Summertime

It's been a while since I've updated.  I was busy until school let out and getting back into the habit is hard sometimes.  Anyhow, this is hoe I've been spending my summer:

 I made this for the girl I watch.  She lost Laguna's dress when they moved.  

 I hang out with these two a lot.  I'll miss them when school starts!

 I spend as much time as I can with this guy, I know he'll be super busy in the fall!

 I dressed like a cow 

 Made a cake for Evo, AKA gamers take over my living room weekend.

Hopefully I'll get back on here and catch up with some stuff, but we'll see!

My Dad

My dad was born in 1957.  I wouldn't call him old, but I think classic is an appropriate description.  His parents lived through the depression, and so raised their ELEVEN children in similar fashion, more out of habit than anything else.  They all worked hard, and had few luxuries.  I wouldn't say they were struggling to feed their children, but they didn't have lots of gadgets and doodads to play with and destroy every other month.  My dad didn't have a computer growing up- nobody did.  There is a huge gap in technology knowledge between my dad and I.  He just hasn't ever needed it.

When I was a junior in Highschool (so 2003-04 school year) he bought a desktop computer.  This wasn't the first computer in the house.  Before this, he had a hand me down computer from my uncle from the early 90s.  I played a lot of Santa's Jetpack and Frogger on that thing.  My uncle used it for speech therapy or something like that (my dad moved in with my uncle when I was in 4th or 5th grade.  My uncle had suffered from a heart attack and needed a lot of supervision, and I think my dad was tired of living in a 1 bedroom apartment).  There was a whole set of floppy disks with programs on them.

Anyhow, my dad finally bough his own computer in 2003.  It was awesome.  It was brand new, and much faster than my mom's desktop that was purchased 6 years earlier and affectionately known as "The Dinosaur."  My mom had upgraded to a laptop, but we were only allowed to use it for homework.  Any games or IMing were to be done on the dinosaur only.

My dad STILL owns only that computer.  It has been 10 years.  A couple years ago for Christmas we bought my parents webcams so we could skype with them.  My dad's computer doesn't support video chat.  I didn't even think of that as an issue.  When I went off to college my dad learned how to e-mail.  I wish I had printed out that first message.  It was in all lowercase letters, no punctuation, and one line.

Something like:

"hey sarah its dad how is college i miss you sorry i dont know how to make the letters big or go to the next line or put and periods well i better go its been thirty minutes typing love you dad"

I tried to message him back with instructions.  I got something like this:

"its okay ill figure it out
love dad"

Improvement.

And that is how I think of my dad and computers.  He isn't into technology toys.  He likes his tvs to be new, but other than that, he doesn't do much.  Especially with computers.  He checks his e-mail abotu once a week and goes on his way.  He would much rather be outside gardening, or fixing his car, or watching sports, or anything other than browsing the web.

Imagine my surprise when he sent me a picture message on my phone a couple months ago.

Imagine my further surprise when he texted me last week to let me know he had ordered a birthday present for Evan from Amazon.  I didn't even know he was aware of Amazon.

What I have discovered is, my dad is not technologically incompetent.  He is slower, sure.  But when he learns something, he does it right.  Evan's package came gift wrapped today.  It looked lovely and I am thoroughly impressed.  He just chooses not to over saturate his life with tech gadgets.  A lesson I think we could all take.  There are so many things to experience, so go and do!

March Madness

I have become increasingly more invested in college basketball since getting married.  The Professor LOVES basketball.  And especially LOVES the NCAA tournaent.  It is madness though.  I mean, 64 teams playing a single elimination tournament in two weeks?  Hours of game watching each day, changing allegiances to root on your bracket, everything losing priority to basketball.  It is a crazy time of year.  But so fun.

Along with the madness of the tourney, March has brought some new madness to our lives.  I found out about three weeks ago I may have the opportunity to teach full time for the rest of the year.  It was thrilling to get the offer.  As spring break approached, it become more and more of a sure thing, and finally, last Tuesday, it was solid.  That gave me four days to meet with the teacher who was leaving to get to look at all of her materials before taking over on my own.  Of course, this didn't come easily as I was asked to sub in different classes almost every day.  Between quick passes in the hall and short meetings when both classes were on break, I got about an hour with her.  It was enough though.

Spring break came and I was thankful I would have a whole week to prepare my room.  Then I found out the district said no teachers in the building over break. Well ok then!  I had teacher workday on Friday, and then I went in Saturday and worked hard.  Thank goodness The Professor was there to help me, I don't think I could have done it on my own.  I still have a lot to do, but I think I've done enough to get started.  Overall, just super excited to get started and have my own room!

FINALLY!

With my new job, I got really busy.  I finally posted about Thanksgiving, Christmas, and new Year.  I'll try to keep up from now on!

