Dear Kukka: Say CHEESE!!!!

CHEEEEEESE!

YEAY!!!! The pain and the effort of putting on-off those annoying rubbers have finally paid off! NO MORE BRACES!!! CONGRATULATIONS BEBI!! 🥳😘 What a journey! Your cute smile is getting prettier and prettier! Bubu's Bebi 🥰😘😍 

Do you remember when Project Kukka Denta started? It was in December, 15th 2021 by drg. Ardiny Andriany, Sp. Ort., at Klinik Denta. And yesterday the dentist took your braces off! So it means that it only took... 8 months for you to have your teeth fixed! 😱 

Actually drg. Dini told us that you could take the braces off in August, 1st. But you weren't ready. To tell you the truth nor was I 😄 Because in my mind a person has to wear braces like... Oh I don't know! At least 1,5 - 2 years??? Because in my time (AGES AGO 😂) that's how long it takes to have your teeth perfectly fixed! But apparently not anymore! Thanks to technology! 😆 drg. Dini also told me that your case wasn't complicated. Your teeth and mouth structure are in good shape. They just needed a little bit of work here and there. But then you said "I need more time." I said "Whatever makes you comfortable, baby!" 😘 So after drg. Dini fixed the loose bracket we went home with you still wearing braces. 

Buuuut 2 weeks later...mmm...fate interfered? 😆 When you were eating on Monday, August 1st, one of the brackets fell off! 😅 So rather than having it glued again I said "Why don't you get the braces removed for good? The dentist DID say that your teeth are now already perfect." As far as I can remember you didn't even think twice and said yes 😄 

So I made an appointment with drg. Dini on Friday, August 12th. It took 3 hours for drg. Dini to work on your teeth. The removing part was actually pretty fast. It was the cleaning and waiting for the retainers to be finished which took a long time. About the retainers... Check this out if you want to know more about it: How Orthodontic Retainers Are Made. Apparently nowadays there's this type of retainer which fits in over your teeth. The retainer looks clear which makes it seems invisible. First thing first: scanning! 

For 2 sets of retainers we had to wait for about 45 minutes. After that you had to pay attention to the dentist's instruction and you had to try to put-take off the retainer yourself. It was quite tricky 😅 But it was nothing that you couldn't do 😊 Finally after more than 3 tiring hours at the dentist the session was finished. Before we went home, drg. Dini reminded us: 

"Untuk 3 bulan pertama retainer dipakai sepanjang hari, kecuali saat makan, minum selain air putih, dan sikat gigi. Setelah 3 bulan, retainer cukup dipakai saat tidur saja, seumur hidup selama Kukka ingin menjaga posisi gigi sama persis dengan saat braces dilepas."

We thanked drg. Dini for everything and said goodbye. The second you got your braces off I took a picture and sent it to SiBapa. He was very surprised by how fast the whole process was. SiBapa also said that you look different 😊 

To celebrate "Copot Braces" the two of us had delicious dinner at your favorite restaurant Popolamama in Aeon. I watched you enjoyed a plate full of garlic bread, a big portion of spaghetti and a big glass of chocolate shake 😄 I was very happy for you because I know how annoying it is to eat if you wear braces. It's like... You can only enjoy 80% of your food. Right?! 😂 Not to mention the effort you need to clean your teeth afterwards! But now not anymore! 

Project Kukka Denta is finished! 🥳 Congratulations Bebinya Bubu 😘 Take good care of your teeth and remember: SMILE! 🥰

Kukka's Birthday Surprise ... Not!

Well... It didn't go exactly as planned but still... She was pretty surprised 😄 Today is my Precious Godsend's 14th birthday. Days before I already told The Dynamic Duo, Dewi and Yuli, to come extra early. There were balloons to be hanged and Indomie Goreng as birthday cake to be made. And like always there were always some drama 😂 Like... It turned out I ordered 4 ZEROS instead of a 1 and a 4!!! 🤣 Luckily I had an idea to make a big flower out of the Zeros, added with small colorful balloons in the middle. I also just realized that I forgot to buy the 1 and 4 birthday candles!!! And there were no more birthday candles left in the kitchen drawer. I texted Ari ASAP and told him to buy the candles on the way here. Like always, he texted a couple of dumb questions and sent me a picture of which candle he should buy:

I mean... Really???? 😑😑😑 But I was too busy arranging the balloons to be pissed or even commented about it. I did ask whether there was nicer ones. He said no. Okay. Then Dewi, Yuli and I kept pumping and arranging the balloons. Some popped and made really really loud sound 😂 The 3 of us were shocked and worried that Hubs or/and Kukka would wake up before everything was ready. I think some balloons popped because of the hot temp, some because Dewi pumped them too big. A couple of the balloons also popped when Dewi tried to hang them on the window bar. I was really worried she would fall down from stool bar 😅

