June 29, 2008

Hunting for Batik

When we went to Jogja (a city at Central Java) last weekend, three of us (Rani-my bestfrind, my daughter and I) were hunting batik cloth in a traditional market at Malioboro Street. Batik is a Javanese traditional cloth, maybe some of you had already knew it. Batik has also become a national cloth of Indonesian. We’re a little bit confused to see many kinds of batik, I mean confused to choose which one we want since all of the batik cloths were beautiful. Like most women in the world…we love shopping, spent much time for it, happily doing it, and the most interesting part for us were the prices… Quite cheap! It range between 2 – 10 U$, but finally Rani was the one that bought a lot of batik cloths. Maybe because she’s the one that lived far away from her motherland so when she was here, she wasn’t wasting this rare opportunity.
Here is some of our hunting for batik cloths.

Now my daughter and I haven’t make up our mind yet what we want to do with the batik cloths we had :-) We want our batik cloths become our special clothes. Have an idea for us?

June 27, 2008

Playing With Sand



Kids and Sand..couldn't be separated. I love to see them playing with sand. There's something cheer up my feeling to watch their happiness in builing something from sand. Have you ever pay attention of their spirit in playing sand especially at the beach. They will never give up when the waves swept away their building into sand again..they'll make it another one with fun, again and again..

“Traveling Blues”

My great times in traveling together with my family, my best friend and her family were over. We had spent 4 days in 2 cities (Semarang – Jogja). When 4 adults and 5 kids aged 4 – 13 come together in one place, it was really ‘fantastic’ in every way. We had a complete adventure I think. We went to mountain area, South Sea beach, Borobudur temple (the biggest Buddist temple in the world), hunting batik cloth at traditional market, and because we have 2 teens…we still visit a mall! We had a “culinary journey” too since all of us like to try, taste and eat kinds of new foods along the journey :)
I’m really grateful for those happy times.

The day after the traveling was over and our guests continue their visit to another place, my heart fell warm to see all the pictures we took, but usually that nice feeling would continue with the mix of sad and happiness feeling together. I don’t know what its name. Is it a “traveling blues” :b
I would remind all the happy moments and often take a look at the clock and still remember at that time yesterday or 2 days before we went to this place, doing something, etc..
Something like watch a repeating slow motion movie in my mind. Usually I keep that kind of feeling for 2 – 3 days and then it would be over. I become “normal” again, doing regularly things.
Have you ever felt that way? How do you cope with that? I had asked my daughter yesterday and she feel the same with me.
Maybe I could call this feeling “traveling blues”

June 18, 2008

Not Blogging

I'm very busy nowadays. That's why I was not blogging for the past 2 days. This is my first time not blogging for 2 days. Makes me feel awful...:-(

This week here is the busiest week for teachers, moms and kids too. This is the last week of school before they get a month full of holiday.
I should have check all the teachers' reports at school about the kids (next Saturday is going to be a parents-teachers meeting. Parents will receive their kids report for this semester)
As a mom, I busy with my little boy (K 1) closing year end party. Such things like preparing his costumes,etc and the important thing is his health...More vitamins these days! The party had already happen last night. Very successful, I'll tell you in my next post.
Next Saturday will be my second kid big day, too. He will receive an announcement of his final exam at school. Next semester he'll be in a new junior high school.
Also next Saturday I must take my daughter's school report.

This Saturday seem to be my happiest day, too because my old room mate at college and my best friend will visit and stay at my house for couple of days. I haven't seen her for 5 years since she lives at San Jose with her hubby who works at Silicon Valley and 2 kids. She'll come with her family...I hope we all have great times together.

So, very sorry if I couldn't visit you all this days.
I will if everything going to calm again. Thank you for visit my blog.

June 16, 2008

Rainbow



Have you ever seen rainbow lately? Yesterday afternoon my husband saw a rainbow and shouted excitedly to my kids to take a look at it. I took this picture from our backyard, but since I forgot to push the panoramic button so the color not too sharp I think :-(
I don’t know at your place, but I seldom see rainbow nowadays or maybe I almost never watch closely to the sky like the way I did when still a little kid.
I was happy to feel that exciting moment again just from little things. Yes, maybe we as adults almost forget to get fun from little things around us, almost doing anything in a hurry. What about you?

A Fruit Cream Chesse Cake



This is what I've done on weekend at yesterday 'fathers day' (this was not a present for my hubby :-) ) , but only a little good effort of mine to fulfill my kids appetites on sweet cakes although the cream was too soft so I should keep it on the freezer for about an hour.
It was my first time made a frozen cheese cake, next time better I hope!

Cell Phone

This morning I was surprised when one of my students from the Preschool told me that she has a new cell phone from her mom as a present. Want to know her age? 6 years old! Apparently she wasn’t alone in this cell phone case, my other 2 students also gave their responses, “I also have one from my mom”. After class they changed their phone numbers. Wow, I really surprised.