Thanksgiving
Christmas
New Year

Common Core

The common core state standards are all the rage here in Arkansas.  Every interview I am asked, "What is your experience with Common Core?"
My answer- "I was trained in Virginia, and they use the Virginia Standards of Learning.  From what I have seen, they are very similar so I feel very comfortable using the Common Core Standards.  I think it's great that when students move, they will be able to pick up right where they left off and won't have holes in their education simply because the school systems are different from state to state."
What they hear- "Me No LiKeY CoMmOn CoRe. DuH-hErRrR." O_o

Virginia (along with Texas, Alaska, Minnesota, and Nebraska) has not adopted the Common Core State Standards.  Why? Because the VA SOL are better.  Just sayin'.  I can't speak for the other states, but Virginia has done fine with their standards, and has been working on them for nearly 2 decades.  They are specific and logical.  The Common Core standards are vague and have holes.  In my opinion. I guess its up to the teacher to fill in the holes, but if you want to better the education of our country with nationwide standards, you best be specific and not leave anything for interpretation.  In my humble opinion of course.

I was looking up stuff for "The Boss" (she is doing practicum in kindergarten right now, hoping to get an endorsement for regular ed. on her license) and came across documents that compare the SOL with Common Core.  Everything Common Core has, the SOL have.  In greater detail.

From the Virginia DOE website:

"While both the CCSS and SOL address foundational reading principles, the SOL address reading foundations in a logical  progression. Teachers can follow the SOL to easily develop lessons.  For example, SOL 1.9 reading fictional texts offers a sequential process. The CCSS Reading Standards for Literature grade 1 impose an artificial structure, which although covering the essential foundations, does not follow a logical instructional progression."

That's just for english.
Here's what they have to say for math:

"Both the CCSS for Mathematics and Virginia’s Mathematics SOL are rigorous and provide a detailed account of mathematics expectations for student learning and understanding.  The content topics covered in both documents are clearly defined and sequential.  By the time students have progressed into high school mathematics content through the CCSS or SOL, they have received at least the same mathematical content delivered through different learning progressions.  Virginia’s SOL are equal to or in some instances more rigorous in content and scope than the CCSS.  While learning progressions may not completely mirror one another, the content from both is aligned."


That is why Virginia is stubbornly NOT adopting the Common Core standards.  What they have works, and works well.  Why spend time, money, and resources to retrain teachers to use new standards that are not that different, and possibly inferior?

Take that Common Core!

And this is why I will never get a teaching job.

Thunderstorms

It's storming really hard outside and I have a Saturday with no appointments and no to-do list.  My plan?  Start some laundry, then turn on a movie and catch up on my blog posts.  I missed all the holidays so I plan to at least get that done.

The sound of the rain falling makes me feel at home.  Growing up in the Northwest will do that to you.

Christmas Travels

For Christmas this year, we headed west.  We decided to turn it into a road trip.  The Executioner and The Grit were headed to Alabama for a friend's wedding.  They called us (in October or so, this was planned ahead) to see if we would consider postponing our trip a little and they could spend Christmas with us (The wedding was the week before Christmas).  We talked it over and I was not quick to miss seeing my family on Christmas.  I don't see them often anymore, and I felt it was important to make it out for the holiday.  I presented some alternatives so we could still spend time with The Executioner and The Grit, and make it to my family's house by Christmas.  The winning proposal ended up being drive to Oregon together and then The Professor and I would finish the drive out to my house.  The Grit's family lives just three hours from mine- so perfect!  It was an away year (Anderson Christmases are even numbered years), so we all needed to get out there anyway.

We did not take a single picture the entire trip.  Until we got to Utah.  It was just so cold, and we were not all that beautiful, and yeah.  It was a fun trip though.  I got to know my in-laws a little better and remember why I don't like driving.  I will say, it was nice having four drivers.  Because if you drive until you are exhausted, then when your shift is over you have at least 6 hours until the next time you have drive!  That's if everyone only drives 2 hours each.  It was much better than switching every three hours.

Anyhow, my dad and Juana came and picked us up from The Grit's Christmas Eve morning and we drove back to The Couve.  We stopped along the way to visit Multnomah falls.  The Professor had never been there (he's only been to Washington a handful of times, and mostly in the winter) and I hadn't been in a long time.

 With my dad in front of the falls

 Just us in front of the falls

 On the trail.  We didn't hike the whole thing, but we walked up to the first bridge to get a closer look.  If you look in the first picture, there is a bridge, that is where we walked to. About 10 minutes. As we were walking The Professor said, "I feel like I'm in the jungle!"  Well darling, you are in the rainforest!

We finally made it to my mom's house and got settled in.  My brother fed us dinner, and it was delicious.  He has become such a nice young man :)  Christmas morning, The Professor woke up and whispered, "Hey.  How do you get animals off of you?"

My family keeps their house pretty cold. So the animals find ways to warm up, usually by snuggling up to somebody.  And typically all the animals need to snuggle the same person.  Not pictured, Louie- the 100 lb pitbull/lab mix puppy.  He got up before I got to my camera.  This picture is after a nap one day, but most mornings we woke up to some extra bodies in our bed.

My youngest brother gave my husband a sword for Christmas.  Then showed us an Army surplus store in Portland, where they bought throwing knives together.

  That broccoli bush had it coming!

For my birthday (WOOHOO!)  we went clamming.  If you have never been, it should be on your bucket list.  It is a lot of fun, and a pretty unique experience.  

