Mommy's Next Step

Last quarter of the year there is mango season here in Indonesia! Hurray...!
That's the unique thing of living in Indonesia. We have many seasons, not only dry and rainy ones, but there are also season of durian, rambutan season (usually coming soon after mango season!), getting married season, and entering school season. LOL. Don't take it seriously. It is only a joke.

Okay. Back to mango.

I love mango very much. I had a mango tree in the backyard of my old home. It was 'honey mango'. The name tells us all. Yes. The mangoes are so sweet and orangish! There is a kind of visible dark orange line in the flesh circling the seed.

I always enjoyed picking them myself. Not by climbing up the tree but by using a specific tool to pick. With the help of my father, ofcourse. 😄

My dad, mom and my siblings love mango as well. We really, really felt blessed to own such a tree in the backyard.

Fun Facts About Mango I always thought that mango was originated from my country as we …

Cycling with kids around the paddy fields is amusing. My sons (8 and 9 yo) love to bike. You know, they are young boys. And young boys love to make themselves sweaty and dirty. No matter what the risk is, what they care about is they are having lots of fun.

I love to bike, too. That's why on certain times when I know they are bored, I take them out for cycling. And thank God, where we live has the best place to cycle around: the paddy fields.

We usually start from home, bike slowly to North and then turn East. After some minutes we will see the vast paddy fields in front of us.



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Sebuah kiriman dibagikan oleh Diah Dwi Arti (@diahdwiarti) pada 14 Agu 2016 jam 10:54 PDT
Not only rice, actually. There are also fields of sugar cane tree. Not far from our place there lies a sugar factory which was build in 1903 at times of Netherland's colonization.

The existence of this factory, and other four, can't be separated from the Colonial's policy c…

Doing zikir after each salah is strongly recommended. Prophet Muhammad Shalallahu alaihi wa sallam (pbuh) always used his right hand to do that. That becomes sunnah for muslims to follow.

In hadith narrated by Abu Dawud, it said that:
"I saw the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) counting the tasbih." Ibnu Qudaamah said, "With his right hand." (Sunan Abu Dawud).


How to Do Zikir on Fingers Using Right Hand Only?
I used to use each finger to count 1. I needed to count each finger on both hands to make 10 and repeated them again three times until I reached 30. And then added 3 to make 33.

Unfortunately, using this technique was hard because I sometimes got blank and not sure how many I had counted.

Related article: Teaching Kids About Hajj

Now,  after searching in Google, I use different method to reduce mistakes, and it really helps.

Here is how.

On each finger we have 3 joints, except the thumb that only has 2. Each joint has inner and outer parts and its point.

Each finger…

Early in this September, my sons, Mr. Inventor and The Professor went on a hajj teaching ritual class. It is an annual class conducted by the regional teaching department. There were more than one thousand students from15 different elementary schools. It took place at the local square.

This year is special for us because male students had to wear ihram, a clothing of male hajj pilgrims. I was imagining it would be great as kids would learn almost the real hajj would like. The last year class didn't obligate male students to wear ihram, just white clothing.

Surprisingly, Mr. Inventor refused to attend the class.

"I will not go," he said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"I just don't want to."

Okay...it became a problem for me. I needed to find out what caused him not to. Mr. Inventor is 9-year-old now, so I think it is common for such a boy to feel uncomfortable about something new. Perhaps he wanted to look good with the ihram.

I persuaded him to go. I told …

Those words came out of my 9 yo son, "Mommy, I wanna be a YouTuber and earn a lot of money."

Well, I'm not surprised to hear that. As a blogger, I am also a YouTuber. I produce videos for supporting my blog posts. Not all blog posts, only some of them. And during the process, my sons used to watch me.

Not only that, I sometimes ask them to be the talents. They love doing that and so do I.

Mr. Inventor loves to watch videos about the computer on YouTube. After watching we usually tell me about the ideas he got from there.

"I am going to make a portable computer for you, Mom."

All I can say is thank you and suggest him to be careful with the budget.

Deep in my heart, I don't really like him to be a Youtuber. I wish him better. But, I realize I may not break his dreams. His future may be different from mine, so I decided to accept all his passions.

In his younger year, he was a robot freak. He had a dream to build a multitasking robot to help me at home. He …

Halo, assalamu alaikum.

Lombok Earthquake this August has really broken my heart. 7.0 Richter Scale. Innalillaahi wa inna ilayhi roojiuun.

I feel them.

I was, by Allah's will, one of survivors of Jogja Earthquake back in 2006. It's been 12 years, but, the feeling remains the same.

I guess I can never forget it.

It was almost 6 a.m. I was having a lazy morning on my bed. My mom and dad were having their morning tea. We used to enjoy some tea, waiting for the morning newspaper to come and discussing anything.

