Birthday

Dear Daddy,

We may find a prince someday

but...you will always be our KING.

Happy birthday.

Love,

Najla & Zea

#ABelatedBirthday
#August10,2018
#DaddysGirls

Weekend Getaway: Hotel U Janevalla Bandung

Ah .....after five months left this blog, I am so very happy to finally write something here. Miss you, my blog:)

  

My hubby got two wedding party invitations in Bandung last week. Considering the crazy traffic from Jakarta to Bandung, it seemed it's impossible to go back and forth from Jakarta to Bandung. Then in the injury time, I browsed in the internet and found this cozy place to stay, Hotel U Janevalla on Jalan Aceh, next to Arya Duta Hotel and behind Bandung Indah Plaza.   

The hotel has an industrial design. Simple yet interesting. It's completed with a mini library (with limited books and visitors), and what the girls love would be the rooftop restaurant and swimming pool. It reminded us of a small version of Jane Orchard Hotel Singapore's rooftop swimming pool.

Athough the hotel was just open for the past three months however I saw that it was quite full. I guess that's due to the power of Traveloka, Trip Advisor, Social Media and all which give high score for this property.

One thing that disturbed us was only the breakfast. The restaurant for breakfast was too small while the hotel guests were soooo many. The hotel provided two floors for the breafast unfortunately the food and the drink were only available on ground floor while mezanine floor only had chairs for sitting. Since my family was a leyeh-leyeh group and arrived there on 8 o'clock then almost all places have already been occupied so we finally sat on mezanine floor and needed to go back and forth from one floor to another with glass and plate on our hands to get our breakfast. Gosh...it's killing me (makan jadi ga maksimal, KZL).

Hopefully the hotel will do something about the breakfast thing since this hotel is quite recommended. It has strategic location and  lovely design. Although the parking space is limited but the hotel provides a valet parking. If you're looking for an alternative hotel in Bandung, this hotel might be an option since it has instagrammable spots in many areas.  

Find more on Hotel U Janevalla here.

Another 43rd Birthday

Yes, this is the second 43rd birthday that we celebrate this year. The first one was mine in January and today is my hubby's birthday.

Happy birthday to the most awesome daddy on the planet

Wishing you an ocean of happiness that life can give you

We love you :)

Mama&theGirls

14 Magical Years

Marriage is 

a relationship in which one is always right 

and 

the other is the husband…hahaha

Happy 14th wedding anniversary!!!

We are definitely Mr. Right and Mrs. (always) Right

Turning 42

Dear hubby,

You're older.

You're wiser.

You're sophisticated.

You're far more too mature to be concerned with material things like presents…

#excusegabelikado

Happy 42nd birthday, awesome hubby

a person who is smart, good looking, and funny and …reminds me a lot of myself..hahaha...

Love you to the moon and back, as always.

Christmas Getaway: Novus Puncak

Puncak and its breathtaking view

We spent the last three days in Puncak area. Yep, the traffic is quite hectic. The good thing about Puncak area is it has one-way traffic arrangement thus we just wait the right hour to go up there and decide the time to go down home.

A Cold Swimming Pool

The Girls Favorite Jacuzzi

We stayed at Novus Giri Resort and Spa. With the cold air, nice athmosphere and non-stop raining, we decided to just stay in the hotel.  The hotel is quite kids friendly. It has a Rabbit Village. It's a well-maintained garden full of cute-fat rabbits. We found a cute rabbit wearing a santa hat. The girls proposed, "Can we bring it home, Ma?'  Well...not now baby, when then? Someday in the future (or perhaps never. Yes, I am a mean mom when it comes to pet). The hotel's Kids Club also exciting. The girls played there then continued swimming although they couldn't swim  too long since the water was too cold but Thank God, the hotel provided a jacuzzi with warm water that made the girls just wanted to stay there all day long. Pony-riding and  flying fox activity also available. 

