Mmmmm Yummy Goodness

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

I got this recipe off of allrecipes.com. It is sooooooooo good. I did change a couple of things to my taste and it turned out DELISH! Because I love this soup soooooooo much, I wanted to share it.


Here are the ingrediants

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken ( I put the chicken in the crock pot frozen and then shred it after its been cooking a few hours. It turns out just perfect.)
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed ( I used a can of crushed tomatoes to skip a step)
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced ( I use 3-4 cloves because I LOVE garlic!)
1 quart chicken stock (broth) (the recipe calls for water and chicken broth, but its better with all chicken broth instead of water)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn

You'll also need corn tortillas to cut into strips or chips as well as cooking spray, like PAM.

Put chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in the chicken stock, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn. Cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.

To make crispy tortilla strips or chips....

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice tortillas in whatever shape you want. (I like to just make chips.)
Spray cookie sheet with PAM. Spread cut tortillas onto pan. Spray them with PAM and salt to taste.

Bake about 10 minutes. (Watch these suckers closely...I've burnt them a couple times because I'm such a master chef!)

I also like to add a little cheese and avocado! YUMO!

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

Side note...to my sister who doesn't like to eat bird... lol.. Use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock, and add a can of black beans instead of chicken!

Thou Shalt Not Blog at 3AM

That's all.

I haven't slept in 8 freakin months!

Rachel has been up since 1AM (it is now past 3AM). I gave her a bottle and then it was apparently play time. I can't put her back in the girls' room because she'll wake her sisters. I want to jump out the freakin window! This crying it out crap is total bull if you ask me. How long am I supposed to listen to this. I've read the books and blah blah freakin blah.... the books say let her be and she'll fall asleep eventually.

Oh yeah?

NOT MY BABY!

I've given her tylenol in case its teething. I tried the swing... Neither worked.

Now she is screaming in the pack n play and has been for over 45 minutes.

I hate to sound selfish, but if I don't start getting more sleep soon I'm going to have to be admitted to a loony bin. Last night, even Morgan and Sophia woke up a couple of times and they are usually really good "sleep through the night-ers!"

How in the world do I get this baby to sleep through the night? At almost 9 months old, this is getting ridiculous!

This is the hardest thing I've ever done. The sleep deprivation is unreal. The long days caring for them is harder than I ever imagined. I love my girls so much and I wouldn't trade having triplets for anything, but OH MY GOSH...... I don't know how many more sleepless nights and long days I can take!

I need a mommy break!!!!

We're 8 months old!

Hard to believe the girls are 8 months old. I'm a little late posting their "8 month old" update, but I'm going to (yet again) use my triplet card. I'm a busy sleep deprived mother of triplets! That excuse should get me out of anything......

So here are my Things! Thing 1, Thing 2, and Thing 3. I was lucky enough to "win" these t-shirts at my last club meeting (my local mothers of multiples club). I say "win" because I am the only mom in the club right now with triplet babies. The other triplet moms have school age kiddos. And then of course, the club is full of twin moms with babies and kids of all ages. Anyway... that's how I got those adorable shirts. I'm glad I got some pics of the girls wearing them because they barely fit them anymore (they are a 6 month size). I'm passing them along to a friend of mine who has 6 week old triplet boys! (The girls' future prom dates!)

I know...You want stats! I don't get the girls weighed for another few weeks, but I do know that Rachel is up at 16 pounds, 3 ounces. She had an appointment with her pediatrician to check on her clogged tear duct. (And yes, it is still clogged but getting better.) I don't think Morgan weighs much more than Rachel, but we know Sophia is still the chunky monkey in the lead on weight!

They all have two bottom teeth. Morgan got hers first and then Sophia and Rachel cut theirs on the same day. Must be a weird identicals thing! hehehehe... The girlies are just super cute with their teeny weeny baby toofers!

Morgan is the only one crawling. She is pretty much up on her hands and knees crawling too. The scoot crawl is no more. Morgan is mastering her new skill. She'll be a speed crawler before we know it. She gets so excited and just goes after whatever she wants, which still includes her sister's paci, hair, eye..... you name it! She also sits very well on her own. She doesn't go from sitting to crawling yet, but she's getting close. She also likes to climb on top of her toys and bang the crap out of them. Its quite cute!

Sophia rolls to get where she wants to go. She is just starting to really reach out for things she wants. She's rocking up on her hands and knees now so I don't think it will be too long before she just takes off. I thinks she'll skip the scoot crawl that Morgan started with and just go right to normal crawling. She can also sit up on her own really good.