I had ever given my daughter a cell phone last year as her present for passing the 6th grade of elementary school. At that time I thought a cell phone could be helpful for me to ask her on what time I should pick her up from school. From her new school schedules we knew that sometimes the school has extra activities until 3.30 pm.
On the other hand her regular school van pick-up services couldn’t take her home after 3pm,
because our house is too far from school :-b
But after all my idea didn’t work at all because I didn’t know before that her school has a rule “No cell phone for students at school”. They have to use the school’s public telephone with coins. The teacher often checks their school bags if there’s a cell phone or not.

I get lucky that my daughter doesn’t pay much attention to her cell phone. (I ‘hate’ to see kids busy turned down their faces to see the monitor of cell phone at many places). Most of the time her friends were the ones to call or send her short messages for asking something about school stuff. She seldom use her cell phone and finally her dad often “busy” to buy her a prepaid card because she often has her card reach the over limits time of using.

It’s a precious lesson for me as a parent for not giving a cell phone anymore to my other kids until they’re already at high school or grade 10.
I really want to know your opinions about giving cell phones to kids. Is it ok for kids to have cell phone or on what ages they could have it?

June 13, 2008

For The 2 Men I Loved

It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was.
~ Anne Sexton


For my step father who passed away almost 10 years ago,

I’m so happy and grateful to have you and think you’re my father
It just makes me feel very glad
I’m sending you love that’s special
Because you’re my own special Dad
Happy Fathers Day to you…
Thank you for everything
(I wish you could read this)

For my hubby,

I’m so happy and grateful that you’re my kids’ father (and my lover!)
You did a great job as their DAD
I’m sure for our kids, a name of DAD is just another name of LOVE
Happy Fathers Day to you, honey…
(from 4 of us)

June 12, 2008

Her First Nails Polished

Last night, like the other usual nights I was reading a story book to Ian before his bed time. He chose ‘The Saturn’. Thanks God, he chose a new one! I’ve already read the same ‘lift the flap’ book of “Farming” six nights in a row before! Maybe that would be the first night of ‘The Saturn’ before reading it over and over again.. :)

We only have 2 bedrooms for the 3 kids, so Ian as the youngster must sleep with his big Sis since he never get to sleep on time when he sleep in his brother’s bedroom (Almost “forbidden” to put the 2 boys in one room for sleeping together although their ages almost 7 years apart).
After read the book I have to pass my daughter’s bed to turn off the lamp. At a glance I saw her nails sparkling by the lamp light. I took a look at her nails and asked spontaneous to her,
“Did you polish your nails?”
With a shy and a little bit guilty face she nodded. Didn’t know how to react to this situation, I looked closely to her nails and said, “Nice color, but how did you get it?” (I don’t have any, you know..haha..poor mom!)
“My friend asked me to try her new nail polish at school yesterday”, she answered.
Lucky me she polished her nails with soft pink *almost nude* color. Good taste!

As a matter of fact I was a little bit surprised about her colored nails Gee…it was a new beginning of her teen’s era. I almost forgot she’ll become 13 the next two months.
Last night was my first ‘cosmetic experience’ with her. I believe there will be another in the future.
What should I do? ;(

June 11, 2008

"Why don't you changed your shoes, honey?"

My 4 year old kid doesn’t like anymore when I chose suit or shoes for him. I should be proud of him since he has already independent, but sometimes I feel frustrated. I often feel his choice not in properly. Maybe some of you had ever experienced this kind of situation. I’ll describe you the situation that often jumps to the never ending debating between mum and her little son.

Once we attended a party of my friend’s wedding he choose to wear his old shoes, I mean they’re not just looked ugly, but really old because the ties were almost broken and part of the sole had open like a crocodile mouth. At that time I felt regret why didn’t I throw away that shoes days before…
At the end like usual: I *mom* won, son lose :b
My son should wore the shoes I had chosen for him while crying.

Not only with shoes, it had happened with suit or pants, too.
Sometimes it was really annoying me, especially when our time schedule was tight!
( Gee, I forgot, kids never give a care about time)
I often think I should be more patience with him especially when we're in a hurry to do something. Really difficult, you know...How about you?

June 08, 2008

Cute For Lunch Boxes

Take a look at this cute bread for breakfast
or...
maybe you still have time for dressing your kids' sausages like these.












Both of them are great ideas for their lunch boxes.
For a complete rice meal, you could try this...

Ready for trying different ideas? :-)

Kids’ Browsing Times

“Mom, can I play ‘Bob the Builder’ again?”. Lately I used to hear such question like that from my little boy, Ian. Usually I let him play for about half an hour, once or twice a day. Quite different, his 2 other siblings need longer times, depends on what they’re browsing for. Usually they browse for their school assignments *find pictures of plants, looking for history of a place, etc*. Surely besides the school assignments, they do browse for fun especially at weekends. One thing that I still a little bit confused is how long should they can browse the internet each day? I’m not sure about my own rule about timing. I remembered at one of my friend’s house, the PC always turns on all day long and their kids could browse whenever they want.

