Pumpkidz, cute t-shirts for kiddos

Bo et Obi love wearing t-shirts. 
Almost everyday, they wear their favorite t-shirt to school, to play outside and even to sleep. Well, they love PJs too but t-shirt will always be their number one choice.
That's why I always get extra t-shirt for them, especially the comfy one.
And recently, we have just received some lovely t-shirt from home, Indonesia...

Akhirnyaaaaa...

Sampai jugaaa kaos-kaos lucu inii ke haribaan kami di Astoria :).
yuuup...kaos Pumpkidz 
Perjalanan jauh dari Bekasi ke NYC dan butuh waktu yang lumayan lama memang...
But we all so happy to receive it :).
Bo and Obi are more thank happy to wear them right away :)

Bo is the star :)

We love the simple designs and comfortable cotton used in this t-shirt...

Only for Rp60.000,00 or 5 USD, you can have this cute t-shirt for kids. It come in XS, S, M, L, XL to XXL :).

another design from Pumpkidz.com ")

Get more designs by clicking www.pumpkidz.com.

I really like the idea that these t-shirts are produced by students of vocational school or Siswa Wira Usaha in  Indonesia who learn to be skilled entrepreuners. I sincerely hope their business will flourish and they can learn a lot from this process. Besides, by using their services, we can help donate to the educational programs to students who are economically challenged. 

Maju terus siswa wirausaha..dan semoga kaos kerennya bisa dipakai banyak orang yaaa :)

Disclosure : I have happily received the abovementioned product, courtesy of the sponsor, for the purpose of this review. However, all views reflected in my blogs are genuine, based on my own (as well as my family) experience using the product. 

Have you watched Cinderella?

So...
Have you watched Cinderella?

Yes, the happily ever after telltale that seems to bewitch us since childhod, at least in my case :). Beautiful dresses, grand ball,  sad tears, prince charming and happily ever after ending...

Despite the classic version in cartoons and some more 'loose' interpretation that have been produced before (remember Ever After starred by Drew Barrymore?), Cinderella has her charms for girls of all ages, including me. And I am a biiiig fan of Disney as well :)

So we decided to watch it together with Bo et Obi :).  
Last weekend, I have an additional meeting on Sunday morning (yes, Sunday morning, lucky me :) ) and I promised to spend some times with Bo et Obi as well. Then since my meeting was not too long, we planned to join some friends and watched Cinderella in one of the movie theaters near my office. 

After a lovely lunch with friends, we hurried to the theater and got on the line. But before that, we managed to take pictures as well :) Obi brought her Cinderella doll and voilaaa...Cinderella was watching Cinderella as well :).. 

Story wise...it's the same old plot. 

Beautiful life with mom and dad shattered as mom passed away and dad remarried with two step sisters coming along. As dad was lost on the sea, Ella started her new life with the horrible step mom and step sisters. But again, Ella, who got her nickname Cinderella after sleeping by the hearth and had cinder on her face, always remembered her lovely mom's message..to be kind and have courage. 

Then..you know the rest, right... 

Bad treatments in the house, mice became best friends, met the Prince coincidently, and there were the Ball...Here stepped in the Fairy Godmother, the midnight curfew, the hunt for the owner of the glass shoes and the happily-ever after wedding :).

No surprises, I guess...

But I guess it is still enjoyable. Looking at cute Lily James walked dreamily to the Palace, or hearing the evil laugh of Cate Blanchet playing a horrendous step mother and blushing over the cute conversation between the Prince and  Cinderella.

One funny remarks made by Obi was when Cinderella, for a hundreth times, cried. 

And Obi just loudly said "agaiiiin"...and we just cracked hearing her saying that :). Looks like Obi doesn't fall for a weak, teary girl.

So, don't miss it..

It wil be an enjoyable move for sure...and your daughters will certainly enjoy it. Many good messages are reflected in this movie :).

The costume department is awesome as well. 