Rabbit in Santa Costume

We left the hotel only to have our meal. Even on our last days we just ordered the room service and enjoyed our meals in the room. The girls loved it, Zea said "when in the world will mom let me eat on the bed instead in the hotel room?' Yes..it's a double-standard rule, no eating on the bed at home but allow them do it at the hotel (sorry housekeeping department).  It's a holiday aniyway, let's us just do anything we want and forget about mom-rules for a while. Happy holiday, everybody!!!

Wedding, Weekend, etc

Last weekend we had a one-day trip to Bandung for a friend's wedding invitation. We left Jakarta on Sunday morning and arrived in Bandung in time. The traffic was quite friendly. We didn't spend much time at the wedding reception since we're afraid that the traffic would be getting worst in the evening. After congratulating the bride and the groom, we decided to leave the place.

On our way back to Jakarta, we passed this beautiful housing complex, Kota Baru Parahyangan.   I read lots of their housing advertisement in the media. Curious about the place then we just turned left and entered the area. It's such a huge area with complete facilities. After browsing around the complex, we dropped by at Bale Pare. It's a place provided by the developer to hang out with family and friends, listen to the home band while sipping a cup of coffee. The place is very cozy with several restaurants, shady trees and a wide field with green grass everywhere. Najla and Zea enjoyed it a lot. They run here and there. So happy to breathe a fresh air. We left the area around 3 pm and arrived home at 5 pm. Wow...such a lucky day, back and forth to Bandung with a very smooth weekend traffic.    

A Weekend Getaway: Waduk Jatiluhur

Actually it was my hubby who got an office outing at Waduk Jatiluhur, Purwakarta, West Java couple months ago however we decided to take our girls, Najla and Zea, along since  they have never visited any dam yet. I thought it's going to be fun for them to see the lake and how the dam works.  Moreover I searched in the internet that Jatiluhur dam has several tourist spots and a nice swimming pool. 

The reality turned out to be a bit disappointing. The area was not well maintained. We found lots of garbages everywhere, the restaurants seemed not too hygienic, the swimming pool was so crowded, the weather is so hot and a bad odour smelled almost everywhere (perhaps it's from the waste of the dam).  

Since our plan was not run too well thus to cheer the girls up a little bit (due to cancellation of our swimming plan and not many activities they could do there), we finally hired a boat and rowed it along the lake. Boating in a big lake is definitely an awesome experience for the girls.

I am sure this place was used to be a beautiful place in the old days. It has many beautiful stuffs such as  the lake, the view and the surrounding. But it seems the management neglect the maintenance. If only they pay more attention to develop the place professionally, I think this place could be chosen as one of the weekend getaway for Jakarta people (instead of Bandung and Puncak) since the location is not too far.  

A Short Getaway: Bandung

A pre-wedding scene at Summer Hills Hotel & Villa

Our cousin and his family from Australia visited us for a week. They asked us to accompany them spending holiday in Bandung on weekdays since they will return to Brisbane on weekend. Actually it's such a tempting request however it's not school holiday yet, what should I do with the girls' school? After discussing it with my hubby finally we decided to let the girls skipped their school (since they don't see their cousin too often) and we both will rearrange our work deadline as well. I contacted the girls' teachers for a three-day-permission and to my surprise they let them go. Thanks a lot, teachers!!!!

Feeding the ducks at Lembang Floating Market

We left Jakarta in the morning. Bandung on weekdays were so very friendly. We could visit many beautiful places and enjoy many stuffs everywhere in a nice atmosphere, no crowd at all. 

Colorful toys at Lembang Floating Market

We stayed in a three-bedroom-villa at Summer Hills. It's a nice place. The girls enjoyed the swimming pool, the playground, the pets (bunny and birds) and just run along the grass field. On the next day, there was a pre-wedding photo session at our villa thus we could use the scene to take some pics on our own :)

A cozy ambience at Maja House, Lembang

A quote at Maja House, Lembang

Exploring science at Trans Studio Bandung

According to Najla and Zea, three favorite places on this trip were: Lembang Floating Market, Maja House ( a cozy resto at Lembang area) and Trans Studio. Okay girls, noted. Having a holiday on weekdays are really something. 

