(Semoga) Saya (Bukan) Ibu Pemarah

Ketika saya memutuskan untuk kembali bekerja, salah satu hal yang menjadi pertimbangan adalah emosi yang mudah tersulut ketika saya 24 jam berada di rumah. Memang benar, ketika saya sudah memiliki kegiatan di luar rumah, saya lebih mudah menghadapi anak saya dengan sabar. Tentu saja karena saya merasa waktu saya jauh berkurang dengannya, sehingga...

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Antara Sea World, NatGeo Wild, dan Zebra

Punya channel TV kabel favorit? Kalau saya sih Star World (karena saya suka reality shownya) dan National Geographic (karena menurut saya edukatif dan informatif) selain channel berita lokal. Berbeda dengan anak saya, hanya ada satu pilihan yaitu Baby TV. Awalnya saya sempat sedikit “perang” dengan anak saya untuk memperpendek durasi menonton...

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EF#32: Crochet A Plastic-bag Yarn, Why Not?

I am currently doing my old hobby: crocheting. I use the term menyongket in Bahasa Indonesia since some friends say crocheting as menyulam. I learned to crochet when I was 11 or 12. Back then, my mom taught me how to do that, and I sold to my schoolmates what she made: cute hairpins, bags, mukena pouches, and pencilcases. So, now when I start...

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Hidup Tanpa Sepatu (dan Tanpa Keluh)

Sampai saat ini, saya masih percaya bahwa membaca buku itu wajib dilakukan setidaknya satu buku per bulan, kalau kita sibuk. Alasannya, saya merasa selalu mendapat hal yang baru dan mencerahkan, that it makes me reflect and contemplate of how I live my life....

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EF #29: The One Who Never Complains

Ibu, that’s how I usually call her, is my mother-in-law. I chose to write about her because she is the one who has taught me how to be a strong woman....

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EF #28: Songs That Make Me..

Honestly, I never try to understand the lyrics everytime I listen to a song. I decide to listen to a song based on the melody. If it satisfy my ears, I’ll listen and sing along. So, when I read the EF challenge this week, I was confused. I had limited time to write before weekdays start. After thinking for two days...I still don’t know what to...

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EF #27: Read and Read and Read

If I can mention all good habits I’ve got from my parents, I will say reading is my favorite one. Is it a hobby or a habit? For me, it’s both. I like reading, I do it often, then it becomes a habit. ...

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How Our Kids Eat

Saya sedikit tergelitik dengan cerita seorang nenek dari murid saya. Murid saya ini, sebut saja Kemal, badannya cukup besar. Saya tidak menganggapnya gemuk karena ia juga tinggi dan larinya sangat gesit. Hari-hari pertama di sekolah ia dibawakan sekotak susu UHT ukuran kecil. Minggu berikutnya, sang nenek minta izin membawakan Kemal susu formula...

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Kala Harus Naik Motor dengan Balita (part 2)

Read the first part here Tadinya saya mau pilih sandaran, tapi harga lumayan, sekitar 400ribuan tanpa ongkir. Belum lagi saya jadi tidak bisa membonceng suami karena sandaran harus dipasang memakai sekrup. So, coret. Motor saya bukan matic, jadi kursi lipat juga saya coret dari list....

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Kala Harus Naik Motor dengan Balita (part 1)

Sebelum memutuskan untuk kembali bekerja, saya berpikir tentang siapa yang akan mengasuh anak saya. Ketika akhirnya saya menemukan daycare yang sesuai kriteria, saya harus berpikir lagi tentang bagaimana saya harus mengantar jemput anak saya. Alhamdulillah ada kendaraan pribadi sehingga kami tidak perlu naik kendaraan umum. Mertua sudah mewanti-wanti...

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EF #26: Me, The Dentist, and The Broken Molar

It took me some time to decide which experience to write. Mostly, my dentist-experience went well. Then, I thought that I needed to share the worst experience since it’s important to know before your dentist do something to your tooth. In 2010, one of my molar teeth was broken. I ate rice and unfortunately a small rock was strong enough to...

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Ramadhan Tanpa Amarah

Ramadhan kemarin, saya benar-benar merasakan perjuangan untuk beribadah. Hingga H-7, saya harus puas bisa tarawih sekali saja di masjid, sisanya di rumah. Tidak jauh berbeda dengan mengaji, saya tidak rutin melakukannya tiap hari. Jadi, sekalinya ada tenaga tersisa, saya rapel sekalian beberapa halaman. Yang paling “instan” sekalipun, yaitu mendengarkan...

