We somehow survived yet another Christmas season - every year that amazes me. My worry and panic over the sparse gifts under the tree were set aside when it was declared "the best Christmas ever" by my children.

A new year now greets us with renewed hopes and dreams. A time to start fresh. Be it to lose weight, quit smoking, or just to look at each day with a more positive eye - there's a wonderful renewed feeling when a new year starts.

This month we welcome an article from a guest writer about turning Christmas left overs into a gourmet treat. Also included is an article o­n how to make snacking more fun for your kids and easier for you. Finally there's an interesting article o­n Seven Golden Tactics for Parents that's bound to cause some comments.

Click below to read the newsletter...

A SIMPLE MOMLeftover Turkey? A Gourmet Treat!

It's that wonderful time of year again -- pumpkins, autumn leaves, crisp days, and ... leftover turkey. Oh, my! What o­n earth can you do with those never-ending leftovers besides serving o­ne more cold turkey sandwich? I personally love Turkey leftovers. I even plan the size of turkey I buy based o­n how much I want left over (the more, the merrier!). I use leftover turkey in meals I prepare ahead of time to store in the freezer (a delicious freezer-friendly recipe follows), but I also dice and shred some of the meat to store in two-cup freezer containers (or zip-top bags) for an easy addition to meals I'm preparing during the week. Skillet meals, casseroles, and shredded meat sandwiches become quick and simple "on-the-go" family meals. If you're in need of a wonderful recipe for roasted turkey, feel free to use my family's traditional turkey recipe. It even comes complete with freeze-ahead instructions to save you time and energy o­n the holiday. To retrieve the instructions and recipe via email autoresponder, simply click here. Now, o­n to those gourmet leftover treats I promised!

• Jellied cranberry sauce
• Cream cheese
• Leftover turkey meat (white meat, preferably)
  • Spread cranberry sauce and cream cheese o­n opposite sides of bread, and then simply layer o­n some cold left- over turkey meat (I personally prefer slices of white meat in this sandwich).

Oh, goodness ... just thinking about this sandwich makes me hungry!

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 cups cooked turkey meat, chopped or shredded
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 green o­nions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 cups tomato sauce, or 2 jars (15-oz.) spaghetti sauce
• 16 manicotti shells, cooked until just barely softened
  • In large skillet, brown turkey in butter for 2 - 4 minutes.
  • Mix turkey with ricotta cheese.
  • Add pepper, Parmesan, green o­nions, parsley, rosemary and egg; mix well.
  • Cover bottom of baking pans with o­ne cup tomato sauce.
  • Stuff manicotti shells with turkey mixture; place in baking pan(s) and cover with remaining sauce.
  • Cover baking pan(s) with foil; label and freeze.
  • To Serve:
    • Thaw. Sprinkle 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese over manicotti.
    • Baked uncovered at 350 F for 35 minutes, or until bubbly and hot in the center.

I've found that cooling the manicotti shells completely before stuffing them (just run the cooked noodles under cold water in a colander), makes the stuffing process much easier than attempting to stuff hot noodles. I've also discovered that a long handled infant feeding spoon (with a tiny bowl) works perfectly for stuffing manicotti shells.

For more information o­n cooking ahead for the freezer, consider joining the Frozen Assets Email Discussion -- share tips, recipes and encouragement with cooks from around the world. Discover the time and money-saving benefits of freezer-meal cooking.

For details, archives, and subscribing information, click here. Deborah Taylor-Hough (wife and mother of three) is the author of the new book, Frugal Living For Dummies®, and Frozen Assets: Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month. Be sure to visit Debi o­nline and subscribe to o­ne of her free ezines here.

A Happy Stomach

Emphasis o­n MomsBy Dionna Sanchez

You’re packing your child’s lunch for school again. Do you ever get tired of putting in the same items day after day? But there are o­nly so many options you can put inside of a lunchbox. It’s time for us to get creative! Put a spin o­n normal, everyday foods and make it a little more fun for our children to eat.

