The results are in!

The Andersons are seeing blue!  We can't wait to meet him in just a few more months!

Boy or Girl?

We are 1 week from finding out the gender of Baby Anderson.  And yes, we are finding out.  We are so impatient.  

In celebration of the big event, we looked up some Old Wives Tales to make some predictions. 

Here Goes- Enjoy!

Old Wives Tale #1: Heart Rate

If the baby’s heart rate is above 140 bpm, it is said that the baby will be a girl. If it is under 140 bpm, then it will be a boy.

Results: Baby’s heartbeat has always been in the 150s

Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #2: Shape of Belly

If you are carrying high with a big, round belly, you are having a girl. If you are carrying low with a smaller belly that sticks straight out, it’s a boy.

Results: I asked Evan, he said it looks high to him

 Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #3: Ring Test

Using a string, hang your wedding ring over your pregnant belly. You are having a girl if the ring swings back and forth and it’s a boy if it swings in a circle.

Results: It was definitely going in a circle.  For the record, Evan is having a girl :)

 Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #4: Acne

If you have acne while pregnant, it’s a girl. It’s thought that acne during pregnancy is caused by the extra hormones.

Results: I think mine may have actually cleared up

 Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #5: Cravings

People believe that if you are craving salty foods while pregnant, you can count on having a boy. If you crave sweets, fruit, and orange juice, you are having a little girl.

Results: I crave sweets, but they make me sick so I have to limit them. So hard!

 Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #6

More hair on your legs than normal, count on a boy.

Results: I think I have less hair

 Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #7

If your face swells and gets rounder, it’s a girl. Long and narrow face, a boy.

Results: It rounded

 Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #8: Legs

If your legs get really big, you’re having a boy. If your legs stay in shape and lean, it’s a girl.

Results: My darling husband says they are the same.

 Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #9: Moodiness

If you are really moody, you are having a girl since you have another extra girl hormones in you.

Results: There have been instances, but for the most part in control.

 Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #10: Chinese Gender Chart

The Chinese Gender Chart claims to have an accuracy rate of over 90%. It is based on how old the mother is at conception and the month that she conceived.

Results:

 Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #11: Mom’s Beauty

Basically you are having a girl if your beauty disappears during pregnancy. It is said that the girl “steals” the mother’s beauty. If you think that pregnancy has never made you look more beautiful, a little boy it is.

Results:  Evan said, “Why in the world would I answer that?”  My Sister-in-Law said I look too pretty to be having a girl, I'll take her word on it.  And send her another big thank you!

 Prediction outcome:  BOY

Old Wives Tale #12: Dream of Gender of Baby

If you have dreams that you are having a boy, you will have a girl. If you dream about having a girl, it will be a boy.

Results: I’ve had 3 dreams, 1 was a girl, 2 were boys.

 Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #13: Clumsy vs. Graceful

If the pregnant woman is graceful throughout her pregnancy, she’s having a girl. If she becomes clumsy, she’s having a boy.

Results: I am bruised all over…

 Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #14: Side You Most Rest On

If a pregnant woman prefers to lay on her left side, she’s having a boy. If she prefers resting on her right side, she’s having a girl.

Results: I usually sleep on my left, I was also told to sleep on my left because the other side has the big artery.

 Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #15: Dad’s Weight Gain

If the dad-to-be gains weight while you are pregnant, it’s a girl. If he doesn’t gain weight, you’re having a boy.

Results: Evan: "GIRL"

 Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #16: The Linea Nigra

If the linea nigra stops at the belly button, it’s a girl. If the linea nigra goes all the way to the bottom of the rib cage, it’s a boy.

Results: I don’t see it yet

 Prediction outcome: INCONCLUSIVE

Old Wives Tale #17: What Do You Think?

71% of the time, the mom-to-be knows what she is having.

Results: I don't know if it's just because I've heard it so much, but I keep thinking girl.

 Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #18: Morning Sickness

If you had a smooth pregnancy with no morning sickness, it’s a boy. If you were sick or felt really nauseous during your pregnancy, count on a girl.

Results: Some sickness early on, thank goodness that is over!

 Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #19: Dry Hands

You got dry hands; it’s a boy.

Results:

 Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #20: Protein

When a pregnant woman craves meat and cheese, count on a boy.

Results:  When I'm not craving desserts. Especially steak. And cheese.

 Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #21: Feet

Are your feet colder now that you are pregnant? If so, you just might be having a boy. If your feet have stayed the same before pregnancy and during, you’re having a little girl.

Results: I've always had chilly feet, I think it's the same now.

 Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #22: Headaches

If you are having headaches, you might be carrying a boy.

Results: Hooray for no headaches!

 Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #23: Baby Names

It is said that when you can only think of specific names for a boy or a girl, you will have that particularly baby.

Results: We've only talked about girl names, still can't agree on one though. 

 Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #24: Urine

What color is your pee? If it is bright yellow, you will have a little boy. If your urine is a dull yellow, plan on a girl.

Results: With the amount of water I drink… it’s clear

 Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #25: Garlic

If you eat garlic and the odor seeps out of your pores, then you’re having a boy.

Results: I don't eat that much garlic, but I did smell it on me the other day...

 Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #26: Heartburn

If you experience heartburn or indigestion during pregnancy your baby will have a full head of hair.

Results: Just began to experience this joy

 Prediction outcome: Head of Hair :)

Old Wives Tale #27

If you eat the ends of bread, it’s a boy. If you eat the middle of the load, it’s a girl.

Results: I eat all the bread?

 Prediction outcome: INCONCLUSIVE

 Overall result:

15 girl predictions

9 boy predictions
A full head of hair
and 2 Inconclusive results

What do you think?

Dopplegangers

For this post, I have to tell to seemingly unrelated stories then bring them together.  Bare with me.

Recently, my body has decided it doesn't want to sleep.  This has not been an issue in the past, but apparently it comes with being pregnant.  Yay!  So to help, I've been putting in a movie to get to sleep. Last weekend I watched Ever After.  I was letting it run while I got ready one morning and it came to the scene where Danielle is at the market and Pierre Le Pieu comes to talk to them.


A few months ago, I found out I was pregnant.  This meant I needed to find an OB.  We weren't telling anyone yet, so I wasn't sure who to ask for a recommendation and I didn't really know how to go about looking.  Evan has been doing his practicum at a pediatrician's office, so he asked the nurses for some recommendations.  He is so good to me :)  He came back with three names.  I googled them and tried to make a decision.  Two were female doctors and one was a male.  The two women work at Conway Regional (the hospital system here), the guy works at his own practice down the street.  As far as google reviews, the guy had the best.  A 4.9 / 5 on healthgrades with raves from patients on every site I checked.  The thing was, something about his picture just didn't sit right.

The best reason I could come up with was, "He's bald."  Evan said that wasn't a good enough reason to disregard the many great reviews.  So, I made an appointment with him.  I ended up really liking him.  He's the only doctor I see, he runs my whole appointment (with the exception of getting my weight and blood pressure), if I have an urgent question after hours he is the doctor I get transferred to, rather than the on-call doctor at the hospital.  He swears he'll be there through my labor and delivery, even though my due date is Christmas day (I totally wouldn't hold it against a doctor for not being available on Christmas day, or Christmas Eve, but he has assured me over and over).  So I have gotten over the bald part.

Back to watching Ever After.  So I was watching the scene in the market, and Le Pieu smiles at Danielle.  I had to rewind it. And pause it.  I immediately pulled up a picture of Dr. Wood and ran to show Evan.  

THAT is what his picture reminded me of!  Luckily, I met him (the doctor) and came to like him as my doctor before I made this comparison.  I'm not sure I could have followed through with the appointment otherwise!  The more I look at it, the more the comparison fades, but for that one day, it was like looking at twins.

The adventures in pregnancy continue!

And the dreams start

I don't usually remember my dreams, but recently they have become more frequent.

Last night I had a dream my brothers, my dad, and I flew fighter planes to go hiking.  Only my brothers  went home instead and one of them crashed his plane.  He was fine, but he couldn't go anywhere else.  My dad and I ended up at a hike called something like "Tigger's Resort."   There was a tiger that lived on a rock at the beginning of the trail.  Apparently, it was a friendly tiger because it started walking toward me and I looked for a tree to climb, then it walked past me to go sit on its rock.

We never ended up going on the hike, and instead met my brother's back at the house.  I don't know how we got there.  

While there, I tried to figure out how I was going to set up the nursery.  I guess I was living with my mom again.  I figured out eventually there just wasn't enough room and decided to ask my dad to use his house.  One room for Evan and I, and one for the baby.  It could work.

At some point my OB (except a totally different one) called me to inform me I was pregnant with twins.  Not just "Surprise!  we found a second one!" No.  It was, "In addition to the baby already growing inside of you, you are also pregnant with twins that will be born 2 months later."  I spent the rest of the dream trying to figure out how that was physically possible.  And woke up thinking- "Does my insurance cover that kind of maternity leave?  I don't have enough sick leave accrued! How will we raise three babies?!"  Then remembered it was a dream.  

I went downstairs to tell Evan, but apparently he got up early to watch Wimbledon (because of the time difference, the matches start in the early morning for us), and is now taking a nap.  So eat it up blogging world! 

Baby stuff and girls camp

Last week we had our 12 week appointment for the baby.  It is so magical to look at the screen and see the little blob has turned into a tiny person.  We got to hear the heartbeat and see all the bones forming.  Honestly, I wish I could sit in there and look at the little thing for hours.  But, doctors have other things to do I suppose.  It is still kind of unreal to think about.  It is hard to believe there is another human growing inside of me!  

