Teaching Together: Learning To Read {January 2015}

Welcome to the January edition of Teaching together!   January is month #4 of Teaching Together. How has it been that long?! We would love to invite you to join us the first Thursday of the month in 2016!



This month you are going to get a big fat dose of what is on my mind lately, and that is teaching little Miss Emily to read. I didn't officially start teaching Marissa to read until she started Kindergarten, but I don't think her sister is willing to wait that long.

Today I want to talk about skills needed before a child begins to read, signs that they are ready and few ideas to get you started!

First of all I would like to add that before Marissa I had never taught or even watched a child learn to read. To say I was terrified doesn't even come close to summing it all up. Add in the fact that we were homeschooling so I was "doing this by myself" and I'm surprised I ever worked up the nerve to start.
Reading is an amazing foundation for a life time of learning. I wanted a good foundation for our girls and I wanted it to start as soon as they were ready.
How do you know a child is ready to read?   #1 They know and can identify all of their alphabet letters. #2 They know and can match all of the letters to the sounds they make. 
Once you have those two key pieces of the puzzle, you are ready to start putting things together.

Emily has known all of her letters and their sounds for a year now. For the sake of being honest I'll admit that I've just been lazy or distracted. I thought I would put off teaching her to read until about the same time her sister did, until she started teaching herself. 
As a second child who has been "home schooled" since she was 2, she is a sharp and fast learner. I would put worksheets at her desk for her to do and she would start sounding out the words. She would make letter sounds and write the letters down on paper spelling out words, correctly! I finally accepted the fact that not teaching her was doing her an injustice and we dove head first into learning. 
Where to start?   One of my favorite ways to start is to teach the child to blend two letter sounds using short vowel sounds only. I find the best (and cheapest) way to do that is to make your own flash cards.
Think BA, HA, ON, AT, CA, PI, GU and any other combo you can create.

I also picked up this book to work through with Emily. I didn't use this with her sister so I am excited to see how I end up liking it, or not. I'll try and update this once I develop a stronger opinion.

More ideas We all know repetitive flash cards can be a bit boring, so here are a few ideas to mix things up a bit. 
*Rewards Offer a reward if they can get (x) amount of flash cards right.
*Story Time Find books that you can read together. Short books that have lots of words they can read in them. We have this set of abeka pre-k readers and they are the first books both of my girls have read.
  *Workbooks  When the pieces are starting to come together phonics work books can be really helpful. We have been huge fans of Explode The Code Phonics. I have heard nothing but rave reviews about their curriculum and the amazing readers Explode The Code creates. I feel like the fact that I have a 7 year old reading 120+ words a minute and years beyond her reading level is a pretty huge testimony to their program as well.
*Play games There are so many amazing phonics games out there that keep a childs attention and provide a fun way to learn. One of our favorites has been ABC cookies. This game is SO versatile and can be played for YEARS. From a toddler learning their letters to a young reader. Marissa even still enjoys playing this game with her sister.

*Encouragement

Don't forget to encourage them along the way. A little encouragement goes a LONG way at this age.

Always remember what's easy for one child may not be easy for others and all kids learn at different levels and speeds. If your child is struggling to learn don't take it as a failure on their part or your own. Be creative and try several different approaches and techniques to find what works best for them. Never be afraid to seek out any help you may need. Those precious babies are always worth it.

Happy learning to read!

Do you have any tips to add?
Are or were you terrified to teach your child to read?

Grab our button in my sidebar and link up what you've been learning lately!

An InLinkz Link-up

Kicking Off 2016 {Show & Tell Tuesdays}

Happy Hump Day friends!
It's the first official "back to reality week" of 2016 and we are half way through. Praise be to God, I think we just might survive.
One of my blogging goals for 2016 is to expand my circle of blogging friends. After all, blogging friends have turned out to be some of the best friends a girl could ever dream of or ask for so why wouldn't I want more of that in my life?!
I have been brainstorming a few ways to make new connections in 2016 and one of the more obvious ways you will see me do that is through blog link-ups. Today I am linking up with Momfessionals for Show & Tell Tuesdays. This weeks topic is a reintroduction to kick off 2016.

What most of you already know is that I am Beth. I'm a 30 something stay at home turned home school mom of two girls Marissa 7 & Emily 4. I am a wife to Russ for 8+ years now and we have called Joplin, Missouri home for almost all of our lives.
The little things that make me, me. 
#1 my faith in Jesus Christ.

My family.

My love for cooking & baking.

My camera.

Our old cars.

My time in the gym or pounding pavement.

This blog.

I can't believe this speck of the blogging world has been mine for almost 2 years now. 

Now for part two, resolutions. Those of you who know me well know that I don't really do resolutions. I am a huge fan of goals (only when accompanied with plenty of grace) but New Years resolutions just aren't my thing. However, I will share a few blogging related goals that I have set for myself in 2016.

1) Make new relationships with other bloggers. Read more blogs outside of my typical reading routine.

2) Expand all of my social media followers including reaching over 2,000 followers on Instagram.