Unforgettable Australia

Jump...jump...at a playground in Gold Coast

Oh my Gosh it's been the 12th day of 2014 and I haven't posted anything yet. As usual I still have the post-holiday-syndrome, feel like I am still on holiday and have nothing to worry about while the fact is totally different. My girls must go back to school and my teaching schedule keeps calling me to get back to reality. I know there is always an ending for everything even for one of the best holiday ever.

Surfer Paradise, Gold Coast

Botanical Garden in Brisbane

Our Australia trip was kind of unplanned. My hubby's cousin who happens to live in Brisbane, invited us to visit them. I was not sure that I could get the visa within the limited time and found a reasonable price of flight ticket for the four of us since it's christmas and new year holiday.

Luckily we got the visa and the flight tickets as well although the price was quite pricey but the show must go on. Let's get rolling. Let's explore Australia. After eight hours of flying plus a-three-hour transit in Denpasar airport, we finally landed in Brisbane at 7 a.m. (Brisbane time is three hours ahead of Jakarta time). Good morning Brisbane. We arrived on December 26, it's a Boxing Day, no it has no relation with boxing in fact it's the best day for shopping since all shops and mall give 50% discount and more for all items sold. Just a perfect day to browse Australia malls although almost all of them were crowded. However it's quite interesting to know the history of Boxing Day, you can check here.

Our cousin lives in Sunshine Coast, one-and-a-half hour from Brisbane. It's a nice-peaceful-comfortable place with warm people. No traffic jam, no pollution, no crime, it's surrounded by many beaches. The Brisbaners  love picnic. They do it easily due to lots of beautiful beaches there and the city council provides them with comfy benches and barbecue tools, you just need to relax and enjoy the view. Najla and Zea fell in love with this place since they could swim everyday and could play in many nice and well-maintaned playgrounds all around the places and drank a tap water directly when they're thirsty.

On the 1st of January was Zea's 7th birthday, we celebrated it by visiting Australia Zoo owned by the legendary crocodile hunter, the late Steve Irwin and Zea's dream to meet and feed Kangaroo finally came true. We even watched the crocs show performed by Steve Irwin family, his wife and their two kids. I know this is going to be one of the best birthdays for our new year baby, right Zea?

Steve Irwin pics spread all over this place

Feed the kangaroo gently

Our cousin and his Australian wife are the best holiday organiser ever. They never let us stayed home. They already prepared a two-week-tight-holiday-schedule for us. But Australia is one of the biggest country in the world, two weeks are not enough to even explore Brisbane, one of the states in Australia.    There are too many places to see but still we're grateful to experience such awesome places such as Gold Coast as the surfer paradise, Brisbane with its big Ferris Wheel to see the beautiful city along Brisbane river, South Bank with its beautiful swimming pool, cafe and nice surrounding, the quite small city of Montville, Melaney with its farm and breathtaking view, Currimundi lake, Mooloolaba beach and fish market, the sunday market, and many more. Sound like a strange name? Yep, we found many unique names for places, beach, lake, etc since Australian took them from Aborigine, the indigenous people of Australia.

Cozy bookshops are everywhere

It's our best holiday ever and I really recommend people to go to Brisbane, a peaceful city that really kids-friendly. In fact Najla rejected to go home. Oh...my dear, mama feels you, this place is too good to be true if we compare with Jakarta and its horrible traffic jam. But time is up baby, pack your things and let's get back to reality. Hope this year we can have as awesome holiday as this one!!!       

A Week Wrap up

Exam is over, yayyyy...

It's the last week before we welcome the long holiday. Najla and Zea had a three-day-exams-only (I know their school is quite friendly in giving the exam, so far they don't even have a mid test). As usual my girls have their own style in preparing themselves for the exam. As a diligent student and also the big sister, Najla, reviewed her lesson religiously even without mama's supervision.On the other hand Zea was always ready with tons of excuses in avoiding this review session, it started from 'I am tired, mom' or 'I feel so sleepy' or 'I don't understand the topic' and many more while the real reason would be (my strong prediction) 'I am lazy, mom'. 

