faucet for adding aroma.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunburn Mist

2 fluid ounces of distilled water
9 drops of lavender
2 drops of peppermint
1 drop of spearmint

Mix all, then mist lightly over sun-burned skin.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Various Natural/HomeMade Remedies

1. Apply undiluted apple cider vinegar to sunburn.

2. Mix 10 ounces Non-fat Dry Milk, 2 tablespoons salt and 25 ounces water. Saturate cloth and apply to sunburn 20 minutes.

3. Apply mayonnaise as a skin cream to sunburn.

4. Use Aloe plant, or pure aloe vera gel.

5. Apply peanut oil to sun-burned area(s).

6. Apply thin slices of cold cucumbers, apples, or potato directly to the skin.

7. Apply cold, plain yogurt, then rinse with cool water.

8. Apply cold, used tea bags to sun-burned eyelids to relieve pain and swelling.

Source: a1articles.com

Cleaning Tips for your Kitchen

Best ways to clean your Kitchen

Author: Michael Douglas

- To rid the yellowing from white appliances: Mix together 1/2 cup bleach, 1/4 cup baking soda and 4 cups of warm water. Apply with a sponge and let set for 10-15 minutes. Rinse and dry thoroughly.

- To clean a greasy blender: Fill with a little hot water and add a drop of detergent. Cover and turn it on for a few seconds. Rinse and drain dry.

- To rid cutting boards of onion, garlic or fish smell, cut a lime in two and rub the surface of the board. You can also apply a paste of baking soda and water and rinse.

- To clean copper and brassware, dip lemon halves in salt and rub. A solution of vinegar and salt sprayed liberally will also do the trick.

- For a fast and thorough clean-up of the grater, use a toothbrush to brush lemon rind, cheese, onion or whatever out of the grater before washing it.

- Before washing a meat grinder, run a slice of bread through it.

- To open a clogged drain: either use a couple of denture tablets, or pour a cup of salt and a cup of baking soda into the drain followed by a kettle of boiling water. The grease will usually dissolve and open the drain.

- Following a spill in an oven or on a stove, sprinkle with salt immediately. When oven is cool brush off burnt food and wipe with a damp sponge or cloth.

- Burners of gas stoves can be cleaned by soaking them in a solution of warm water mixed with ammonia. Use a wire brush to clean the burner holes. Rinse and dry.

- Coffee or tea stains from plastic cups can be scoured out by rubbing with baking soda. Rinse and dry.

- To rid plastic containers of foul smell, place crumpled newspaper (black and white only) into it.

- Cover tightly and leave overnight. Wash and dry in the normal way.

- To prevent mildew from forming in a refrigerator, wipe with a cloth dipped in vinegar. The acid effectively kills the mildew fungus.

- After the freezer has been defrosted, coat the inside with glycerine. The next time you defrost, the ice will loosen quickly and drop off in sheets.

- To help eliminate odours in the refrigerator, fill a small bowl with charcoal and place it on a shelf in the fridge. It absorbs odours rapidly. An open box of baking soda will also absorb odours from the refrigerator for at least a month or two.

- For a sparkling white kitchen sink, place paper towels across the bottom of your sink and saturate with household bleach. Leave for an hour or so. Scrub and rinse.

- Spots on stainless steel sinks can be removed with methylated spirit or with white vinegar. Club soda can also shine up your sink in minutes.

- To renew and freshen a cleaning sponge, soak overnight in salt or baking soda water. Wash out in the morning.

- To remove lime deposits from a tea kettle, fill with equal parts of vinegar and water. Bring to a boil and allow to stand overnight.

- To keep a thermos flask free of foul odours while storing, wash with warm soapy water. Rinse and dry well in the sun if possible. Place a tablespoon of sugar granules in it and store.

- To remove rust from tin pie pans, dip a raw potato in cleaning powder and scrub.