 The Professor and my youngest brother's girlfriend checking out the seaweed.  This was only the Professor's second time to the Pacific Ocean.  It's different than the Atlantic.

 My dad and I layered and ready to go! Yes, those boots go to our hips.  And yes- it is necessary!

 The Professor trying to get his boots on.  Turns out I had grabbed the wrong pair.  I had my dad's extra pair on (which were way too big) and those are my uncle's (which are slightly too big).  We traded and got it all sorted out before headed to the ocean.

There aren't any more pictures of us clamming unfortunately.  I really didn't want to lose my camera.  What you do is take your clam shovel (see picture below- it looks like a regular shovel, but smaller, and the spade is skinny) and you hit/poke/agitate the sand.  If you see any movement, usually a squirt of water in your direction, you have yourself a clam!  Then you take your clam gun (the silver thing in the picture) and go after it!

To use a clam gun, you push it in the sand as far as you can, then put your finger over a tiny hole in the handle.  Then, you pull up.  It works the same way as when you put a straw into a drink and then cover it with your finger.  If you pull it up the liquid stays in the straw. So all that sand (and hopefully the clam) stays in the gun.  Then you let go and look for the clam.  Sometimes you have to go in two or three times before you find the clam.  Those suckers are fast!  And sometimes if you get it and then drop it they'll dig back in and you have to find them again.  And sometimes if you aren't careful you accidentally cut the clam in half with your clam gun.  And sometimes you keep doing it and your dad and your husband laugh at you as you put another mangled piece of clam into your net. 

We went to the evening tide, and you stay really close to the water, because that's where the clams are.  Well, the sun went down and we had nothing but a lantern between the three of us.  We had to be really aware of the tide because though it was moving out, every once in while a big wave would come in and threaten to knock us down.  We had been hit a couple times by waves that snuck in and came up to our mid thigh.  Where we come from, that can be dangerous because it will pull you out to sea.  In Virginia beach, or Florida, or even in California, if the water is up to your thigh you are usually ok.  The waves are calmer.  But in the great Pacific Northwest it can pull your legs out from under you and take you for a swim.    Well, the three of us are hunched around this lantern and finally making progress on clamming.  We were getting three or four between waves.  I saw a clam and went after it.  I pulled it up right as we noticed a HUGE wave coming in after us.  My dad quick reached down to grab the clam and then turned to run.  I was right behind him and The Professor behind me.  The wave came and hit me so hard I had to use every muscle to just stand still.  I was up to my waist easily.  My dad went down.  Thank GOODNESS he had the lantern or I wouldn't have seen him.  Plus, he doesn't know how to swim.  I thought to myself, ok, I can't move, but as long as I can see him he'll be fine.  The wave will pass and we will all be ok.  I had to yell to make sure my husband hadn't been carried out to sea.  He was fine :)  Finally this wave passed and my dad stood up and yelled "I didn't drop the clam!"  The man had a clam in one hand, a lantern and his shovel in the other.  And he didn't drop a single thing.  

We decided to call it a night after that.  We all hiked back to the truck with boots full of water, changed our clothes and settled in for the drive back.

The next day, we ate the clams :)  Then we had to pack up and get ready to go.  We left early the next morning.

We ended up missing our flight but three minutes.  Actually, the plane hadn't left, they had just closed the doors three minutes earlier.  So we had to get a new flight.  We ended up making it back to Arkansas in one piece though.  And only one suitcase got lost :)

We got off the plane, drove home, REPACKED, grabbed some food, then drove to Branson, Missouri to meet up with The Mechanist MD and family.  We spent New Year's with them and had a great time. I didn't get any pictures, but just believe me, it was fun.  

January 1st we got home and stayed home.  It was nice to travel around and see everyone, but it wore us out!

Top 10 for 2012

As I do every year, here are the top 10 for the Anderson's in 2012.  In no particular order:

1) We discovered a bird was living in our dryer vent for the winter (she is back BTW)

 Her nest falling out of the tube

2) We made some great friends, and also said good-bye to them (or will be soon)

One of our first FHE's together

3) The Professor decided to learn the banjo

4) We celebrated some milestones for the Anderson Clan including The Mechanist graduating and The Executioner getting married (A big Anderson welcome to The Grit!)

 Graduation!

He was DJ for the wedding

5) The Professor was invited to help present at the APA conference in Orlando, Florida. (He'll be going again, this time as first author- in Hawaii)

6)  From that conference, he was asked to help analyze qualitative research for the Director of Interns at the Federal Bureau of Prisons (super awesome contact to have made in the first year!)

7) I learned how to make some yummy cupcakes.  And then I made them a lot.

8)  We got to have the (almost) whole family out to Arkansas

9)  The Professor graduated with a Master of Science in School Psychology!  He is still working on the PhD, so we aren't leaving yet.

Another graduation!  He is one of 2 men in his program and year

10) My first nanny job ended as the family moved away :(   I soon found a new family and started with them.  I also started working as a fourth grade math interventionist at the elementary school!  I finally got a foot in the door!

 My first family on our last day together.  I took them to the pool, so we are all dressed to swim

New family looking at a brain with The Professor.