My Secret Love

Up until about three years ago, I hadn't ever listened to country western music. I'd heard it, of course, while line dancing, and so I thought I knew what it was like. I had a typically Southern California bias against country music, "just because." But then my sister somehow started liking country music and on long car drives together, I finally spent some time listening to it.

She moved to Nigeria, where she could no longer hear country radio, and mourned the loss. I decided to make her a custom-made c.d. of country songs I thought she'd like. This meant I had to listen to country radio, to find good songs. I was surprised at how many I liked!!

I tended to only listen to radio while driving (this was when I lived in Virginia still) and there were many times I'd scramble for paper and pen at a red light to jot down what I thought was probably the title of a song I'd just heard. I'd later go online, search for the lyrics, and eventually pay to download the song. Certainly there were many I didn't care for, but I found over 20 that I loved!

Now I've had a bit of a gap in my own country listening, as England doesn't have a great selection of that style. I was introduced to jango.com last week, though, and I've set up my own custom-made online radio stations, one of which is country western. The other night I discovered some new songs that I really like. The lyrics are awesome!

Tell Her, by Lonestar

So you say your love`s about to end
Say you can`t take no more
She`s out the door
And you`re lookin` for a friend
Who am I to tell you why
I`m just curious: were you furious
Or did you swallow your pride
And look her in the eye

And tell her that you love her
Tell her that you need her
Tell her that you want her to stay
Reassure her with a kiss
She may never know
Unless you show her what you`re feelin`
Tell her you`re believin`
Even though it`s hard to say
`Cause she needs to know you`re thinkin` of her
So open up and tell her that you love her

Brother I`ve been right where you are now
My heart was broke
`Cause I never spoke
Those healin' words out loud
But I`ve learned my lesson well
And now every night before I close my eyes
I look at my woman and I ask myself
Did you...

tell her that you love her
Tell her that you need her
Tell her that you want her to stay
Reassure her with a kiss
She may never know
Unless you show her what you`re feelin`
Tell her you`re believin`
Even though it`s hard to say
`Cause she needs to know you`re thinkin` of her
So open up and tell her that you love her


Tough, words by Monty Criswell/Joe Leathers
sung by Craig Morgan

She’s in the kitchen at the crack of dawn
Bacon’s on, coffee’s strong
Kids running wild, taking off their clothes
If she’s a nervous wreck, well it never shows
Takes one to football and one to dance
Hits the Y for aerobics class
Drops by the bank, stops at the store
Has on a smile when I walk through the door
The last to go to bed, she’ll be the first one up
And I thought I was tough

Chorus
She’s strong, pushes on, can’t slow her down
She can take anything life dishes out
There was a time
Back before she was mine
When I thought I was tough

We sat there five years ago
The doctors let us know, the test showed
She’d have to fight to live, I broke down and cried
She held me and said it’s gonna be alright
She wore that wig to church
Pink ribbon pinned there on her shirt
No room for fear, full of faith
Hands held high singing Amazing Grace
Never once complained, refusing to give up
And I thought I was tough

Chorus
She’s strong, pushes on, can’t slow her down
She can take anything life dishes out
There was a time
Back before she was mine
When I thought I was tough

She’s a gentle word, the sweetest kiss
A velvet touch against my skin
I’ve seen her cry, I’ve seen her break
But in my eyes, she’ll always be strong

There was a time
Back before she was mine
When I thought I was tough

My Parents Are Here!

We only have 5 days left with my parents. They've been visiting us here in Oxford for the past (almost) 2 weeks, as they're en route from Nigeria to home assignment in the U.S. It has been so unbelievably great to watch the kids and them get to know each other in person. I wish it could last longer.

This morning we decided to play a board game, since we've been talking about playing games but hadn't yet accomplished it. We played the kids' version of Cranium, called Cadoo. It's a multi-sensory game, involving play-dough, acting, drawing, and thinking skills. We all had a great time! Josiah and Naomi understood the questions, and each team had a turn at winning (we played 3 rounds).