All of a sudden, the house was shaking. My bed was, too. I ran out of the room and rushed to the side door. My dad was with me. The door was also shaking. It was hard for my daddy to open. The cupboard beside me was dancing. The sound of the cups and bowls and plates were frightening me. I was worried they might fall on to me.

Once my dad succeded in opening the door, we rushed out of the house. I didn't notice my mom and my brother. All I knew was they were running to…

It's August now! Independence Day is coming. Alhamdulillah, my beloved Indonesia will be 73 this August 17.

Our place of living is busy beautifying the neighbourhood. We hang some DIY lanterns and firefly lamps. We also fly our Red-and-White flags.

In kampongs there are several sports tournaments such as volley ball and ping-pong. There are some events and contests to glorify the day.


August also means dry season here. No rain, the air is windy and chilly. We are used to it, but, this year is masha Allah windier and chillier than ever!

Many people are complaining about the weather. We don't usually meet the 17°C, but, it was reported that cold. I myself feel uncomfortable when the temperature touches 20°C. Oh, ya Allah. My skin gets dry and tight.

Good News From Windy And Chilly August
One of my neighbour who had lived in Taiwan said that the weather is just like what she saw there during winter.

Then it's winter in wrong place, I guess 😅😅.

It's also windy here. Som…

Ten years of togetherness. Yes, this date 10 years ago was my wedding date. I was 31 at the moment and my husband was 32. Ten years after that, alhamdulillah we are still together.

Ten years, is not a short time, yet not a long time in life. When I was 10, I was able to do many things. For my 10th wedding anniversary? I guess we've been through many, many ups and downs.

The toughest part in marriage actually is how to cope with your partner. I believe that. The first week of marriage is the sweetest time of your life. Many surprises come to you as you are a new Mrs/Mr.

After that you will have to adapt to your real life again. Back to work or move to your partner's place, say goodbye to your hometown (I feel you), etc. In short, life of marriage begins right after week 2.

Weeks after weeks, months after months then years after years. Oh, God, I thank You so much for this wonderful journey called marriage. I become a new person as there are boys who call me mama. Our 1st anniv…

On that fajr time, my first and second son opened the door to go to masjid for fajr salah. Suddenly my one-year-old son cried. He wanted to go with his brothers. I refused his wish, worrying he might be bothering other people by his cries or screams. But, my husband suggested me to bring him. So I walked to masjid with my son in my arms.

I entered the masjid, standing behind some ladies doing their qabliyah fajr salah, waiting for the iqamah. I chose the second row which was the last row of the ladies' area. I still held my son in my arms and he seemed to enjoy the moment.

The salah began. I was lucky there was only a lady at the left meaning that I wasn't in the middle of the row. I was afraid that my son would cry or something because he often did that everytime I do salah at home. I don't know why he behaves like that. Is this mukena (salah cloth) frightenes him? Or is it my flat expression during salah makes him scary?


At masjid I did the takbiratul ihram with one han…

During Ramadan kids really need to have some quiet activities. Rather than going outside, I prefer them to stay inside and do less physical activity. My almost 8 and 9 yo sons are still strugglung to conquer themselves. On the first days they still complained about how thirsty they had been. That is why they need activities that consume less energy.

Yesterday, after school, my second son did a good activity with his friend. They took scissors, paper and glue. What did they do with those materials? They made pocket calendars!

It is easy to make and can improve skills of cutting, counting, hand writing and color picking and memorizing. It also helps kids to work together. At the end, the pocket calendar is somewhat kids can be proud of. By doing this activity kids can learn to count how many rows and columns needed in each month and how to draw them in such limited space. Not only that, kids also learn to differentiate which month is which, 30 or 31 days.

Here is what kids need to mak…

"Sometimes I wished if I was your mobile phone or the television, so you would feel better watching me."
Those words really stole my heart. I know some people out there feel the same, got lost in their own life, marriage life. Some of them struggled and got through it, but, some didn't. Including Hamid, a man with two kids.
Just like any other man, husband in this case, Hamid spent his time for work. His responsibility for his family drove him to work hard and paid attention to clients. Poor Hamid, he forgot he had got a wife who needed to be showered with love. He neglected her too often, burdended her life with domestic works. He even had sudden deaf ears everytime his wife tried to talk to him.

Hamid then found himself alone. His wife left him forever. Not for finding other man, but, to her God. Taking care of two children made him overwhelmed. Remarry was one of the solutions. Even his mom had given him sign to find another woman to fill him life.
As a woman I of…

My sons, 9 and 8 years old, now are in 3rd and 2nd grade. I still remember how they went to kindergarten which they never liked. The mornings were hectic because I needed to gently persuade them to go to school. I was worried this condition would continue until they entered elementary school. But, alhamdulillah, it didn't happen. Both my sons go to school everyday in high spirit. 
They go to Islamic Full Day School which runs from 7.10 a.m to 1.45 p.m. They do noon prayer at school, even my first son does dhuha prayer and Jumah prayer at school as well.
Related article: My Sons and Their First Day of Ramadan
Being in an Islamic school means they get quite enough opportunity to learn the deen from their early age. It includes Quran recitation and memorization. My first son almost finishes his memorization of Juz Amma (Juz 30) now. After that he will be tested to be certified. 
My second son completed his Quran reading learning and being certified to read the Quran now. He started …