- To eliminate strong or pungent odours from a microwave, heat four tablespoons of vanilla for a minute in the microwave and leave overnight.

- To remove the smell of burnt food from a pan, simmer a few slices of lemon in water in it.

- If a cup of coffee is placed in the refrigerator, it helps in keeping the fridge smelling fresh.

- To avoid strong smells of fish, garlic etc from filling up your home, place white vinegar in a small bowl next to the stove while cooking.

- To clean and freshen dusty artificial flowers, put them in a paper bag with a handful of salt and shake well. The flowers will look as good as new.

Source: ArticlesBase.com

Salad Recipe

Refreshing Cucumber Salad Recipe

Cucumber salad is particularly ideal for those long, hot afternoons, it is an ideal salad recipes for tropical countries and those countries with summer season.Very ideal for the dry summer seasons.

BALINESE CUCUMBER SALAD RECIPE

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons peanuts, dry roasted, coarsely chopped
1 cucumber
OR
1 large regular cucumber
1/4 sweet onion, large, such as Vidalia
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

Directions:

Cut the cucumber crosswise into 3-inch sections, then lengthwise into spaghetti-thin strips.Combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a serving bowl and whisk until the sugar and salt are dissolved.Cut the onion into as thin crosswise slices as possible.
Stir in the cucumber and onion.Peel and seed the cucumber.Add the peanuts and heat until lightly browned, about 2 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.Taste for seasoning, adding sugar or salt as necessary;Sprinkle the salad with the peanuts and serve.

Achieve Great Relationship

How to Achieve Great Relationship

You have to live with the decisions and the actions that you make.
Perhaps you could save yourself the embarrassment of failure and rejection if you just pretend that you have never heard the difference between good partners and great ones.
Instead, you would make sure that your performance is top notch and if it is, then you probably will not have to ask for the raise.
Make sure that you ask questions that promote a positive direction not only for yourself but also especially for the future of your relationship.
Be consistent in love with the words that you speak and especially in the words that you do not speak.
Where you are right now in life is the result of the kind of questions that you ask.
When I am not sure how to model myself as a great partner in a particular situation I like to ask the question, "How would the partner I'd like to be do the thing I want to do?
Greatness as a partner demands that you expand your ability to love.
Make sure that this is done to the best of your ability.
It means doing things that you do not feel like doing and listening to the same complaint over and over again.

Tips on Vegetarian Gourmet Ingredient

Ben Ehinger wrote:

My 5 Gourmet Ingredient, Vegetarian Cooking Done Right

Are you a vegetarian or thinking about becoming a vegetarian? Do you want to know how to become a vegetarian that can cook great meals? Learn the 5 ingredients that I use to make just about any vegetarian meal taste better.

The first ingredient that I will introduce to you is garlic. Garlic is a spectacular for cooking and can add a ton of flavor to just about anything. If you are a true vegetarian you use olive oil or something other than butter to cook with. This means that garlic will be even better for you because garlic gains a wonderful and potent flavor when you cook with olive oil.

That leads me to my second ingredient, olive oil. Olive oil is a wonderful oil for cooking and comes directly from the land. Make sure to use extra virgin olive oil because it is richer in minerals and is has a more pure taste. Even adding a dash to a salad or using olive oil to create a vinaigrette dressing can add a great flavor.

This brings me to my third ingredient, red wine vinegar, which is very popular to create the vinaigrette I just mentioned. Red wine vinegar has a very natural and great flavor. It goes well with many vegetables and actually is great when mixed into a fruit salad full of melons. If you are a vegetarian that eats fish, then you will love using red wine vinegar when cooking fish.

My fourth ingredient for vegetarian cooking is using wines. Both red wine and white wine are great for cooking. Just try cooking squash mixed with other vegetables with white wine. I prefer a good chardonnay. Make sure when you are picking a wine to cook with that you do not go too expensive because the price will not make a big enough difference for your money.