Steve took the kids to the playground while the rest of us did chores at home before lunch. After lunch, our pastor Peter Comont and his wife Judy came over for a visit. I'd really wanted them to meet my parents, but it was also good to catch up with them ourselves. Steve and I love our church and love the Comonts!

As soon as the Comonts left, I took off on our bike to get fresh fruit and veg at my regular Wednesday market in city centre. It was raining by this time, so I had on my rain jacket, but my trousers and hair got wet anyway. I was already late for market, and knew they'd have a more limited selection by then. But I was horrified to discover, upon my arrival, that I had left my cash and my debit card at home. I found 2 pound coins in my backpack, bought some bananas and broccoli with it, and then raced home to retrieve my money.

When I returned 30 minutes later, the market was being put away, but I was still able to get what I needed. I was grateful for our bike, which makes getting to town so much quicker than walking! I also stopped in a hardware store to get a few bolts and nuts to fix the kids' scooters. I got home wet and tired. Over a cup of tea, I read a Today's Christian Woman article to my mom. (She can't read the small print of magazines anymore.)

Mom helped me prepare hamburger curry for dinner, and for once, everyone cheerfully ate the entire meal! Even Ethan ate his meat. Dad played guitar for us afterwards and Ethan joyfully bounced to the music. He loves to hum and is quite good at keeping a tune. Once the kids were in bed, I read a few mystery short stories aloud to Steve, Mom and Dad. Now I'm late for bed. Another day in the life of the Gertzes...

Brief Updates from my Facebook

Oct. 5: My parents told my kids that I used to race snails when I was little. Josiah looked very quizzically at me and then said, "I guess you won a lot, Mom!" I didn't understand at first, but then realized he thought I was racing against the snails and was always faster. We laughed so hard...

Oct. 4: Kids flew their first kite today, and my parents went punting with us for the first time. I'm so thankful for sunshine, even though it's getting chilly.

Oct. 2: Steve comes home tomorrow!!!! We survived 4 weeks apart.

Oct. 1: I'm dreading moving house in two weeks...

Sept. 30: I love having a mom who can sew (mended and hemmed a pile of kids' clothes today) and a dad who does computers (we've saved all our queries for him!)

Sept. 28: I sang with the City of Oxford Choir tonight -- gorgeous music, lovely voices. If I can work out a reduced fee, I'll be so happy to join them for the year!

Sept. 26: I am SO happy with Naomi's choir (Oxford Youth Choir). She's only 7, but learning about enunciation, reading music, posture, listening, tonal accuracy ... and having a great time, as well! Her two teachers are amazing, and I'm so grateful she has this opportunity.

Sept. 25: I'm having fun, catching up with my parents in person! (lovely, too, to have some extra help with the kids and dishes)

Sept. 22: I love watching and listening to my kids demonstrate what they're learning by incorporating it into their play. Today we discussed "Great Plains Native Americans," made some paper tee-pees, and the kids immediately went off and used their Lego people to re-enact what they learned!

Sept. 21: I think the book "Watching the English" by Kate Fox should be required reading for all foreigners living in England, and strongly encouraged reading for all English!

Sept. 21: I am SO excited to see my mom and dad on Thursday for the first time in 1 and 2 years respectively. They're visiting from Nigeria for 2 1/2 weeks. They'll be amazed at how the kids have grown!!

Sept. 21: My early-bird son makes me smile. Josiah came running to me as I lay in bed this morning saying, "Mom! Mom! I saw the sunrise!!" and later "Mom! There's a hot air balloon right outside our house!" Now if only the rest of us could wake up as alive and cheerful as he.

Sept. 20: Anybody want three kids for real cheap? Free? Mine are on offer for a *limited time only*!! Don't miss out on this amazing bargain!

Sept. 19: I just got some great tips and encouragement for helping my boys from Steve's cousin, Judy, who is a speech & language therapist. Now to put it all into practice!

Sept. 19: Naomi said this was the "best day of her life -- except for her birthday" because we went to an old park that had been updated with some new equipment as well as painted. N liked the zip line and the bird's nest swing the best. The park's transformation was truly amazing!

Sept. 19: We're halfway through our month without Steve. All four of us (at home) are still alive and speaking to each other. This is a good thing.

