While my children are still young enough to not realize when I post stories about them on the internet for the entire world to read forever, I'm going to take advantage of it. They think the computer is for pictures and Skyping with Grandma, and that's about it. Maybe cute Youtube videos.
Claire's been really funny the past couple weeks. (And a little disclaimer, this one is all about poop.) A couple weeks ago our family got hit with sick bad. Claire got the worst of it. It started with vomiting every half hour for a day or so and then later developed to diarrhea from Hell. Really. Every 15 minutes. And while it's gross and sad, it's also hilarious when your children get it for the first time that they can recognize.
It was 3 AM and poor Claire had already soiled every pair of underwear she owns, but she was on the toilet again, holding it for dear life and sobbing, "What is happening?! Why is this happening to me?!" I thought for sure she'd be terrified to fart ever again for fear of what might happen instead. She has since named the symptom "water poops". When she was feeling better she proudly exclaimed, "Mom! I don't think I have the water poops anymore!" We've referred to them as that ever since.
Last week Claire and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings. We were seated towards the front and enjoying sipping on our drinks, chatting, when she said she had to go to the bathroom. She is all about being independent and likes to go by herself. Since I could see the bathrooms from there, I obliged. I watched her walk around, and her little head disappeared behind the counter, and then I saw the Men's door open and close. I jumped up and ran over, cracked the door open and yelled that it was the wrong bathroom, the boy's bathroom. She yelled back, "It's too late, Mom. I'm already pooping!"
Of course a handful of gents decided they also had to go at that exact moment. One by one they each walked in, turned around, and walked back out. They were fantastic and completely understood. One guy even told me about how just last month he accidentally used the women's room because he was looking down at his phone. I wanted to tell him, "Yeah, but my kid is FOUR."
Anyway, after a few minutes, the door opened and Claire came waddling out the men's room and into the women's with her underwear up and pants around her ankles. I guess she just wanted to finish up in the right bathroom.
She had no shame. It didn't even phase her. It was fantastic. She's so great. And I hope she forgives me in 10 years when she finds out I told everyone all about it.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
The BEST Creamy Dreamy Chicken Enchiladas.
One time, when I was pregnant with Claire, I made some great red beef enchiladas. They were great. But when I'm pregnant, I am ferociously sick. And those did not stay put. And I've never made red enchiladas ever since.
But I love enchiladas. I mean, who doesn't love something stuffed and smothered with sauce? Then I discovered white chicken enchiladas. At first I tried The Pioneer Woman's Recipe and then I decided to venture out. It took a couple tweaks to perfect the recipe, but we have this down pat. Honest to goodness the BEST white chicken enchiladas and no cream of anything soups. Not gonna lie, it's a little time consuming, but the steps are simple. And I like to make big batches so we have leftovers for forever. Because it takes more time than I care to spend cooking, I like to whip these bad boys up in the morning when I'm feeling super domestic and then just throw them in the oven a few minutes before dinner.
Here we go.
Creamy Dreamy (LOADED with Dairy) White Chicken Enchiladas:
2 lbs frozen chicken breasts
butter
4 cans diced green chilies
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
flour
2 t. paprika
1 C. heavy cream
8 oz. cream cheese
Lots of Monterey Jack cheese (Shredded) -I buy a giant bag and use just about all of it.
tortillas
Start by boiling the chicken. It's not my favorite way to cook chicken, but it works really well for this. I'm all about efficiency so I toss frozen chicken in the pot and walk away to do something else while they cook.
When the chicken is cooked, save about 3 C. of the water for later. Shred the chicken and set aside.
(I like to rinse out the one pot between steps so I only have one mess) In a pot or THE pot, melt 1 T butter. Add the chopped onion and cook till sweating. Add in the chicken, 2 cans of diced green chilies, 1/2 C of the water from the chicken, 1/2 C heavy cream, and 1t paprika. Cook until bubbly and the juices have thickened slightly. I put my chicken mixture into a bowl and rinse out my pot for the next part.
Melt 2T butter. Add 2T flour and whisk until browned, thick, and bubbly. Add the rest of the reserved chicken water and cook until thickened. Add in the rest of the green chilies, cream cheese, 1/2 C heavy cream, 1-2t paprika (I go by color of finished sauce. I like it slightly pinky), and 3 cups of shredded Monterey Jack cheese. The cream cheese might take a while to melt and mix completely. Just watch it and stir it occasionally.
While my cheese is melting, I prep my enchiladas. I take a small scoop of the chicken mixture, sprinkle it with the left over shredded cheese and roll it up. I can usually cram 8 or 9 in a 9X13 pan and put the rest in a smaller square pan until I run out of chicken goop. (Don't forget to check in and stir your cheese sauce!)