Yesterday Evan came home and I had done absolutely nothing with my day off.  He had a classmate over to study and we were standing in the kitchen and Evan said, "Hold on, I'm hugging my wife, she worked hard today."  My first thought was, he was making a jab at my complete lack of doing anything today, then he said, "You grew a baby today!"  I know it was partially a joke, but it came from his heart. It was very sweet of him to say to me =)   Growing those little fingers and toes is exhausting somedays!

Around 6 weeks, I started to battle some light nausea.  It really wasn't all that bad.  Just queasiness around lunch or dinner.  It was enough to make me feel bad, but I could still function.  At our first appointment, the doctor gave me a prescription for Zofran to help with it.  I was surprised at how hungry I was when I didn't feel sick all the time!  I'v tried to only take it when I know I will need it.  Like at school, I took it before lunch just in case it decided to creep up.  I didn't like feeling sick and trying to teach.  Or if we went to somebody's house for dinner, I would take it.  Once school let out, I only took it if I started to feel sick.  

I had volunteered to go to Girls Camp before I found out I was pregnant, and once the news got out, I had parents and other leaders volunteering to go in my place.  "You don't want to go if you're sick, it's hot and dirty!"  or other stuff along those lines.  I've never been to girls camp, I really did want to go!  I assured people "I'll be almost through the first trimester, the nausea should be wearing off, and if it doesn't, I have medicine that helps a lot."  I was prepared, I made sure I had enough medication to get through the whole week, and plenty of snacks  (I've found that sometimes the nausea is because I'm hungry).  The whole week I did not have any sick feelings.  It was the longest I've gone without the Zofran since I filled the prescription.  And as soon as I got back, I needed one.  

I really needed to be at camp with the Young Women.  Heavenly Father watched out for me and made sure I was able to get through the week and stay positive.  It was an amazing experience.  I feel so much closer to the Young Women I went with, and I was able to see their best selves.  Being away from the world and its influences made them all a little bit shinier.  I can't wait to go back next year!  Of course, we'll have a 6 month old, so there may be some logistical problems, but I hope I can.  I've loved serving with the Young Women, and I am so grateful for the opportunity we had to bond together at camp and share our testimonies together.  

I'm back bloggers!

With some exciting news...

Baby Anderson coming Christmas 2014.  We are beyond excited to welcome the little gummy bear into our lives.

I just can't Let It Go anymore

I consider myself a fairly intelligent person.  I mean, sure, I let my fourth graders say 14-9 = 3 the other day and didn't realize I was wrong until that afternoon when another student looked at me incredulously and counted it out on his fingers for me.  But other than that, I consider myself fairly intelligent.  So when I started seeing arguments fill my newsfeed about the hidden agendas of Frozen I was shocked.

(One of the many arguments found here) (Granted, this one is much more detailed than many I have read before.  I still disagree. Also note the edit that was made in the post- Just supporting my point of forming your own rationale opinions)

How had I missed it?

I read the arguments, I watched the clips on YouTube, I even re-watched the movie on my flight last week really looking for the hidden messages.  To be honest, I just don't see it.  I was going to just ignore the fact, but it keeps popping up on my newsfeed and it is starting to get to me.

The biggest issue I have with the movie Frozen, is that so many people have been duped into believing it is somehow teaching our children that there is no right or wrong.  I am more worried our children are being taught by the multitude of bored mommy-bloggers that the world is a scary place and they should shut themselves away from it.

And the evidence for this hidden agenda?  EIGHT WORDS. "No right, no wrong, no rules for me." 8 words from an entire feature length film.  Let's do a little perspective.

8 words from 1 song

This song is Elsa's anthem.  She has spent her entire life hiding away who she is.  She was told "conceal, don't feel" (why isn't that an issue?) and she finally gets found out because she can't hold it in any longer.  So she runs away.  Hoping if she lives in isolation she can finally be herself.  She barely knows her sister.  Even when the girls become orphaned, Anna is left by herself because Elsa can't let anyone see who she really is.  So she goes up the mountain, and in the context of the song, No right No wrong means something more along the lines of "It's ok to let my feelings out and be proud of who I am."



8 words from a soundtrack
There are many great songs in the movie, all performed by top notch talents.  With Idina Menzel performing as Elsa, it's no wonder "Let It Go" has become the standout.  She has an incredibly strong voice that conveys a lot of emotion.  The message of the song seems to be foggy to a lot of people, so it has sparked debate. I stand by my belief the song is Elsa discovering herself as she was meant to be.  She is no longer accepting the role of strong young woman hiding in the shell of a meek girl too scared to leave her room. But that is no reason to completely ignore the other wonderful and sing-along-able songs on the soundtrack.  Let's take a look at "Fixer-Upper" or whatever the song is actually called.