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EF #23: Mudik Preparation

The day of going back to my hometown a.k.a mudik is approaching. My husband said this morning that he couldn’t wait to meet his parents. Don’t worry Yah, time flies, even in Ramadhan + holiday like now. It’s almost a week fasting! So fast, uh?...

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EF #24: Eggplant Stir Fry Recipe

The difference between this ramadhan and the last is I don’t cook that much. My son takes most of my time and I just don’t have that much time to cook. So, I was a bit confused what to write in this challenge since the menu during the regular month and ramadhan is the same. There’s only one thing my husband asks that he didn’t ask on regular days: hot tea. I can’t write this tea recipe, right?...

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EF #21: EcoHoliday Under 100K at Kuntum Farm Field

Nowadays, back to the village is becoming a trend. What i meant with “village” is a place where we can experience a life like in a village: planting, feeding farm animals, or even ploughing..! These kinds of activities were easily found in our grandparents daily life (maybe). As our country gets more modern, more people move to the city and those activities in the nature lose their charm. ...

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Tidur Nyenyak, Tanpa Nyamuk

Ada satu hal yang saya sukai dari musim hujan, yaitu udara dingin saat tidur malam. Maklum, kamar saya tidak ada AC-nya. Selain kamar menjadi “seperti ber-AC”, nyamuk juga enggak mampir ke kamar. Kebetulan, kamar tempat saya, suami, dan anak saya tidur jendelanya tidak bisa tertutup sempurna. Sepertinya masalah kualitas kayu dan pemuaian, sehingga...

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Review: Arch Hotel Bogor by Horison

To be honest, saya belum pernah spending weekend dengan cara menginap di hotel. Pertama sih mikir, sayang duitnya hehe..dan takut kurang seru aja kalo cuma di hotel sehari semalem. Entah kenapa, bulan lalu keinginan untuk nge-hotel tiba-tiba muncul. Pikir saya, sekali-sekali lah ya.. Setelah suami menyetujui, saya pun mulai survey hotel di Kota...

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EF #22: A Failed Trip to Kebun Raya Bogor

Being a mother makes me want to visit as many parks as possible. Of course, I want my son to experience playing in the parks more than he does at malls. So, last month we went to Kebun Raya Bogor. It wasn’t a well planned one since our main destination was staying in a hotel. If we went to Bogor before check-in time, which was at 2 pm, we would...

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Sabtu Bersama Bapak: Lessons Learned

Setiap kali selesai membaca buku bagus, pasti saya pengen review tulisannya di blog. Entah mengapa, selalu saja tidak kesampaian. Kali ini, saya paksain bikin ala-ala review (karena saya belum pernah bikin review buku) berbentuk poin-poin aja so it’s easier to remember....

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If I were a BEC's admin..

..I would separate grammar sessions for beginners and advanced members. For beginners, the session is in Bahasa Indonesia. Joining a conversation in English where all members speak fluently can be intimidating for beginners. So, give a room for members to ask basic-repeated-silly questions J...

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EF #19: The Memorable Nanny

She was eighteen and I was nine if I am not mistaken. Our relationship began when he worked for my parents as a nanny. My parents were both working at that time, so I and my sister were taken care by Mbak Nini, that’s how I called her. Actually, there was one more nanny, Mbak Retno. This 15 year-old girl handled my sister while Mbak Nini was for...

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Saat Guru menjadi Orang Tua Murid

Sudah dua minggu ini saya memasukkan anak saya ke sebuah daycare. Kebetulan, sebentar lagi saya kembali bekerja dan saya ingin anak saya nyaman terlebih dahulu di daycarenya sehingga ketika mulai bekerja nanti ia mudah ditinggal. Inilah kali pertama saya berganti peran menjadi orang tua (murid) setelah sekian lama menjadi guru dan berhadapan dengan...

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My Kidney Bean 1st Giveaway: Two Favorite Posts

Salah satu keajaiban mengikuti komunitas blog adalah...kita bisa mendapat banyak cerita dan inspirasi dari blog, termasuk berinteraksi dengan sang pemilik tulisan lewat komentar. Salah satu blog yang saya kenal melalui blogroll Indonesian Hijab Blogger adalah My Kidney Bean, a blog by Mbak Sandra. Waktu itu kalau nggak salah postnya tentang daycare....

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EF #20: The Marriage Effect

Ehm, relationship. This word is really meaningful for me as a girl and a woman. Being single for most of my teen life made me think that I wasn’t lucky, haha.. When finally I got a boyfriend, it wasn’t as simple as I thought. Did it affect my study life? I don’t think so. Up to that point, I concluded that having no boyfriend was more fun since...