It is International Women's Day. I have watched some videos about the day and this year campaign through UNWomen is #TimeIsNow .
It has been decades of struggle. Women everywhere in the world have been voicing, hoping and fighting for gender parity in many aspects of life. Economy aspect I think is the greatest issue followed by health.  #TimeIsNow should be a milestone for human to stop discriminating women. NOW. Not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow, not in any future time.
Talking about economy aspect, many women are working moms to support the family. Some working moms even have to work abroad and it is quite common here in the place I live. I understood not long ago the meaning of 'leaving' in terms of working abroad. When I spoke to a kid and she/he said that the mother was 'going' what she/he meant was working outside the country. Mainly to Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong or countries in Middle East.
Related article: Why Moms of Today Are More Fragile Compa…

Ah, it's been weeks I didn't post anything. What can I say, I have busy days. Baby Dig is now 9 months old. He is able to crawl now and learn to stand up. I can't let him alone by himself for too long. I have to always look at him or else I will be worry about what he's doing. Well, you know the feeling if you happened to experience once.At his age, Baby Dig has already eaten almost anything. Well, actually it is because he always asks for what I hold in my hands. Anything. So, everytime I have some meal, I offer him one. And he usually grab what I give him or simply opens with mouth. Sooo funny...Baby Dig has eaten home cook meal. I prepare him food in the morning so he can have breakfast at around 9 a.m. He eats soft rice with veggies and chicken or tofu or fish or fried tempeh. He likes what I cook. Alhamdulillah. Related article: Another Boy In My LifeI once bought him baby biscuits, but, he refused to eat them. My elder sons had them after all. He also doesn't…

Dear parents and teachers,Doing great activity with kids can be started from their early age. Playing mazes can be fun. Here is another guest post from Education.com. If you are interested in doing a guest post, please feel free to contact me via email: diah.d.arti@gmail.com.---Spring into learning with this fun flower maze. For more engaging preschool activities, go to Education.com!

What an interesting idea to write about muslim women's freedom to wear hijab! It's World Hijab Day, February 1st, so I'm going to talk about how muslim women celebrate their freedom in wearing hijab.I should thank Allah for what He has Given us here in Indonesia: a freedom to wear hijab in almost all work spaces. We can find hijabis almost everywhere. They may be students, teachers, civil servants, police officers, doctors, lecturers, etc.Back to years when wearing hijab was still very 'dangerous' here. Some hijabis couldn't go to school unless they took off their hijabs. Some muslim girls couldn't reach their dream jobs because they wore hijabs. Some ought to obey the rules of their work place and did an on-and-off in wearing hijabs.I myself faced hard years as a hijabi. Even my Daddy (Allahu yarham - May Allah Loves him) didn't agree at first and said that I would take it on just for several days. My Dad said,  "Quran says that hijab is better bu…

Hijab is not only a kind of fashion. It is also an identity. That is why many muslim families introduce the wearing of hijab for their daughters as early as possible. Just like Nanni.
Nanni is a little muslim girl who loves to wear hijab to school. Not only loves wearing hijab but she also has many beautiful hijabs that her class mates adore. What so unique about her hijabs is she creates a specific schedule to wear them.
Red hijabs for Mondays, blue for Tuesdays, pink for Wednesdays, green for Thursdays, and purple hijabs for Fridays. How clever! Nanni never wears the same hijab twice!

One day, cheerful Nanni became very sad and embarassed because of her hijab. Oh, no, not the hijab. It was because of Leslie's bad act. Leslie, Nanni's new classmate, tried to bully her by made a mock of Nanni's hijab. She called the hijab 'he-job' and pulled Nanni's hijab off of Nanni's head.
Nanni was so sad and angry. She once thought to fight back, but Allah Showed her…

In my younger years I once loved listening to nasheed (Islamic songs). Many songs I listened and memorized from groups of male to female nasheed group. I even handled a group of nasheed during my college years about 20 years ago. The rise of Islamic living was about to blossom at the moment. Hijabis had been started to appear here and there in campus.
Nasheed changed the way I spent my time. The guilty feeling of listening to music became smaller. I don't listen to music anymore now (gonna tell you later about it insha Allah) but nasheed was one good choice for me.
What I liked the most from nasheed is the rhyme. I am quite an auditory learner so I found rhyming is so much fun. It is more fun when comes to learning something. Kindergartens learn things through songs and rhymes as well.
What about learning Islam through rhymes? I have a great news! Book publisher, Prolance, has released a book called Purity & Prayer: Rhyming Picture Book of Sacred Rulings by Ameena Bint Abdir …