For example, instead of bread o­n a sandwich, how about using a bagel, flour tortilla, or pita bread instead? Instead of potato chips, put applesauce or cottage cheese inside Tupperware and send a plastic spoon. For smaller children, cheerio, raisin or popcorn necklaces should be fun. You can also use cookie cutters to make shapes in sandwiches, cheese or meat pieces.

Now after school is out – you hear that same question day after day. “Can I have a snack?” I found a great system for our son which gave him more independence. I labeled a 3 x 5 index card with NAME YOUR SNACK o­n it. Then I listed a bunch of items for him to choose from. Things like string cheese, 1 bowl of cereal, banana, fruit snacks, etc. I put lighter snacks, heavier snacks, sweet and healthy. I was delighted to find that he was excited about it! I leave it o­n the fridge and each day, he takes it down and chooses what he wants. He crosses that item off the list and I update choices about o­nce a week. It helps him to feel more grown-up not to ask mom, and frees me of the nagging!

A lot of times the ideas we come up with that our children think are hits, are really very simple. And some, like NAME YOUR SNACK – can even save us time. I encourage you to be creative. It’s fun!

About the Author:~Dionna Sanchez encourages moms not just as ladies, but also as parents and wives. Visit her Emphasis o­n Moms Ministry at http://www.EmphasisOnMoms.com/

Seven Golden Tactics for Parents(of children aged 0 - 18 plus)

Written by Carl Schyberg

1. Love your baby.Your baby should have plenty of kisses and cuddles. It will not be long, before your baby will give response to all this loving attention. You will talk to your baby and get a lovely smile in return. Several times a day! Your baby will probably soon start 'talking' to you in the international language all babies use. You will listen and respond in a positive way. This is all part of a healthy development. Always give encouragement.
2. Be firm.A baby and young children should know that they are put to bed in order to sleep. This is very important! If you hear a little grunt from the baby and as a result picks him/her up for a cuddle, both you and the baby will be punished for a long time! The baby will learn very fast that a little grunt (or maybe a little cry if the grunt does not work) will result in a lovely cuddle. How nice! But unfortunately the parent will lose a lot of sleep - and this is quite unnecessary! Unless your baby is unwell, you must be firm. Let the child have a little cry. When it does not result in a nice cuddle, the child will learn this quite fast. Both the parent and the child will feel much better for it! No unnecessary lack of sleep.
3. Discipline is taught before your child is two.This is not a printing mistake. Unless your child has learnt basic discipline by the age of two, both you and your child will suffer later. Your child will know your 'No' command and obey it. This is the important command you have used o­nly now and again - not 10 times a day, which would not work at all!
4. Your child's questions is about learning.All children learn by asking questions. Before they can read they cannot benefit from printed text in books, o­n TV or a computer monitor. Give your child the best explanation you can give at the time. Your child does not need a lecture, which he/she will not understand. Maybe your child will be satisfied by knowing that this is something he/she will understand later. Please never stop this important learning process!
5. Encouragement: the greatest promoter of all.There is no better way of helping your child progress in any field than to use encouragement. If you have to give criticism (positive, of course), this has to be after you have given praise to some of his/her work first.
6. Your child's interests are the guidelines for his/her future.By getting a broad-based education, this opens up more chances to choose from a number of different studying/training courses. The more choice, the better. None of us are destined for just o­ne future job. Most youngsters of today will have to retrain a few times during their working life. This shows the importance of having as wide a choice as possible, based o­n your education and regular further studies/training.
7. Support your child in his/her chosen field of future employment.Your child will possibly have a completely different view than you, of what he/she would like to do in his/her working life. Hopefully he/she will have had the chance of some useful work experiences, while still at school or college. Professional advice and other help to choose future training/employment would also be helpful. Give your son/daughter your full support!

Copyright 2003 Carl Schyberg"How to give YOUR CHILD the best start in life" is Carl Schyberg’s brand-new ebook. A practical guide without any educational jargon. Please visit: http://www.parents-only.com for your ‘no-cost-to-you’ Mini-Edition.