If you have a tradition of taking family photos at Christmas, why not make them extra magical at Gardens by the Bay’s first ever Disney Tsum Tsum flora display in the Flower Dome.
And the best part, you don’t even need to engage a professional photographer because these adorable Disney stackable characters will lend their magic and cuteness to all your photos.
Disney Tsum Tsum at Gardens by the Bay
Now that the holiday season is right around the corner, this is the best time to pack up and explore the beautiful world with your family. One family-friendly destination that is perfect if you’re looking for a chillax vacation is Bali, Indonesia. Look forward to beautiful sceneries and peaceful beaches that will rejuvenate and recharge your soul as you busk in the beauty of nature.
But there is always that risk of traveling overseas, where your kids might not take to foreign food. Fret not as here are some cafés with little kids in mind making them a total kiddie heaven.
“It finally came down to this, where I had to pry her fingers from his hand and
tell her firmly that this man is my husband…”
As much as I am a mum, I also wear the hat of a wife and the same goes for my husband. But if you’re like me and have been married for over a decade, you could do with a reminder every now and then, as well as our kids.
Recently, I made a deal with Sophie that Daddy and I will go on one overseas trip without her. Of course she wasn’t happy to learn that she’s been excluded from our plans. And to further rub salt to her wound, I added that we’ll have two date nights in a month all in the name of nurturing our marriage.
At 9 years old, Sophie still plays lightbulb and insists that we hold her hand, giving Alexis and I limited opportunities to hold hands like we used to.
It was one of those days, when she squeezed between us and demanded that she holds Daddy’s hand. I had to pry her fingers from his hand and tell her firmly that this man may be her daddy but he’s also my husband.
Elton John was right when he penned the song, sorry seems to be the hardest word. I may not come across as being stubborn but Alexis would tell you otherwise especially when it’s crystal clear that I’m at fault and yet refuse to budge and apologise.
Like every married couple, Alexis and I have our share of disagreements and quarrels. We’ve gone through the full spectrum of conflicts from petty squabbles to epic fights where chairs where flung and even broke.
Till this day, Sophie remembers the incident like it happened yesterday and told me she was terrified when I hurled a chair across the room which broke just inches away from her. She tells me that she never wants to see me turn into a monster when I get mad and I felt so ashamed that my daughter had to witness my outrage.
I know we’re not supposed to fight in front of our kids and I’m not proud of it. However, I’m thankful that we’ve moved on from that angry period in our lives where every quarrel was a potential eruption of tempers.
Relationship experts say that opposites attract but at the same time, it’s a recipe for sparks and friction too. When a couple quarrels, the wife always hopes that her husband will break the tension by giving her a firm embrace and say, “Let’s not fight anymore because I love you and care about us.” Yea, that only happens in Korean drama ladies…
With my clearly too logical, right brain husband, emotions are thrown out of the window and he’ll be happy to prove me wrong like a lawyer interrogating the accused. When we’re in the middle of an argument, he wouldn’t back down until I concede defeat and I always wondered in those moments just why did I even marry such a heartless man. #truestory
On the other hand, Alexis has little problem apologising when he makes a mistake and often hints that I should learn from him.
But last Sunday I was taken aback when he held my hand, looked me in the eye and asked for my forgiveness.
He said he was sorry for
I was taken aback by his list of “confession” . In my head I was thinking, “Wow I never knew that Alexis would even considered these things significant enough to apologise for. And that’s how most of us would think, isn’t it?
In Songs of Solomon 2:15, the Shulammite says,
“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.”
And these are precisely the “little foxes” that have the potential to ruin a marriage, like
Over time, the accumulated hurts and disappointment festers and slowly develops into resentment, bitterness and even anger towards our spouse.
After Alexis asked for forgiveness, it was my turn to humble myself to seek his forgiveness. The pastor who led the time of repentance and reconciliation between husbands and wives at the prayer meeting, ended with a renewal of marriage vows as we turned to God to help us keep our lifelong commitment to each other.
It was a touching sight to see so many couples holding hands and rededicating their love, some with their children beside them.
Our family at Pray Singapore 2018
Marriage is the union of two imperfect people who have learnt how to forgive
and not to give up on each other.
Asking for forgiveness and extending forgiveness is never easy especially when trust has been destroyed and faith has been lost. It’s tempting to get mad, get even and perhaps even seek revenge.
But we have a God who is in the business of restoring marriages and He has shown us the perfect example of grace. Grace that is undeserving, which we received so freely from Him, so that we can extend that same grace to our spouse.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
What are the little foxes in your marriage today? It’s easy to sweep them under the carpet but one day these issues, like a ticking time bomb will eventually blow up and lost trust may be too late to salvage.
In fact, don’t even minimise the seemingly small “offences” and endeavor to right every wrong quickly. Humble yourself, ask for forgiveness and remember to wipe the wrongdoings from your memory and keep no records of wrong. Remember your marriage vows and don’t forget that your marriage is worth protecting and fighting for.
If you enjoyed this post, you may like these posts where I share my heart about marriage and relationship.
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“Now that you’re a stay home mum, you can’t call yourself a juggling mom anymore.”
Now if you’re a mum, and a stay home mum at that, I can anticipate that you’ll either want to
Well, that came from someone who’s neither married nor has kids.
Kinda reminds you of the same know-it-alls who dishes out parenting advice when they are not parents themselves, don’t you think?
How did I react?
Hi, I’m Susan from Singapore. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my juggling journey as I switch gears from a full-time working mum to a newly minted stay-home mum to my girl, Sophie.
As a juggling mum, I hope to share resources on how mums can juggle the many roles they play while living life to the fullest.