Of course lots of laughters were involved while Moochi was looking at us and the balloons with big eyes. He didn't like the balloons at all 😸 While Dewi and Yuli took care of the balloons, I made a short Happy Birthday Playlist on Spotify. The plan was to play the songs when Kukka came out of the bedroom and EVERYTHING WAS READY! Buuuuuut..... Suddenly the bedroom opened aaaaaaand there she was! The Birthday Girl!!! 😂 Dewi, Yuli and I were like "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!" 🤣 

The Birthday Girl's eyes were opened wide and sparkly. She also had that cute and pretty smile on her face. I immediately hugged her and asked "Kok udah banguuuun??? Kan tadi malem udah sengaja dibolehin tidur maleeem!" Yeah... I let her sleep past midnight the previous night. I thought it would make her wake up around 8:30 am which would give us more time to prepare. Still with a wide smile on her face she said "I'm so sorry...." 😄🥰😘 So while The Birthday Girl was still busy looking at the balloons and answering my questions, Dewi was preparing the birthday "cake": 2 Indomie Goreng with candles on top 🥳 Before blowing the candles I turned on the songs I've chose from Spotify such as: some random Happy Birthday Song by Cocomelon, Happy - From Despicable Me 2: Pharell Williams, Selamat Ulang Tahun by Jamrud, Happy Birthday - Dance Mix, and Birthday by Katy Perry 😂 Then it was time to blow out the candles. Bubu, Dewi and Yuli sang Happy Birthday and I must say that our voices were bad 🤣 But I'm pretty sure The Birthday Girl didn't hear us because she was mesmerized by the Indomie Goreng Birthday Cake 🥳

Seconds later The Birthday Girl (and Bubu 😋) were enjoying the überdelicious Indomie Goreng. That was all she wanted. 2 Indomie Goreng for her 14th birthday. No money, no toys, no cellphone, no... Oh I don't know! New clothes and make-up?? 🤪 If it wasn't for me I'm sure she also wouldn't come up to ask her Bapa for Robux. 2 Indomie Goreng. That's it. After she finished her birthday present, Dewi gave Kukka a big bouquet of the snacks she loves: Chitato, Pocky and Sari Gandum. "Ini dari Mba Dewi dan Kevin ya, neng!" said Dewi while handing over the bouquet. Kukka was thrilled 😊 

I was touched by the attention Dewi gave for my baby. This is just like what happened on my birthday. Yuli who was sweeping the floor said "Maaf ya neng Mba Yuli ngga bisa kasih apa-apa...". I patted Yuli on the back and said "Mba Yuli udah ngurusin kebutuhan Kukka setiap hari. Udah lebih dari cukup." My girl hugged Yuli and said "Iyaa! Terima kasih Mba Yuli!" How can I not love this Precious Godsend of mine über alles? 🤗🥰 

And then finally after the whole thing was almost over, her Bapa woke up. We gave Kukka the other birthday present she wanted: Robux.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think last year she asked for the same thing 🙄 Sometimes I just don't get this girl... 

And of course there's another family member who didn't want to be left out from the party and gave Kukka a present too...

Mooooooocccchhhiiiiiiii!!!!!

New Promise + New Class = FUN

A promise is made to be kept, fulfilled. In my case it was actually a nazr. That if my Precious Godsend successfully graduated to Class 9, I would take our house crew, Dewi-Yuli-Ari, to dinner. This time we decided to take them to have dinner at Outback Steakhouse. How we came to decide to have steaks was because of our talk about food 😄 Usually this kind of conversation occurs when I'm having my morning coffee while Dewi is cooking and Yuli is cleaning up the bedrooms. The maids talk about how their bosses like to treat them with adventures including trying out delicious, and in their case, unusual food 😄 Duck King, Sushi Tei, Chung Gi Wa, ... and others. Sadly I can't remember any of those moments 😔 Thankfully I always take-post the pictures! So while I was looking at the pictures I went something like "Kalo makan steak udah pernah belom?". I could see their faces lit up immediately 😂 I guess they know SiBapa and SiBubu very good. The Dynamic Duo (Dewi Yuli) answered, or should I say, practically screamed "Belom pernah Bu! Ya kalo yang murah sih udah pernah ya! Stik tenda gitu, bu!" I laughed and asked "Oh emang Bapa belum pernah ngajak ke Outback ya?" Minutes after that all I could hear was "Belom buuu! Belom!" 😆 And that was how it began.