3) Actually use Twitter... so far this one is not working out so well for me ;). 

 I have high hopes for 2016 to be another amazing year. 

Every year seems to be a little better than the last and I can't wait to share our 2016 with you.

What is one goal or resolution you have made for 2016?

Sweet & Salty M&M'S® Popcorn {Recipe}

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone #MakeItAMovieNight #CollectiveBias

If there is one way that our family has learned to pull together in the midst of our busy life, it is with a movie night. The snuggling, snacks and giggles are always a favorite way to recharge and be together, even if it is just for a little bit.

Today I want to share with you a favorite movie night snack recipe.

It is the perfect combo of salty and sweet which keeping everyone in my house happy.

It truly is the little things, right?!

With the craziness of a leaking wall in the house and all of the chaos that brought to our lives, I knew a family movie night was just what we needed. So the girls and I headed to Walmart looking for the perfect movie night snacks.

Something salty, something sweet and something refreshing.

Honestly I could have just called it good with this selection and it would have been great. But I had the perfect, simple plan to make our family time even more special. Those are always my favorite recipes. The ones that I can make quickly and the girls squeal and giggle like I slaved for hours in the kitchen.

Plus sprinkles make everything, including popcorn, better.

print recipe

Sweet & Salty M&M'S® Chocolate Candies Popcorn

by Beth Newman January-5-2016

A sweet and salty combo perfect for everyday snacking or a family movie night.

Ingredients

• 1 Bag Orville Redenbachers Movie Theater Butter Popcorn
• 1 Cup Pretzels
• 3.5 oz container Plain M&M'S® Chocolate Candies
• 3/4-1 Cup White Chocolate Chips
• Rainbow Sprinkles
• Sea Salt

Instructions

1) Pop the popcorn according to the package directions. I sorted through mine to get any un-popped kernels out.

2) Put 3/4 to 1 Cup (depending on preference) of white chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and melt on the defrost setting for 30 seconds at a time stirring often until chips are melted.

3) In a food processor grind up 1/3 cup of M&M'S® Chocolate Candies (this step is optional)

4) Dump half of the popcorn, crushed M&M'S® Chocolate Candies and half of the melted chocolate in a bowl and mix carefully.

5) Add the remainder of the popcorn, pretzels, remaining whole M&M'S® Chocolate Candies and the rest of the chocolate and stir to coat as evenly as possible.

6) Dump onto a lined baking tray and sprinkle with sea salt and rainbow sprinkles. Allow the popcorn set for about 1 hour

7) Break apart and store in an air tight container until movie time!

Get rewarded for having a movie night!

Here is how you can get rewarded for having your own family movie night.

Buy all 4 participating products in one transaction at Walmart between 12/22/15 and 2/2/16. Snap a picture of your receipt and visit uploadreceipt.com/movienight. Get a $10 VUDU movie code by email! While supplies last. Limit one per person.

Sony Pictures, Joe Dirt 2, was a hilarious movie that left Russ and I laughing for days. They say laughter is the best medicine and I would definitely recommend this film if you need a good laugh. Make sure to keep Joe Dirt 2 in mind when you are planning your next movie night.
We loved our snacks, loved our movie and loved our family time together.
#MakeItAMovieNight 
For more great ideas for your next family movie night be sure to check out the Make It A Movie Night website and don't forget to take advantage of the special offer from VUDU!
What is your favorite family movie night snack?  

Tuesday Talk 2016 V1 & Post #500

Welcome to the first Tuesday Talk of 2016!!!

It is so hard to believe that this weekly link-up has been going on for an entire year now!

I am so excited that the fun will be carried on into the New Year. We said goodbye to a few of our amazing co-hosts but we welcomed some pretty fabulous new ones into the group too.

If you have never linked up with Tuesday Talk we would absolutely love for you to join us this year.

The link-up goes live at 7:00 CST every Tuesday morning and the button can always be found in my sidebar. 

Meet the co-hosts!

Beth at Our Pretty Little Girls | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram 

 Becky at BYBMG | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Jessica at Sweet Little Ones | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Emily at Raising Barnes | Pinterest | Instagram

Stephanie at Wife Mommy Me | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Stasia at Our Life on a Budget | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Sarah at Abiding In Grace | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Ruthie at Rear. Release. Regroup. | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Laura at Life Is Beautiful | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Christina at Waltzing In Beauty | Pinterest | Instagram

Michelle at Grammie Time | Pinterest | Instagram 

Tina at Go Big or Go Home | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Whitney at Polka Dotty Place | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram 

We've added more info about the co-hosts for 2016!  Our hope is that it provides more ways for you to connect with us. Now for a little Tuesday morning randomness.

1) This is blog post #500!!! and 22 months of blogging to the date!
I NEVER imagined that ever happening, thank you!

2) Today is my parents 36th wedding anniversary!

Happy Anniversary you two crazy kids.
3) I have another post today that any popcorn lover might wanna check out.

We have lots of great plans in store for this year and can't wait to share out Tuesdays with you.