Terutama kostum untuk sang ibu tiri dan dua saudara perempuan tiri Cinderella yang keren abis walaupun agak sedikit 'heboh' (baca : norak-norak bergembira) untuk Anastasia dn Drizella. Cate Blanchet was brilliant...dan bajunya itu lhoo, kereeen semuaaa hahahaha #salahfokus :)

Kostum sang pangeran yang diperankan oleh Richard Madden, si ganteng Rob Stark dari serial TV The Game of Thrones, juga keren bangeet, terutama yang royal blue. I love it!.

Jadi jangan ketinggalan yaaaa :)..

Have you watched Cinderella?

WW: Pulau Balak, Lampung, Indonesia

Another beautiful spot on earth that I miss dearly..
Pulau Balak or Balak Island.

In Lampungnese, the traditional language Lampung people, Balak means big. And this island is quite big, covering around 26 hectares of land and beautiful sandy beach along its shore. 

Balak Island is located in Pesawaran, Lampung. 
Beautifully stretched along Lampung Bay, it can be reached by boat around 1 hour from Ketapang Port. If you love diving, this is a lovely place for that as well :).

Don't blame me for missing this beautiful island with its clear, turquoise water, beautiful sky and white sandy beach...

Join us in (almost) Wordless Wednesday :) and have a great blog hopping :)

Hard Rock Cafe NYC, anyone?

I like Monday...

I know,  it might sounds like an old magic I'm-feeling-good-mantra you need to say to yourself everyday.

But I'm talking about something else. Other "I Like Monday" :).
It is actually one of programs we have in Hard Rock Cafe Jakarta where you can enjoy great food, cool band and obviously fabulous music (otherwise we gonna go back to our lovely Monday blues).  I think they still have it until now down there. 

Okay, I miss it.., I miss HRC Jakarta, I miss the city and its never-ending-madness that you totally get yourself into.
I gotta admit that :).

But now as we're talking about Hard Rock Cafe... here comes another confession.
I have a thing for this global-chain cafe. I have been collecting many memorabilia from Hard Rock Cafe from different corners of the world :)...

I know, I know...don't give me that look.
It might be a lame hobby but I just love it! 
So far I have some from Bali, Jakarta (of courseeee...), Venice, London, Rome, Sharm El-Sheikh, Melbourne, and NYC.

Not that many but I'm starting :).

And how thrilled I am to know that Hard Rock Cafe New York is just one-subway away :).

Again, don't give me that look.

It might sound very touristy, but I have to admit that I really enjoy my visit to Hard Rock Cafe NYC. Whenever I have some friends coming to NYC, most of them want to see Times Square. And since Hard Rock Cafe is located at the heart of this "intersection of the world", then I frequently take my friends here as well.

So nooow, I'd like to share my experience dining in HRC NYC. Again, many of my friends always love to check in in this cafe :), enjoying the food as well as shopping for some merchandises.

By the time you are in there, you will have enough time to look around and take pictures with all those cool memorabilia and the famous wall :)

cheers...

They even offer you to take pictures and provide the big prints, HRC photo frame and keychain for 25 USD. Great souvenirs :).

Sometimes the line can be quite long as this place is famous and many people from many parts of the world come specially to have dinner here. But, I know how to handle it. Simply by applying for Hard Rock Cafe Rewards Card and you'll be good. The privileges are awesome, including rewards point, priority line (so you don't have to spend too much time waiting for your table), free voucher and the free nights at HRC hotel. With HRC spread in many corners of the world, it will be great to have one :).

You can apply here easily. I had my free voucher already :)..

And now, let's talk about the food...
A lot to choose from in terms of food. 
The Home of Legendary Burgers is the tagline of Hard Rock Cafe :).

My favorite is the mixed platter of starters, Jumbo Combo, like nachos, onion rings, chicken wings, with cheese and spinach and artichoke dipping. Like the name suggested, it is jumbo enough for your dinner or lunch :). It costs you around 23US. You can also choose the sauce and the hottest one is called heavy metal. Oh yeaaaah...
And this is how it looks :). Yuuummy, indeed...