Sept. 18: I *loved* attending our church's first film club of the year. Knowing "Slumdog Millionaire" would be inappropriate for my kids, I brought along my laptop and some kid dvds, set them up with blankets and pillows in the back room, and we all had a good time. What a movie -- thought-provoking, heart-breaking, sweet ... good conversations afterward.

Sept. 17: We had quite the interesting day yesterday, between losing my toddler in downtown for a scary ten minutes and having a toilet disaster with one of my older kids (who shall remain anonymous). Could have been worse, though. Everything turned out okay in the end.

Sept. 16: Home-educating is quite unusual and unknown here in the UK, so I'm looking forward to a fun publicity and solidarity HE event today: bubble-blowing on Cornmarket Street. After an hour there, complete with media coverage and interviews, we'll walk to the Natural History Museum together and picnic (and I'll face-paint!)

Just an Average Day

Today we got off to a pretty good start. I'm still trying to figure out what the best routine is for our family. It's sometimes hard to know how to balance teaching both Naomi and Josiah, with keeping Ethan occupied, happy, and learning himself.

In contrast to last week, when I taught N & J together for hours each day, today I tried teaching N & J together just for a little over an hour, and then split them up, giving each of them time with Ethan while I taught the other. I did Bible, spelling, history and science with both of them. Then Josiah and Ethan played together, jumping onto sofa cushions and laughing hard, while I did reading, language, math and handwriting with Naomi. Later we switched and I did the same with Josiah.

While it felt a little less efficient (in my head), it's fair to say that things worked out more smoothly this way. I also could focus more on each child. I'll keep trying it this week and see how things go.

A nice surprise was my neighbor Sarah knocking on my door mid-morning, asking if we wanted to join her and her girls at the new playground nearby. This didn't fit in with my "schedule," but I'm still glad we did it!

Sarah's 2 1/2 year old Amy and my 2 1/2 year old Ethan get along famously. It's so fun to watch them play together! And Sarah is my closest friend here, so I always enjoy chances to talk with her. Josiah and Naomi particularly like the pond area that is part of the new park. We all had a good time. It was great to get out in fresh air, brisk though it was. Autumn is on its way!

Following a crackers-and-cheese lunch back at home, I walked with the kids to "The Cowley." Cowley Road is a major thoroughfare in Oxford, beginning close to City Centre (at a roundabout called "The Plains") and extending through East Oxford and Cowley, as far as the ring road. Nicknamed "The Cowley," it has a high number of shops and restaurants in the part closest to town.

Since East Oxford is quite an ethnically diverse area and home to the only mosque in town, many of the shops feel like they belong in a different country. I've been able to find all kinds of African foods, Pakistani, Indian, Chinese, etc. It's amazing! There are also many charity shops (thrift stores), bicycle shops, discount shops, and my favorite, Tesco Metro (small grocery store, huge grocery chain).

When Steve is at home, I often try to do my shopping sans children. But seeing as he's gone for a whole month, I bit the bullet today and took 3 kids with me for my errands. First we did a little bit of grocery shopping at Tesco. Then we bought bubbles at a stationer's (for a home-education event tomorrow involving bubble-blowing). We went to a cycle shop to buy a bike tire pump. I visited Boots Pharmacy for a medical item.

I also discovered a new (to me) charity shop and had to pop in. Josiah found a huge plastic T-Rex he loved, Naomi found a tiny plastic pony, and I found 3 fun kid videos (Tom & Jerry being the highlight). Since the dinosaur cost 2 pounds, Josiah's not playing with it yet, but looking forward to buying it from me in 6 weeks. Naomi's pony is also in storage, but she'll get hers in just one week!

[I began giving the kids "pocket money" (allowance) some months ago in order to help them begin to understand money better. I don't give them very much, so they have seen what it means to save for something special. Because they're usually interested in buying something from a charity shop, and we're never sure when we'll next return and if their coveted item will still be there, I've occassionally bought the said item and kept it in storage (at home) until the full price has accumulated in the child's savings. I find this works really well. ]

We also popped in to another charity shop and found a pair of sneakers for Ethan. Both boys really need something warm for their feet now that summer is ending. I was tickled to find shoes that seem to fit Ethan (and that light up -- what a bonus!) for only 1 pound. Another 2 videos and a Hello Kitty hand-held fan for Naomi, and we were homeward bound.