My fifth and final ingredient for vegetarian cooking is liquor. I love to cook with vodka, brandy, whiskey, and tequila. These liquors can all add a great flavor to any vegetarian dish. I love using whiskey and brandy with fruits. You can also mix in other liquors such as flavored liquors. You can experiment with all types and you will be pleasantly surprised by most of them.

Now you have 5 great ingredients to add to your vegetarian dishes. You can invent some wonderful dishes with these ingredients and become a wonderful vegetarian chef.

Guide to Top 10 tips for a perfect will

Guide To Tips on perfect Will

NO ONE likes to talk about death, especially their own. But if you don't make plans on how you want to distribute your worldly wealth while you're still alive, you can leave a host of problems and hardships for your grieving family sort out.
Take the billionaire aviator turned recluse, Howard Hughes. It took 15 years of legal wrangling before his fortune was handed out among surviving family members because he hadn't bothered to make a will.
Maybe he, like many other people, felt daunted or even afraid by the process - or was it the cost?
But in reality, the business of making a will can be quite straightforward and it won't cost the earth provided you are aware of the major pitfalls.
Here are our top ten tips on how to end up with the perfect will.

1. Choose who draws up your will wisely

You can make your own will using a DIY kit available from the local stationers but the process is full of pitfalls and errors are easy to make. Lawyers make a lot more money sorting out badly drafted wills and dealing with claims against those wills, than they make for drawing up wills. DIY is OK for home improvements, but, unless you're extremely confident and knowledgeable, it's not for wills.

2. Choose your executors well

Executors are responsible for exercising your estate in accordance with your instructions after you have died. It is a responsible and demanding role, and involves handling large sums of money. And don't forget to check that the people you choose are happy to take on the role.

3. Appoint a default or substitute executor

If you are married, you will probably want your spouse to be your executor, but don't appoint them as your sole executor. If you both died together in a plane crash or a car accident, neither of you would have an executor living. Always appoint a default or substitute executor as a fall-back position in case your spouse is unwilling or unable to act.

4. Appoint guardians

If you are the last living parent and you die leaving children under age 18, a guardian will be appointed by the court if you have not specified who this should be in your will. If you are unmarried but you and your partner have children, you might not even get guardianship of your children. If an unmarried man dies, his female partner automatically gets guardianship of their children, but if an unmarried woman dies, her male partner does not. You should appoint each other as guardians in your wills to overcome this problem.

5. Appoint trustworthy trustees

This might sound obvious, but if you are setting up a trust in your will or if your beneficiaries could be aged under 18 when you die, you will need to appoint trustees. Trustees will be responsible for managing and investing money, or looking after property until it passes to the beneficiaries, so make sure they are people with a good grasp of financial matters - and that they are still young enough so they don't die before you do.

6. Make specific legacies

If you want to preserve family heirlooms or items of special sentimental value, (for example, a grandfather clock, or a wedding or engagement ring), you should leave these items as a specific legacy to a named beneficiary.

7. Make sure you leave a residual legacy

The 'residue' is what is left over in your estate after you have made any specific legacies. You must specify who this goes to, as if you fail to do so, you will create a partial intestacy in your will. In other words, the small gifts and legacies would pass according to the will, but the residue would be subject to the laws of intestacy.

8. Save tax with a trust

Inheritance tax is becoming a burden for many families, particularly where the value of a property pushes the value of an estate above the nil rate band for inheritance tax. If you are married, you can include a discretionary trust in your wills, which could save your children more £110,000 in inheritance tax at current rates.

9. Sign your will

It's all very well having your will drafted, but if you don't sign it in front of two independent witnesses, it will not be valid. A witness cannot be anyone mentioned in the will or anyone married to anyone mentioned in the will.

10. Get it stored safely

Once your will has been correctly signed and witnessed, have it stored in a proper safe storage facility. This will protect it from fire, flood, damage, or loss. Your executors will be provided with a certificate showing them where your will is stored and how to get hold of it if you die. Whatever you do – don't hide your will. Your will is no good to anyone if it cannot be found after your death.