The next day after they finished their exam, Najla would came home and said 'I can do some of the questions while not sure about the others' whereas Zea would simply say 'It's ssoooooooo easy. Gampang banget'... okay let's wait for the result then babe. Their reports will be distributed this coming Tuesday, hope everything as good as Zea's positive response :)

Zea's new hair cut

On the last day of the exam I took the girls to eat out and enjoyed some milkshakes. Having a full tummy made me easier to persuade them to cut their hair. Usually they insist to have a long hair. I promise them that they can have a longer hair when they are able to take care themselves.

In commemorating mother's day, Najla's class held a special program called Super Camp with Daddy. The students collaborated with their daddy in making some accessories from beads, cooking fried noodle and some cakes, preparing the tents, presenting some performances and wrapping them up with a yummy lunch for the mothers. What a touching present for mothers. Thank you, dear!!! 

Indescribable Joy

Dear Ayah,
 

Happy birthday
 

We are so lucky to have you around

Keep healthy and happy

Tons of love from us: 

Mama, Najla & Zea

Happy Birthday, Ayah

Dear hubby,

You're the one who has made me laugh, wiped my tears, hugged me tight, saved my life, watched me succeed, seen me fail, cheered me on, kept me going strong, put up with my mood swings, has said everything will be alright when things get tough and keeps me sane

You're a promise from God that I'll have a friend forever

Happy birthday, dear Ayah...

Happy Birthday, Ayah

Dear Ayah,

It's your birthday,
I know
but somehow I feel
like I'm the one getting the present....
another wonderful year
of having you
to love.

Tons of loves, hugs & kisses,
Mama, Najla & Zea

After 7 Years

There's a Warung Pecel Lele nearby my parents' home. Last weekend, my hubby and I had dinner there.

Hubby: I remember 7 years a go, we had our first dinner together here. And you know what, it's all still the same

Me: You mean the taste of the food. Yep, they're good in maintaining their quality

Hubby: I am not talking about food. I am talking about you. Yes...you, after all this time, what I feel inside about you is still the same. Nothing's changed

Me: *speechless, touched, flattered, grateful*

Thank you Ayah, for all great moments that we share together. You rock. Love you more and more each day.

Happy Birthday, Ayah

Dear Ayah,

Happy 36th birthday
Wish Ayah good health, long and prosperous life
Wish Ayah to lead a happy, peaceful and fruitful life
Wish Ayah all the best things in life

Wish Ayah to stay the same
Nothing to be changed
'cause you're already the greatest Ayah ever

Love, hugs & kisses,
Mama, Najla & Nayzea

Birthday Wish for a Wonderful Daddy

You are our favorite person in the world
and Mama feels lucky to be your wife and also us as your children
your positive outlook on life is always an inspiration to us
and we are extremely grateful to have that influence in our life

You have our utmost respect, admiration and love
and we look forward to living out the rest of our life with you
happy 35th birthday, Ayah
we hope all your birthday wishes come true.

Best wishes from Mama, Najla & Nayzea

*birthday wish modified from here
** cupcakes ordered from here

Mrs Doubtfire

Couple days a go, Zea's (my 2nd daughter) babysitter informed me that she had to go to her hometown for 3 days since she had an urgent personal matters. As usual, when I heard this kind of proposal I always feel a bit distressed. Imagining at home with my two very active little girls (3 yrs & 16 months), compared with tons of works at the office. Moreover, I took many leaves during my mom hospitalized which cause many pending jobs at the office.

Last night, I talked to my hubby:
me: "Ayah, mbak Yoyoh (our nanny) will take a-three-day leaves. I'm afraid I won't be able to take more leaves at the office."
ayah: (answer in a calm tone) "Okay, you may go to the office. I'll take care of the little girls."
me: (speechless) "Really? Thanks a lot. You really are a great hubby (and daddy)."

Lord, I'm grateful for having a husband with a big heart. It's so.....BIG that makes me feel so..... comfortable to share life together till the rest of our life. Amiiiin.

dedicated to Ayah, Thanks for being Mrs. Doubtfire today. It really means a lot to me.