On our way to the Cowley, Ethan had been riding his scooter (2 wheels at age 2 -- can you believe it??) and was always way ahead of us. But on the way home, he was smitten with his new shoes and walked slowly behind us. It was so cute to see how proud he was.

Back at home, my kids played for a while with the neighbor kids, particularly Anna. Most kids on our street attend the (very) local primary school called St. Michael's. But Anna goes to a Catholic school and so has bonded with Naomi, who also does not attend St. Michael's. Really all 4 of the kids that age, in our row of houses, get along great together. But it *is* nice to not be the only one who is different.

We splurged and ate our "tea" (supper) while watching Tom & Jerry. It was so fun to laugh with my kids. Even Ethan was hysterical at times! Bubble bath, reading books about vehicles, Squanto and Columbus, then songs and bed. I've spent my entire evening catching up on e-mails, facebook, and blogs. I'm so grateful for the internet!

So that's a day in the life of the Gertzes. Just in case you were wondering ;-)

School Starts Tomorrow

I'm starting our home-school year tomorrow. Today was a bank holiday in England, and though tomorrow is also a day off for students (while teachers resume work), I decided we needed to make a start!

The kids helped me today as I created some materials we'll need this week (and year). They watched in fascination as I made a "Decimal Street" poster for math, and eagerly helped me decorate the box that now contains our math manipulatives. They picked the colors of paper for our history timeline and colored in their outlined names to glue to the front of their all-subject binders. Naomi finally admitted that school might just be fun, after all.

My curriculum suggests getting off to a slow start, gradually introducing handwriting practice, foreign language, and English. So tomorrow we're doing Bible, spelling, history, math and art. I'm excited and feel almost like this is my first year of true home education. It's the first time I've bought a curriculum and the first time I've felt serious about what we're doing.

My prayer is that I'll be a patient and loving parent as well as an effective teacher. And that my children will grow in respect, love and obedience, drawing closer to God each day and deepening their awe of his created world.

British Words: Children, Food, Clothing

Here's another quiz! See if you can figure out the American equivalents for each of these British terms. American choices will come in a day, to make it a bit easier ;-) E-mail your attempts to lisagertz@hotmail.com. And just to warn you: none of them are the exact same in "American."

Babies & Kids
1) Nursery
2) Crèche
3) Dummy
4) Nappy
5) Do a wee
6) Push-chair
7) Plaster
8) Cotton buds
9) CalPol
10) Suncream
11) Vest
12) Chute
13) Round-about
14) Roly-poly
15) Stabilizers
16) Rubber
17) Felt-tips
18) Soft toys
19) Knots & crosses
20) Draughts

More Food/Kitchen
21) Gateau
22) Pudding
23) Barbie
24) Starter
25) Pancake
26) Flapjack
27) Kitchen roll
28) Take-away

Clothing
29) Dungarees
30) Swimming costume
31) Trainers
32) Poppers
33) A zip
34) Pants
35) Knickers
36) A waterproof
37) Wellies
38) Trousers
39) Waistcoat
40) Dressing gown

American Choices for British Food Quiz (see below)

A) Jell-O
B) cilantro
C) oven
D) cake sprinkles
E) candy
F) Saran Wrap
G) Eggplant
H) cotton candy
I) stove-top
J) zucchini
K) cookie
L) can (of food)
M) cupcake
N) 7-Up
O) soda pop
P) chips
Q) Kool-Aid
R) pitcher
S) toothpicks
T) French fries
U) tomato sauce
V) dish-soap
W) baked potato
X) popsicle
Y) Canadian bacon
Z) chocolate-coated ice-cream bar
a) lollipop
b) tomato paste
c) cup of tea
d) tortillas
e) oatmeal
f) cornstarch
g) ground beef
h) powdered sugar