From:
www.thisismoney.co.uk

CHINESE VEGETARIAN FRIED RICE

Serves 2 people

Ingredients

5 dried Chinese mushrooms

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

3 cups cooked white Rice

1 cup bean sprouts

1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots

1/4 cup chopped green onions

3 tablespoons soy sauce

Cooking Method

1. Soak mushrooms in warm water for about 15 to 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze excess water from mushrooms.

2. Discard stems and cut mushrooms into thin strips; set aside.

3. In a large skillet, heat oils over high heat and cook ginger and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute

4. Add mushrooms and stir fry until hot, about 2 minutes.

5. Add cooked rice, bean sprouts, peas and carrots and green onions; stir to combine. Cook until heated through

6. Sprinkle soy sauce evenly over rice; toss and serve.

Chickens And Pigs Help Define Two Things We Need For Success

Involvement and Commitment

This article is about involvement and commitment, two of the things we need to be successful. This applies to our jobs or businesses, relationships, and even our recreational pursuits. Any type of success, whether it is personal, professional,
academic, or athletic, will usually require a combination of involvement and commitment.
I hope the headline stirred your interest. Here is how chickens,
pigs, and even cows, can help define involvement and commitment.Think about a meal consisting of eggs and ham and consider the contributions made by a chicken and a pig. A chicken provided theeggs and a pig provided the ham. It can be said the chicken was involved, because the chicken continues to live as it lays more eggs. It can be said the pig was committed, because the pig gave its all to provide the ham and other pork products.
The same principle can be applied to two cows and a cheeseburger. The cow that provided the milk to be processed into cheese was involved, while the cow that provided the beef for the hamburger patty was committed.
It is not my intention to make light of animals that lose their life to provide food for humans, nor to offend anyone that does not eat beef or pork for religious or dietary reasons. These examples simply illustrate that being involved may mean being a participant with little or no effort, while being committed takes time and energy, and means much more than just being involved.
Consider a recreational activity, such as a game of chess, or a softball game. You can be involved by just playing the game, no matter how good you are. However, to really be successful, to win more than you lose, you must have made a commitment at some point in your life. For chess, it means taking the time to understand the game and study winning strategies. For softball, it means at some point you practiced hitting and throwing a ball. There are a few fortunate people with a large degree of natural ability to do certain things, but most of us need to work at it.
Most of us have made some commitments for which we put forth a small effort on a regular basis. For example, things like taking a bath/shower and brushing our teeth are often taken for granted.However, those things can be thought of as a commitment to good grooming and proper hygiene.
Marriage definitely takes involvement and commitment. You can be involved just by signing a marriage license and saying some vows.For the marriage to be a lasting success, it takes a commitment from both people. It means working together toward shared goals,communicating with each other, and resolving the occasional conflicts that may happen. It may take a little effort, but the personal rewards are well worth it.
A commitment isn't something to fear, nor does it mean that your entire life must revolve around the commitment. You simply direct some time and effort toward accomplishing your goal. You may have several goals in your personal and professional life. Things such as striving for a promotion, improving your golf game, losing that extra twenty pounds, and being a better spouse or parent are examples of worthy goals. It takes a commitment of both time and effort to reach each milestone.
Involvement and commitment are also important when it comes to business opportunities; especially network marketing (MLM). You need to put forth some effort to really make things happen, no matter how much hype you hear about your downline being built for you. When you look at an opportunity, try to find out the level of commitment that is needed to reach a desired level of success.
People who are successful in their chosen endeavors agree that we can all get more out of life when a little bit of involvement and commitment is applied to the things we consider to be important.
Start making improvements today by deciding which things are most
important to you and make a commitment to do those things better.Often, just a little more effort will produce tremendous results.
--by Gordon Bellows