Rachel is our backward baby....hehehe... She just started to get up on her hands and knees too, but she moves herself backwards instead of forward. She sees something she wants, but then she ends up scooting backwards away from it and then fussing and looking at me as if to say, "Mommy, please help me." She also can sit up on her own, but not for a very long time. She is very curious and so she will reach for something or turn her head and fall right out of her sitting position. She's rocking on her hands and knees too so we're just waiting for her to take off crawling.

Morgan is sleeping through the night like a champion. She sleeps 7pm to 7am without us hearing a peep out of her. (She's our favorite...sleeper...haha!) Sophia will sleep through the night about 5 out of 7 nights per week. The other 2 nights, she just requires some mild paci patrol. Speaking of pacis...they have all mastered being able to grab them and put them in or out of their mouths. Morgan can find a paci in her crib and go right back to sleep if she happens to wake up. (Hint..I put three in there for her every night so she can always find one.) Sophia and Rachel will not yet search out their paci. They just put it in their mouths if they happen to see one hanging around.

So on to Rachel and her sleeping habits...... UGH... Ya'll know she is my little one who keeps me up. She's so precious and little and cuddly... I can't help but cater to her every little need. I've tried the cry it out thing with her. She shakes and screams for way too long. So I'm reading up on some books and trying to decide which way I am going to go with her to get her to sleep all night. Right now the only thing I am consistent at is inconsistency. I put her in bed with me some nights when she is having trouble sleeping. Sometimes I put her in the swing that is next to our bed. (She's in it right now)....Ugh..I'm just lost as to what to do. We were supposed to move her out of the room with her sisters last weekend, but we got busy so that is going to happen this weekend. She keeps waking them up at night which wakes the whole house up!

Well, that's all I can think of at the moment. I'm exhausted as usual and should try and get some sleep myself.

8 MONTHS OLD!

WOW...is all I have to say about that!

Dear local Barnes and Noble....

I'm sorry I came into your store looking and smelling the way I did. You see, I'm the mother of triplets. I don't get much sleep and I rarely have time to take a shower....let alone shave my legs, do my hair, .....put make up on etc.! When I put the girls to bed this evening, there was crying....a lot of crying. They cried, I cried...we all cried. I am exhausted. When Daddy came home in the midst of all this, he told me to get out of the house.........so I did. I left the house in a t-shirt that I wore all day and smelled of spit up. I don't remember the last time I showered or washed my hair. I'm sure it has had to be in the last few days, but I'm just too tired to remember. And yes, I was wearing capri pants even though my legs haven't been shaved in who knows how long. And I was wearing sandals even though I am in desperate need of a pedicure. Don't even ask me how bad my greasy hair looked slicked back in that pony tail. Ugh....

But there I was in your store trying to steal a couple minutes of me time and escape all the crying. I couldn't think of anywhere else to go without spending money. I sat in one of your chairs and probably scared your poor customers with my overall greasy-stench-ness. I read some of your books I had no intention of buying..... Well, I am going to buy them, just not from you. (Hello Amazon... for a fraction of the price.) Anyway, I had no business being out in public looking the way I did. I used you!

Oopsie!

Just a few pics...

I just haven't been much in the mood lately for blogging. The girls keep me so busy and I'm still sleep deprived! So here is just a quick update before I go to sleep.

Morgan is on the move... seriously! She has figured out how to crawl and now she is going after anything and everything she wants. We finally set up the "baby jail." She's funny. She will crawl over to the edge of it, grab the side of the gate and look at me and fuss. She wants OUT! There is so much to explore and her parents are apparently limiting her creativity. HA! She's really cute though. You can tell she is so proud of herself for moving around!


This pic was taking a few weeks ago. (left to right...Morgan, Sophia, Rachel) They crack me up just rolling around and grabbing their toys...looking at each other.. They are really discovering each other. Its fun to watch. Well okay..it's not fun to watch when mobile Morgan crawls right over to her sisters and grabs their pacis and their faces. When Morgan is in the baby jail...(haha otherwise known as their play yard), I will put Sophia and Rachel in their exersaucers and then switch them up. I try to keep Morgan from tormenting her sisters! hehehehe.... I know she just sees them as play things right now!

I love this pic. Sophia and Rachel are like...Hey..you look like me. Wait no...you look like ME! So cute how they have their hands on each other like they are connected. This pic is just priceless!

So we have Morgan crawling, Sophia is almost up on all fours and she rocking like she wants to crawl. She is just starting to stretch out to try and grab something she wants. That's how Morgan started so I think Sophia will be next. Rachel...she is just funny. She is up almost on all fours too but somehow she always ends up moving backwards. They are all very curious and really discovering everything around them. Oh and they LOVE their daily walks. (Okay well almost daily.) I'm loving that the weather is cooling off because I can take them for walks any time of the day and I don't have to worry about it being too hot outside. I LOVE the triple jogger we have. I'm not saying I actually jog with it...speed walk really. Its a 50 pound stroller with three babies it it!!! Not so easy to push up this hill we have around the corner....good work out though.