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Tentang Kemalingan

Saya tidak mempunyai banyak benda berharga, surat-surat penting, termasuk perhiasan yang nilainya membuat saya harus memasukkan mereka ke brankas atau safe deposit box di bank. Tepatnya, belum punya (insya Alloh someday yaa) Orang tua saya pun tidak memiliki pengamanan ekstra, dan alhamdulillah tidak pernah kecurian. Namun, ada salah seorang...

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EF #18: Why is Ours So Complicated, God?

Dear God, It’s clear what kind of relationship we have You love me and I love You You are The Creator and I am the creature I know what you’ve given me but.. I haven’t given what You asked me to...

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Mengajari Anak Bahasa Daerah, Perlukah?

“Wong Jowo kok ra iso boso Jowo…” (orang Jawa kok tidak bisa  bahasa Jawa) Begitulah komentar Eyang suami saya ketika saya pertama kali menjadi bagian dari keluarga mereka. Malu juga rasanya ditegur begitu walau sebetulnya saya bisa berbahasa Jawa tapi kurang lancar. Saya bisa memahami artinya, tetapi kalau harus bicara dengan yang...

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EF #17: An Architect or A Designer?

Do you know tedhak siten? It is a Javanese ceremony where babies celebrate their first time stepping on the ground. One part of the ceremony is when the baby is put inside a chicken cage and he should choose one thing around him. The thing he chooses represents his future, according to Javanese belief. Can you guess what I chose? A pencil....

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My Favorite Wedding Souvenir: Financial Note

Beberapa hari lalu, di grup Whatsapp keluarga besar ayah saya ramai berbicara tentang kebiasaan menyimpan struk dan mencatat cashflow. Ternyata kami para sepupu (khususnya wanita) cukup rajin melakukan salah satunya. Saya rajin mencatat pemasukan dan pengeluaran harian, baik ketika masih bekerja maupun sekarang saat menjadi ibu rumah tangga (apalagi!). Struk belanja saya buang ketika nominalnya sudah saya catat di catatan pengeluaran. Ada sih beberapa yang...

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EF #16: Fortune Comes to Those Who Are Right

There is not much that I can remember from Indonesian tales in my childhood. I read a lot of books, including comics and encyclopedia that came from varied countries. I remember some beautifully illustrated tale books that I saw in Gramedia at that time, but it was too costly. My father bought me some Indonesian books though, but mostly the...

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EF #15: Gadgets or Real Games?

As a new parent, I like to browse parenting articles and read parenting magazines. What I can get from most parenting media is that kids now connect a lot with technology, including during their play time. The latest, I bought a book from Parenting Indonesia magazine, titled Raising The Next Genius Part 2: Membesarkan Anak Cerdas di Era...

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Terpukau Baby Toilet di IKEA

Jujur saja, saya paling tidak sabar untuk menulis ketika pergi ke suatu tempat dimana fasilitas untuk ibu dan anaknya sangat layak. Langsung deh saya jepret sana jepret sini dan mengumpulkan detil untuk bahan tulisan. Setelah menulis tentang nursing rooms beberapa minggu lalu, kini saya akan share pengalaman saya (sebagai ibu menyusui) berkunjung...

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Mudik dengan Batita, Naik Apa?

Kenapa saya memilih topik mudik kali ini sementara lebaran masih lama? Untuk para perantau pasti tahu jawabannya. Yak tepat, karena barusan pemesanan tiket mudik kereta api resmi dibuka. Tahun lalu saya gagal mendapat tiket mudik sesuai keinginan walaupun sudah duduk manis di depan laptop sejak jam setengah 12 malam selama 2 hari berturut-turut....

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EF #14: A Memory of a Sailormoon Addict

1996. A group of 6th graders was packed in a 3x3m2 room, laughing out loud. One of them held a comic book while ohers acted as a cat named Luna and a girl named Usagi. They were trying to bring the story in the comic into a play. Although there was no audience, these 4 girls and a boy had a lot of fun....

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Nursing Rooms I Visit Frequently

Sejak menjadi ibu menyusui, saya jadi harus rajin mencari ruang menyusui ketika bepergian. Untuk mal saat ini rata-rata sudah memiliki nursing room, khususnya mal yang usianya relatif baru. Kondisinya memang beragam. Saya sempat menyusui di nursing room sebuah mal yang lokasinya persis bersebelahan dengan toilet sehingga baunya pesing, hingga ke nursing...

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