When the sauce is ready, slather that goodness all over the rolled tortillas. Drench it. And lick the spoon after.
If I make these at dinner time, I toss them in the oven at 350 for just a couple minutes until the tortilla edges are slightly browned and crisp. Or you can make them before and cook them at 350 for 15-20 minutes when you're ready to eat. BAM. Creamy Dreamy Enchiladas with enough dairy in 'em to make the Wisconsin heart happy.
But I love enchiladas. I mean, who doesn't love something stuffed and smothered with sauce? Then I discovered white chicken enchiladas. At first I tried The Pioneer Woman's Recipe and then I decided to venture out. It took a couple tweaks to perfect the recipe, but we have this down pat. Honest to goodness the BEST white chicken enchiladas and no cream of anything soups. Not gonna lie, it's a little time consuming, but the steps are simple. And I like to make big batches so we have leftovers for forever. Because it takes more time than I care to spend cooking, I like to whip these bad boys up in the morning when I'm feeling super domestic and then just throw them in the oven a few minutes before dinner.
Here we go.
Creamy Dreamy (LOADED with Dairy) White Chicken Enchiladas:
2 lbs frozen chicken breasts
butter
4 cans diced green chilies
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
flour
2 t. paprika
1 C. heavy cream
8 oz. cream cheese
Lots of Monterey Jack cheese (Shredded) -I buy a giant bag and use just about all of it.
tortillas
Start by boiling the chicken. It's not my favorite way to cook chicken, but it works really well for this. I'm all about efficiency so I toss frozen chicken in the pot and walk away to do something else while they cook.
When the chicken is cooked, save about 3 C. of the water for later. Shred the chicken and set aside.
(I like to rinse out the one pot between steps so I only have one mess) In a pot or THE pot, melt 1 T butter. Add the chopped onion and cook till sweating. Add in the chicken, 2 cans of diced green chilies, 1/2 C of the water from the chicken, 1/2 C heavy cream, and 1t paprika. Cook until bubbly and the juices have thickened slightly. I put my chicken mixture into a bowl and rinse out my pot for the next part.
Melt 2T butter. Add 2T flour and whisk until browned, thick, and bubbly. Add the rest of the reserved chicken water and cook until thickened. Add in the rest of the green chilies, cream cheese, 1/2 C heavy cream, 1-2t paprika (I go by color of finished sauce. I like it slightly pinky), and 3 cups of shredded Monterey Jack cheese. The cream cheese might take a while to melt and mix completely. Just watch it and stir it occasionally.
While my cheese is melting, I prep my enchiladas. I take a small scoop of the chicken mixture, sprinkle it with the left over shredded cheese and roll it up. I can usually cram 8 or 9 in a 9X13 pan and put the rest in a smaller square pan until I run out of chicken goop. (Don't forget to check in and stir your cheese sauce!)
When the sauce is ready, slather that goodness all over the rolled tortillas. Drench it. And lick the spoon after.
If I make these at dinner time, I toss them in the oven at 350 for just a couple minutes until the tortilla edges are slightly browned and crisp. Or you can make them before and cook them at 350 for 15-20 minutes when you're ready to eat. BAM. Creamy Dreamy Enchiladas with enough dairy in 'em to make the Wisconsin heart happy.
Life Lessons From My Three Year Old.
The other week our family was snuggled up on the couch just chatting. I was reminiscing about when Claire started school and I had asked the older girls what they wanted to be when they grow up. I guess I just love that unicorns are real and that Claire wants to be a mermaid when she grows up. Aoife had said that she wanted to grow up to be five.
Anyway, we were sitting on the couch talking and laughing about it and Ross decided to ask Aoife what she wanted to be again. He listed off different ideas and to each, she said no. She got a little more frustrated each time until she finally exploded, "I don't want to be any of those things! I just want to be Aoife!" Genius, right? I loved her little outburst.
Raising daughters terrifies me, but I am grateful that in the not quite four years of her life Aoife is confident in who she is and loves who she is and doesn't want to be anyone else. Loud and proud, she wants to be Aoife.
I am in awe when the girls announce "I'm so smart" or "I'm so strong" or "I'm so *insert positive adjective here*". They are determined, strong willed, sometimes stubborn, and still sweeter than sweet and I love it. There's something special about little girls. We love princesses, nail polish, and arguing about who gets to marry Daddy (apparently my time is limited), but we also love science and exploring and super heros and sports and trucks and learning.