Why People Become Vegetarians

Reasons for Becoming a Vegetarians

Many nonvegetarians wonder what drives vegetarians to give up meat and adopt an entirely different lifestyle. There is no single answer to this question. Nonvegetarians become vegetarians for a number of different reasons - some even for multiple reasons.
Most vegetarians claim that they became a vegetarian for one of three reasons.
The first reason, which most vegetarians claim, is that
they have ethical problems with eating meat. Most disagree with how chickens are debeaked, forced to live in small cages, and are then slaughtered when they do not produce eggs fast enough. Most vegetarians also disagree with the crowded and
stressful environments animals are forced into; and the hormone-laden feed used to make them grow faster and produce more.
People who become vegetarians for this purpose often draw ethical boundaries in different spots, depending on their personal beliefs. For instance, some staunch vegans wont consume yeast, wear wool, or even eat certain vegetables, such as carrots, that require killing the plant to harvest.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, some vegetarians-- sometimes referred to as pseudo-vegetarians--will actually eat fish and chicken on a regular basis.
The second biggest reason vegetarians claim for not eating meat is that it conflicts with their dietary preferences.
Some of these vegetarians simply do not like the texture and taste of meat; others do not eat it because it is high in cholesterol and often contains high concentrations of hormones and preservatives.
The third and smallest group of vegetarians cite environmental reasons for not consuming meat. They complain that consumption of meat causes farmers to continually deforest land to create grazing land for cattle.
In addition to these three major groups, there are a number of other smaller groups of vegetarians who stopped eating meat for entirely different reasons.

Kwan Yin Mantra

Kwan Yin

Kwan Yin Picture for Good Luck

This morning, opened my email, there were 700 over unread mails in the inbox. First thing I do is to read the latest mail. The title Kwan Yin strike me. Send by a friend of my, Mr Yu. I immediate opened it, and a Picture of nice Kwan Yin appeared. The text read "send to 10 of your friends for good luck", why not, I think. It strike me, why not I post this in my blog. Many people can see and also tell there friends about it. This will be interesting.On the right of the side bar, there is a blue rectangular bar, with a red arrow, click on this to send to 10 or more of your friends and receive more good luck for the coming year.

What do you know about Kwan Yin

Kuan Yin is the Chinese name for the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. However, folk traditions in China and other East Asian countries have added many distinctive characteristics and legends. Avalokiteśvara was originally depicted as Buddha when he was still a prince, and therefore wears chest-revealing clothing and may even sport a moustache. However, in China, Kuan Yin is usually depicted as a woman. Also, some people believe that Kuan Yin is neither man nor woman.
In China, Kuan Yin is usually shown in a white flowing robe, and usually wearing necklaces of Indian/Chinese royalty. In the right hand is a water jar containing pure water, and in the left,a willow branch. The crown usually depicts the image of Amitabha Buddha, Kuan Yin's spiritual teacher before she became a Bodhisattva.

In some Buddhist temples and monasteries Kuan Yin images are occasionally depicted as a young man dressed in Northern Song Buddhist robes sitting gracefully. He is usually depicted looking or glancing down, symbolising that Kuan Yin continues to watch over the world.
There are also regional variations of Kuan Yin depictions. One of these is that of Kuan Yin with fish. In this depiction Kuan Yin is depicted as a maiden dressed in Tang dynasty style clothing carrying a fish basket. This is popular in the Fukien region of China.
In Chinese art Kuan Yin is often depicted either alone, standing atop a dragon, accompanied by a bird, flanked by two children or flanked by two warriors. The two children are her acolytes who came to her when she was meditating at Mount Putuo. The girl is called Long Nü and the boy Shan Tsai. The two warriors are the historical character Guan Yu who comes from the Three Kingdoms period and the mythological character Wei Tuo who features in the Chinese classic
Canonisation of the Gods.

Tell Your Friends About Kwan Yin

Tell your friends about kwan yin now and you will have good luck.