Jumbo Combo...

For more entree, you can definitely enjoy the classic nachos, chicken tenders or the rocking' wings separately :)

They also have a variety of steak and grilled menu. 
The Angus steak or barbecue chicken are available.
Or you can also tried the Original Legendary Burger, with a combination of smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, golden fried onion ring, crispy lettuce as well as tomatoes. Since I don't eat pork or bacon, I chose the veggie burger :). Look how big the portion is...

For the kids, there are several choices. Bo love the chicken tenders while Obi is a big fan of the hot dogs. Both love that french fries or mash potatoes and choco milk. Happy meals for happy kids, for just around 8 USD :)

They have certainly many to choose from, starting from salads, entree, smokehouse, sandwiches, and of course dessert. 

Cocktails and beverages are abundant, with or without the alcohol, served in their lovely shots, tumblers and glasses. Even you wanna have them, you only have to pay extra 5 USD and you can get a new set of HRC glass to take home :).

here's what I got..

If you wanna check the complete menu, you can get it here.
And of course, the interior of this cafe is soooo Hard Rock..
One of a kind...
Too bad I always come here in the evening and most of my photos are blurry :)

Steven Tyler, my fave...

Kids will definitely be entertained as well, as they will have "an entertainment package" once they are here. Bo loves drawing himself and Obi plus the house and the clouds on the blank sheet they have there :).

the kids' set..

seriusly drawing :)

So, what do you think? Interested to come and enjoy Hard Rock Cafe in NY?

Hard Rock Cafe New York

1501 Broadway, New York City

Opening hours:

Restaurant 

Friday - Sunday  from 8 AM - 10 AM for breafast

Monday - Sunday from 11 AM - 12.30 AM

Merchandise

Monday - Thursday from 9 AM - 12.30 AM

Friday to Sunday from 8 AM - 1.30 AM

Good morning, good morning to you...

Everyday,  after waking up and sleepily walking to the living room, Obi will say good morning to every one of us.

Yup, every one of us in the house :).

Well, she usually wakes up happy and in a good mood. My baby girl...

Lately, she has one favorite song she likes to sing for all of us.

She learned it at her pre-K and loves it so much.

The lyrics go like this:

"Good morning,  good morning, good morning to you...
Our day is just beginning. .
So much to do ..."

She sings that again and again and even asks us to sing along. 

Like this morning...fresh from her bed, she just walked towards me and sang the song while scrubbing her half-closed eyes. Then she wanted me to sing together with her :).

So cute...

She was even more than happy when I recorded that in my smartphone :)

I like the way she sings that and encourages others to sing it, too.

Well, our love for singing is indeed running in the family. Karaoke junkie is my family's middle name and whenever we have big family gathering, singing will undoubtedly be part of it, be it in a karaoke, wedding, new year, or simply a weekend visit. And tell you what, the singing will go on and on and on until we have to call it a day or the kids get tired. 

at the Kelagian kecil island...

With lots of food, the day will certainly be longer :).

Well, I miss my big family crazy, fun time :).

Such a simple love and happiness that will always warm your heart...

How about you, people? What do you usually do with your big family?

Under the RFK bridge

Under the blue sky. on the exact spot. at different time..

RFK Bridge, NYC

Obi and her smile...

Join us on Skywatch Friday 

WW: Tenun Ruteng

Tenun Ruteng, the newest addition to my Wastra Indonesia collection :).

Ruteng is the capital of Manggarai District, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. One petit island filled with natural wonders and fascinating cultures, including their traditional handwoven fabrics.

I was privileged to get this new piece of beautiful cloth and some snaps of the wonderful and skillful lady who was the master of this artful masterpiece. It took around 3 months to finish one full cloth. Truly a labour of love...lots of love.