What about your ‘rule’ about this for your kids? I really want to hear from you.
I’m afraid if I’m too stingy about timing, then they (especially the teens) will do outside the house and I can’t observe kinds of website they’re linked.

Here in my country you can easily find hotspot areas now, very different from 2 or 3 years ago. I saw a new habit among college’s students and white collar workers for hunting new hotspot places for browsing. They can only order a cup of coffee or tea and sit browsing for hours.
Subscribing a personal broadband access is similar, easy. I subscribe from one of broadband provider here a personal package of 1 GB for Rp 120.000,-/month (about 13 U$). It’s quite a reasonable price for me. (I don’t know in other countries, maybe cheaper)

So, please share with me about this matter.

June 06, 2008

Toys Sorting Day

Have you ever thought (for those moms who have more than 1 kid at home) that toys had taken too much space in the living room or in your kid’s room or maybe you never fell “dizziness” on this toys matter since you already have a special toys room for your kid? (Blessed you & your kid then :-b )

Honestly I hate to see scattered toys and should grumble and complained about that over and over again to my boy. Although he’s good enough in clean up time, but still when he’s already tired playing he like to do it for a long time ;-( and usually I became impatient. That’s why I have rules that we must to sort his toys regularly and never buy toys exceeded the capacity of his big cleared plastic container (I bought him one for keeping all his toys). So when we couldn’t close the lid of his container then it means we have to sort his toys.

Usually the toys sorting day take place on Saturday when I’ve got no plenty works to do, like we did just a few minutes ago today. Ian will reverse his big plastic container and the toys spilled all over the floor. He always enjoys this moment, big smile on his face! Both of us will sort which toys still used and not used. The term “not used” means part of the toys has broken and we couldn’t fix anymore. Usually this kind of toys end in the trash bin or we give them too the ‘newspaper lady’ (the lady that always go around the housing complex –buy our former newspaper- for reselling again to the recycle paper agency. She likes to receive kind of broken toys too).

Our ‘Toys Sorting Day’ really helpful after all to organize and put Ian’s toys in order.
What do you do in organizing your kids’ toys?

June 04, 2008

FAMILY



This is a picture I took at our Christmas holiday on last Dec at one of a craft store.
I like the words. That's the family mean to me, but I should change the word "Four" with "Five" since I have 3 kids.
(Sorry, for a little 'missed-corner'of the picture.)

June 03, 2008

"S.O.S Delivery Order"

If you have teens at homes then maybe you ever had this experience: run out of foods.
Yes, I really mean that. I often ‘run out of’ foods (mostly side dishes) at their early years of teens. They turned to have so much appetite for eating. It seemed any kinds of foods smell appetizing 
I forgot they’re not little kids anymore. They need more calories and energies for their fast growth. I was just not used in this new habit at that time. I used to cook just enough for 2 adults and 3 kids portions *I don’t like leftover foods* so when my 2 kids asked for more side dish, I was surprised and felt guilty. Oh oh, mommy forgot again! Need more foods…Then usually *think fast* I called the nearest Chinese restaurant for a “S.O.S” delivery order 
Nowadays I seldom run out of side dishes. I have used to cook for 5 adults (1 portion adding in case they need more :-b) and 1 kid portions. Every time I shop for the groceries I always put couple of frozen foods that could ready served in minutes in my list for example: sausages, croquettes, chicken spring rolls, bakpao (steamed bun stuffed with meat) just in case when they need to EAT while I’m busy *blink blink* Hehe..
But still the copy paper of menu from the Chinese restaurant stays in the fridge’s door. When ever I need the S.O.S delivery order, I just call…
What about your teens?

June 01, 2008

'the Secret'

The Secret

Now I’m in the middle reading ‘the Secret’, maybe need one more day to finish it.
At first I think the book was only about “abracadabra, your wish will come true”, it seemed too ‘materialist’ for me, but the more I read the more I understand what the writer wants to tell.
After all it’s a good book. I started to like it :-b
Interesting to know about the ‘universe attraction law’. It said when you’re thinking of something you’ll attract many similar thinking to your own. So if your mind has negative frequency, change it to the positive one and the highest frequency is LOVE.

So far, one thing I like from this book is:
You could create your own life in purpose. Just create YOUR DAY first by thinking the shape of moments you wanted, then YOU will create your own day in purpose.

Maybe some of you had read ‘the Secret’ then you can share with me…
(the website is http://www.thesecret.tv)
Maybe you had ever tried to practice it.
I’ll write again after I finish reading the book.