Happy linking friend!

An InLinkz Link-up

Life Lately: 32, Leaky Walls & A Brand New Year

Oh the craziness that has been life lately. 

We had such a calm, peaceful Christmas and then the 26th of December arrived and things started to go down hill. I've mentioned the chaos but I thought I would catch you up on the details.   Where to start, where to start?
Early in the morning on Decmeber 26th the skies opened and the rains poured and poured, which provided me the perfect opportunity to break in my new rain boots. Seems like I bought those just in time.

Fast forward to the 27th and imagine a gabbing Beth talking on the phone to her mother pacing around the house. I usually find myself cleaning while I talk. Anyone else? Something about talking on the phone just makes me start randomly straightening the house up (I really should talk on the phone more often). I was in Marissa's room when I thought: Is my sock wet? Why is my sock wet? I then reached down and touched the carpet... it was wet. I pretty much hang up on my mother and frantically call Russ.
Chaos had officially broke loose.
The next day (my birthday) is a combo of me crying (multiple times), trying to forget the mess, demolition and a little bit of celebrating.

It was the best worst birthday a girl could ask for.
The next two days were spent trying to figure out the mystery of the leaky wall and preparing for the New Year. Now would be an excellent time to say that I love my husband. He is smart and handy in ways that I can't begin to explain or even understand.

As for the wall, to make a long story short, it was really a "freak accident". Something that never should have been a problem became a problem. It was one of those 1 in 100 kind of situations.

New Years Eve came and Russ spent most of his day off freezing outside. I picked my one little word for 2016 and then we realized we were without kids on New Years Eve and we had absolutely nothing to do. Thankfully some friends invited us to crash their party and we had the best time.




And just like that it was a whole new year.
Hello 2016!   The rest of the weekend was spent working on the wall, playing with Legos, making plans for 2016, grocery shopping, joining a new gym and starting room re-do plans.

So here I am "back to school" on a Monday morning hoping and praying that the excitement and mess that brought in the New Year doesn't set the mood for the rest of the year.   Please tell me your New year started better than mine?!
Happy Monday friends!  

One Little Word {2016}

It's about 4:43 p.m. on this last day of 2015 and I find myself sitting alone in a very quiet house. The girls have left to go have a slumber party at my parents house and Russ is outside, freezing, fixing "the wall". Trust me, there will be more details on this in the coming week.
For the past week, maybe more, I have been milling around the idea of "choosing a word" for 2016. Last year a light bulb switched on and I realized I didn't need resolutions or a New Year, I needed Jesus. I still sit here with that thought pressing heavy on my mind and a post that I wrote a year ago still seems so relevant to my life. There were so many times through the year that I reflected back on that post. Moments of frustration, anger, sorrow, depression and joy. There were also moments when I forgot about it too. Focusing on Grace last year was so good for my heart and I fully believe I could chose to do it again and it would be even better.
But there is one word that keeps coming to my mind and I can't seem to shake it.

This year I am setting my heart to be more present.
To put down my phone and make eye contact when someone is talking to me. To just watch the movie instead of trying to multi-task 10 things during it.
To actually engage and focus on who I am with.
Present in my thoughts, actions and words.
What is your one little word for 2016?  

Monthly Goals {January 2016}

Happy New Year!
One year ago today I published my very first monthly goal post. I continued setting and working on goals for the entire 2015 year. I learned a lot about myself over the course of a year. What motivates me, areas I have a hard time working on and that I am going to drop the ball, and that is okay. You can mess up, get over it and keep trying. Just skip the pouting or beating yourself up stage and push forward.

I've said it multiple times, "I feel like these posts are more for me than my readers". Maybe they are, but I think that is okay too. I love knowing there is a sense of accountability in saying I want to do something and letting others know about it. Plus, your sweet words of how my goals motivate you have been such an encouragement to me. 
So, I plan to continue setting and achieving goals through 2016 and I would encourage you to set a few of your own!

When I left off in December I kept my goals pretty simple. Typically I recap the previous month before setting new ones, but I'm not going to do that for December. I met almost all of my goals with my biggest flop being my work outs. But I feel like stepping away from a few different things for a bit gave me a needed, fresh perspective.

Blog-

*Keep posting 4-5 days a week.

*Participate in a giveaway.

*Try to engage more on Twitter.

Family-

*Family Movie Night.

*Family Game Night.

*Celebrate Russ' birthday!

Fitness- *Join a new gym on January 1st! *Work out 4 days a week. *Stop eating so many cookies. You laugh, but it is true.
Spiritual-  *To read a little bit of God's word every day.
(I often try to do so much in this category that i overwhelms me. This year I would like to try and simplify my goals in this category.)
Home School- *Resume school on January 4th. *Begin working with Emily on early reading skills. *Have the girls write thank you notes.
Random- *Fix the wall.... more details on that soon. *Finally order family photo prints. *Try to combat winter depression. *Drop off donation pile sitting in our room.
So there we have it, my first goal list of 2016!
Do you have resolutions or goal setting plans for 2016?