I can't wait to receive my newest Tenun Ruteng here in NYC.

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have a great bloghopping experience :)

Bo et Obi's Story: Presentation of Travel Brochure

Bo has just presented his second travel brochures...

Bo et Ms. Machado

As part of the project at school, Bo was preparing travel brochure. They were studying about different parts of the world in Social Studies. Last fall, they discussed about Africa, so Bo decided to make Egypt as the country he would be promoting. 

This winter, they learned about Asia, so definitely, Bo was so excited to talk about Indonesia. It was soooo much fun indeed :). Although they only studied about China, Japan and India, but Bo chose his homeland for this project :).

Kali ini, sebagai bagian dari pelajaran Social Studies, Bo mempelajari negara-negara yang ada di Asia, seperti China, Jepang dan India. Seperti sebelumnya, selesai mempelajari negara-negara tersebut dengan segala details, informasi dan pengetahuan baru, mereka diminta untuk memilih satu negara di kawasan tersebut untuk dijadikan brosur perjalanan. As simple as that, tapi tugas sekolah ini benar-benar seruuuu lho..anak-anak jadi belajar tentang negara-negara tersebut dengan lebih dekat, mulai dari bendera, lagu kebangsaan, jumlah propinsi bahasa, dan budaya lokal yang menjadi kekayaan khas negara tersebut. Belum lagi tempat-tempat cantik yang menjadi tujuan wisata. Pokoknya seru dan fun :). Dan untuk tugas kali ini, Bo memilih Indonesia. Yaaaay ...

Bo was taking his time working on it and the brochure looks nice :). 

It took around 3 days to make it, starting from getting the information, choosing the photos, writing, decorating, and coloring it. He got this list of questions and points he would get if  he got those elements on his brochure.

He used a lot of photos, including our own photos, showing our beautiful homeland, Lampung. Bo was even on some of the photos, especially those on beautiful beaches  :).

Bo was showing activities that people can do and enjoy in Indonesia, beside some basic facts and interesting information about our country :). Like how many Islands Indonesia has and how many traditional tribes we have.

I guess he wrote about enjoying the natural beauty of Indonesia, embracing the rich culture, experiencing the culinary wonders and shopping! Yuuup.. Shopping :). I don't know where he got the idea but I guess watching me coming home with those colorful shopping bags clearly shown that Indonesia is a shopping paradise :).

So, he finally finished the brochure during the mid-winter recess. 

Wanna see his work ? 

be careful...

we also had the Lampungnese dance and wayang :)

And last week, parents (and grandparents ;)) were invited to come to the class and saw the children's presentation on their works. 

I managed to come and watches the whole presentations. It was great for sure! 

It was briefly opened by a short video showing every kids introducing the name of the country that they would be introducing to the class. 

Then they made a short speech about the  country and the goals they have accomplished by making a travel brochure. 

This is Bo and his group before the presentation.

getting ready...

And I made a short video of Bo's presentation as well ;). 

After the presentation,  we even had one girl performed an Indian dancing in front of the class. Then everyone had the time to go around the class and talked to  the kids about their works. We could also write some comments and compliments about the brochure. For about one hour, we finished the program and the kids continued their studies. 

I really like this program and Ms. Machado, Bo's teacher, has planned to have one more when they study about Europe.

I love the fact that kids get creative and brave to present their work in front of the class. Way to go, kiddos...

Last fall, Bo was working on Egypt travel brochure when they studies about Africa. I didn't get a chance to write it down here but I guess I can put it here together ;). 

preparing for the first brochure...

It was a great experience as well for Bo :). And for us, it was like reminiscing of our trip to this Land of the Pharaohs...Such a great memory!

the photos used for Bo's brochure..most of them were taken from our trip....

And the final product is this:

taraaaaa...

Here were some of the photos from last fall's presentation....

cheeers...

Bo's friend's work...

colorful :)

How about your kids? 

I bet they have many interesting school projects as well..