I suppose I should be proud that in my 5 year parenting career my children are confident and happy and love themselves and each other. I consider that a success. The real challenge is not screwing that up. I feel like up until now I've only had to offer encouragement and keep them alive. Now the real task begins. And it is scary. Tips, tricks, and advice from mothers of amazing daughters is always welcome.
Anyway, we were sitting on the couch talking and laughing about it and Ross decided to ask Aoife what she wanted to be again. He listed off different ideas and to each, she said no. She got a little more frustrated each time until she finally exploded, "I don't want to be any of those things! I just want to be Aoife!" Genius, right? I loved her little outburst.
Raising daughters terrifies me, but I am grateful that in the not quite four years of her life Aoife is confident in who she is and loves who she is and doesn't want to be anyone else. Loud and proud, she wants to be Aoife.
I am in awe when the girls announce "I'm so smart" or "I'm so strong" or "I'm so *insert positive adjective here*". They are determined, strong willed, sometimes stubborn, and still sweeter than sweet and I love it. There's something special about little girls. We love princesses, nail polish, and arguing about who gets to marry Daddy (apparently my time is limited), but we also love science and exploring and super heros and sports and trucks and learning.
I suppose I should be proud that in my 5 year parenting career my children are confident and happy and love themselves and each other. I consider that a success. The real challenge is not screwing that up. I feel like up until now I've only had to offer encouragement and keep them alive. Now the real task begins. And it is scary. Tips, tricks, and advice from mothers of amazing daughters is always welcome.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
A Family History Through Corn Mazes.
I love fall. I love everything pumpkin, colored leaves, boots, apples, and corn mazes. Yesterday was our 6th wedding anniversary. Crazy, right? We got married in the morning, did pictures, and then the reception wasn't until later that night. We had a huge gap of time and so what did we do? What any normal person would do in October. We gorged on soup, salad, and breadsticks and then headed off to a corn maze. Looking back, I 100% wish I had done the maze in my dress.
Every year to celebrate, we go to a fall festival and do a corn maze. The soup, salad, and breadsticks is hit or miss, but we never miss a corn maze. It's become a family event, and one that I really look forward to each year. We've had so many adventures, and our family has changed a lot since then. Here's a look at the Loveland Fam over the past six years. I think when we got married both of us were embarrassed about taking pictures, so some are missing which I seriously regret. Luckily, I am shameless when it comes to snapping pictures so we'll never miss another!
Claire was sick this past weekend, but Ross is taking Friday off for us to have a whole day of Fall fun to celebrate. We'll pick up the rest of the Halloween costumes, and venture off to a fall festival for our annual corn maze. We still do smaller things for just the two of us to celebrate. This year, Ross surprised me with my most favorite painting. Not gonna lie, I teared up looking at it, and I'm amazed that he remembered me talking about it so long ago. Here's to hoping I get acquainted with it and don't cry every time I see it. Ross got socks. Superhero and Hogwarts socks, but don't worry. He loves them and he's also getting some pictures. Six years down and so much more to go. Adventure is out there!!
Every year to celebrate, we go to a fall festival and do a corn maze. The soup, salad, and breadsticks is hit or miss, but we never miss a corn maze. It's become a family event, and one that I really look forward to each year. We've had so many adventures, and our family has changed a lot since then. Here's a look at the Loveland Fam over the past six years. I think when we got married both of us were embarrassed about taking pictures, so some are missing which I seriously regret. Luckily, I am shameless when it comes to snapping pictures so we'll never miss another!
The beginning: We're married!!
Year 1: We were still embarrassed about picture taking, but this was close to that time.
I was also super pregnant and didn't do a great job styling my extensions.
Year Two: The first year of having a little tag-a-long for our anniversary adventure.
Year 3: Aoife joined in that year. (She's in Ross' arm, hiding.)
Year Four: Aunt Ena came to visit us and joined in our fall fun. Our first fall in WI.
*That's Aunt Ena in the picture. NOT me.
Year 5: Mama Loveland was here with us this year and was our lovely photographer. And Tiegan came along!
Claire was sick this past weekend, but Ross is taking Friday off for us to have a whole day of Fall fun to celebrate. We'll pick up the rest of the Halloween costumes, and venture off to a fall festival for our annual corn maze. We still do smaller things for just the two of us to celebrate. This year, Ross surprised me with my most favorite painting. Not gonna lie, I teared up looking at it, and I'm amazed that he remembered me talking about it so long ago. Here's to hoping I get acquainted with it and don't cry every time I see it. Ross got socks. Superhero and Hogwarts socks, but don't worry. He loves them and he's also getting some pictures. Six years down and so much more to go. Adventure is out there!!
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