First thing first. I told SiBapa about my nazr and asked for his permission. Of course he said yes and told us to have fun 🥰 Sadly he's still in Bali so he couldn't join us. When I told the crew about it they were actually happy 😂 "Kalo sama Bapa bawaannya tegang, Bu..." among other things which I totally understand 😆 So the next thing I knew I made a reservation at Outback Steakhouse for Wednesday at 7pm. Why Outback? Well... That was the first steakhouse restaurant which came across my mind. Also it's in PIM 1, not too far from home. So why not 😋

As I predicted, yesterday the maids came extra early. I watched them work until ... "Bu, Dewi sama Yuli pamit pulang awal ya... Mau mandi sama dandan dulu. Semua kerjaan udah beres, bu. Nanti jam setengah 6 kita udah di sini lagi. Yuli juga mau minum Antimo dulu supaya ngga mabok naek mobil." Both of them grinned with eyes full of excitement 😆 Even Ari went home early. They came back at 5:30pm, all dolled up and ready to have a good time. It was a good decision to leave sooner because the traffic was pretty bad. But thankfully we arrived right on time 😊

The restaurant wasn't packed but I was suprised to see lots of guests on a weekday. I also thought that Outback is like... This old place where the youngsters wouldn't come to visit. But apparently I was wrong. Next to our table there were like 3 or 4 tables set together and the guests were all... Young people 😄 I think it was a birthday celebration. While on the other side of our table there was a young man enjoying his steak and beer all by himself. Yuli, the outspoken one, asked "Kalo orang luar, ato orang item kaya di meja sebelah, emang suka makan sendiri gitu ya bu?" 😆 I said "Lah ibu juga sering makan sendiri! Terutama kalo ke Sushi Tei. Makan di bar sendiri. Atau ngopi. Nonton apalagi! Enak." Yuli was like "Oh iya ya bu... Ibu sering pergi sendiri 😳" Like always, the crew asked lots of questions. Especially when it was time to order. Dewi already knew a thing or two because she googled the menu at home 😂 Yeah... Dewi always does her homework. I couldn't stop laughing because the maids kept comparing the steak prices to their daily groceries shopping. That instead of 1 steak, they could buy a week's or even a month's worth of groceries and stuff. It's always interesting to hear their stories. From Dewi-Yuli-Ari I know how they live their lives and everything. Especially about daily expenses. The waitress was also nice. When Yuli chose a certain drink, the waitress said politely "Ini ada alkoholnya ya bu..." Yuli immediately said no and her eyes grew bigger when I was drinking mine. "Bu! Nanti mabok bu!" 😄 I could see that she was really concerned about me. Dewi also kept reminding me to take my evening pills before bed instead of the usual 7pm because I had an alcoholic beverage. Meanwhile, after ordering her pasta 😑, my girl strolled in and out the restaurant by herself. Yuli was really concerned. "Nanti si eneng nyasar bu!" I had to calm her down and told her not to worry. 

And finally the juicy steaks were served on the table. I taught the Dynamic Duo how to use the fork and knife, what kind of sauce they should try etc. While everybody was enjoying their steaks, My Precious Godsend asked her mbas "Enak ga steak-nya? Mba Dewi suka? Mba Yuli suka? Senang ga ke sini?" 🤗 And her mbas said "Seneng neeeeng! Steak-nya enaaak! Terima kasih ya neng!" Beside steaks we also had Typhoon Bloom (fried onion rings) and Crispy Volcano Shrimp which turned out to be everybody's favorite. When Yuli tried the onion rings she asked "Bu? Ini...bawang bombay? Ditepungin??? Larang tenan!" 😂 I swear to you everytime Yuli commented on something I laughed and almost peed in my pants. Yuli has always been the funny one. Things that are..."normal" in her case can be funny and make me laugh. I assume that's why Dewi can get along very well with Yuli. 

The dinner was a major success. Maybe it was too successful because nobody made a sound all the way home 😂 Our tummies were full and all we wanted was to lay down on our beds and go to sleep. Thankfully the traffic was okay and we arrived at home before 10pm. With sleepy eyes the Dynamic Duo and Ari thanked me and Kukka again and again and again. They said they also would send a thank you message to SiBapa. Seconds before I closed the door our house crew still expressed their gratitudes and prayers for SiBapa, Kukka and me. The 3 repeatedly said "Kalo bukan sama ibu dan bapa, ya mana bisa kita ke sini!" 🙂

That night I went to sleep with a smile on my face. A smile of happiness and gratitude. I'm happy because we had the chance to share new experiences with the people who make our daily lives easier. I'm happy because they are happy. I'm grateful to have a husband who's always willing to share in whatever form of happiness can be shared. Especially to those who are not as fortunate as we are. And most of all I'm grateful that SiBapa and I can teach/show one meaningful lesson or 2 to our Beloved Godsend. I hope one day she'll understand it 

even more and will apply it to her own life. 

Amen 🥰