The trolls are trying to convince Anna that Kristoff is a catch.  Even though he's grumpy, dirty, and has a weird relationship with his reindeer Sven.  They specifically tell Anna she can't change him, because people don't really change at the core.  However, with some love, those things no longer matter.  I think it's not so much about how to fix him, but that if she gives in to love she will be able to see past his flaws (and he see past hers).

8 words from 102 minutes of dialogue and song
Sure there are parts that have no dialogue, but this is no 2001: A Space Odyssey.  The movie has plenty of other words besides those eight. In the end, Elsa does have to face her decisions and deal with the consequences.  She leaves Arendelle thinking she can escape all consequences of who she is.  She goes from hiding away to running away.  Eventually, she is brought back to Arendelle and has to deal with the consequences.  No one cleans up her messes for her.  She is the one who ends up reversing the spell that has cast her kingdom into infinite winter.  Of course, she first has to learn from Anna exactly how to do that, but she figures it out in the end.  So couldn't we say those eight words were foreshadowing that, in fact, there is a right and wrong, and there are rules?   She just didn't realize it yet.  Can we dare to think that, maybe, Disney has intelligent people working for them that are able to see the big picture? And they put trust in their audience that we too can see the big picture and tie the beginning to the end? Or is that putting too much faith in the world?

Looking at the movie as a whole, the message is one children should hear and discuss with their parents.  You cannot hide from who you are, and you cannot run from your responsibilities.  You have to admit to your weaknesses and make them work for you.  Any person that only sees the "rebellious themes" of this movies and refuses to see anything but that has missed the forest for the trees.

We are taught to live in the world, not of the world.  This requires a balance.  We cannot expect to find danger lurking in every corner, and impose it on the world.  This will lead to us hiding away in our rooms, hiding from anything bad that could possibly happen.  We have to face the world and make the right choices.  Of course, we cannot be naive and ignore the dangers that are trying to creep in.  We just need to be aware.

There were two plans proposed in Heaven.  One gave us the opportunity to come to Earth, make choices, and try to live a righteous life that will lead us back to Celestial Glory.  The other would purportedly make sure everyone returned to Celestial Glory by removing all agency.  There would be no opportunity to make a mistake. While Elsa was locked in her room, unable to choose right or wrong, which plan was she being forced to follow?  And the consequence of that, was her running away and sending all of Arendelle into an eternal blizzard.  However, by the end of the movie she is able to repent, make right her wrongs, and continue to live and make choices that will help her to become a better person.

When we over-shield our youth, from the world, we are taking away precious opportunities for them to exercise their agency.  When instead, if your 3-year-old trots to the dinner table singing those dreaded eight words, make it an opportunity for discussion instead of removing her favorite movie from the shelf.
"What do you think it means when Elsa sings that part? Do you think she really doesn't have to follow the rules?  What happens at the end of the movie? You're right! She says she is sorry and she fixes it and everybody is happy again!"
Now that child has learned many lessons:
1) Sometimes good people make bad choices, but they can fix it.
2) Sometimes we don't want to follow the rules, but there are still consequences.
3) To really understand a story, we have to look at the story as a whole.  When parts are taken out of context, we end up with a different, and skewed, interpretation than what was intended.

I think of my future children, and how much they are going to have to love singing along to Disney movies simply because of how much their parents do.  I think of how they will be challenged to form their own opinions by using what they have been taught.  I think of how they will make wise choices because they will have had plenty of exercise using their agency when they are young.  If I have to remove all media myself that has even the smallest taste of possibly being seen by some as "bad" so my children won't get the wrong idea, then I have failed as their parent.  If my future daughter watches Frozen and decides there really is no right or wrong, and it's ok to just walk away from wrongdoings, then I have failed to teach her how to be a wise young lady.  THAT is a truer tragedy than all of these theories of Disney "going off the deep end to please society."

I suppose I should end with this:  Just because I said it doesn't make it true.  This whole post started with my being irritated that so many people were reading blog posts and believed them.  So if you read mine and just believe me, then I think I'm still upset with you.  Please world, especially women of the world, make up your own minds.  By all means, read other people's thoughts, consider it, mull it around, but then come up with your own ideas before you start toting around other people's influences. That is far more dangerous than anything Disney is going to try and sneak into our homes.

PS- I love Disney, and without more evidence that is clearly not conspiratorial, I will not and cannot believe they have a hidden agenda.  Other than money making,  but that isn't hidden.

My grandparents were married in 1942.  After 67 years of marriage, my Grandmother passed away.  Four years later, Grandpa has gone to be with her.  I will miss them both, but never forget what they taught me about love and family.

Love you Granny and Grandpa!

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.