Okay time for me to hit the sack! For some reason, the girls are waking up more at night much to my dismay. Morgan and Sophia were sleeping through the night pretty good and Rachel was the only one keeping me up.....the last three nights have been nothing short of awful and sleep deprived. I think maybe they are going through a growth spurt.

I'm going to take some 8 month pics soon that I will be posting. I can't believe my wittle babies are 8 months old! Yikes!

Random facts about having triplets...

A lot of people ask me how we do this. Not many people know someone who has triplets so they really don't know what all goes into having three babies at once. How many diapers do we go through? How do we feed three little mouths? Do we have three of everything?....and so on..... I'm going to give you a little glimpse into life with triplets.......

Diapers you ask? At first we were going through a pack of preemie or newborn diapers a day. That was around $70 a week in diapers! Now....we go through about 20 diapers a day. I've also switched to store brand diapers because I refuse to pay the Pampers price. I've used Pampers and to me, they are no better than the store brand ones I buy. My favorite are the Walgreens store brand and the new Up and Up Target brand. Both run about 15 cents per diaper which just totally rocks my world! People close to me say I am OBSESSED with diapers. I admit it. I really am!

Formula? A fellow triplet mom in my area put me in contact with a local Similac rep who has supplied us with some free formula. I get shipments once a month and this should last another 2-3 months. This free formula feeds the girls for about two weeks. Otherwise, I use the Costco store brand. I once heard that the Costco store brand was really Enfamil. However, the Similac rep told me that its actually Similac advance packaged as the Kirkland brand. She said they mix it and package it through a contract with Costco. I had no idea really. I knew Costco did that with most of their store brand products....but this is just perfect for me. I'm not the type that has to use brand name anything, but still. So our costs have been cut in this dept. Its still super expensive as we go through a can a day, but it's much less than what we were paying.

Baby food... No, I do not make our own baby food. I realize that this could save us money and blah blah blah. But the simple fact is...I HAVE TRIPLETS!! Who has time to make baby food? I don't even have time to shower most days. I smell like a trucker half the time! And speaking of baby food...... We've moved on to the Stage two Gerber foods (or sometimes the Target store brand depending on sales)... the girls are loving their food. We tried just about all the fruits and veggies. When they are 8 months old, I might have them try the stage two meals that have meat mixed in. Not sure yet...but WOW...I just realized they are almost 8 months old!

Moving on....

Assembly line... In our house, its all about the assembly line. I just do one baby at a time for everything from diaper changes to baths and getting dressed. Sometimes, after I'm done bathing and getting ONE baby dressed....I think those singleton moms have it so easy. They would be done. Not me...I have to do it two more times. But I know I'm blessed to do it two more times. I am, however, jealous of those little strollers you people get to use.

Speaking of strollers... I now have a collection. I have three (yes THREE) triple strollers. Its a sickness. It really is. I started out with a smaller triplet stroller.... meaning one that folds easily and isn't as spacious as it could be. Its a Norfolk triple. They only made these in 2006 and you can't buy them anymore. I got mine used from Craigslist. (Its kind of like the Baby Trend triple, but much better quality.) I also have a Peg Perego triple stroller. At first I loved that it is more spacious than my Norfolk. Also, it is much more comfortable for the girls. I'm not loving this stroller though. Its an older Peg... meaning no steering wheel like the new ones...also.. you have to remove the seats in order to fold the stroller. So I have the frame, and then three seats that I have to take apart and put back together every single time I use it. Its a pain in the behind! I'm going to keep using it though... because.. A. I got it for $150 which is a steal! and B. It really is the most comfy stroller I have for the kiddos! I also have my Q Series Triple Jogger which I LOVE!!!!! Best stroller ever. Can't be used in malls or stores, but its great for outside. I'm not done yet... I also have a single stroller.. and YES, we've used it..ONCE! haha... and then I have my coveted Step 2 Choo Choo Wagon. All of these strollers and my choo choo was a total of $575. Most people can't even buy a used Triple Peg stroller for $575 so I am quite proud of myself for how cheap I found all of this stuff!

So how many times do you run your dishwasher each day? Around here... we run ours TWICE! Once for bottles since they take up so much space. Those Dr. Brown's bottles have so many parts, but I LOVE these bottles. Then we run it another time to wash actual dishes. Its a pain, but it is what it is. Oh and I'm really starting to love our crock pot. I have been using it so much lately. Seems like its the only way to get a decent meal on the table.

Oh and do we have three of everything? Well, we have three cribs of course. We also started out with three bouncy seats, three Boppy pillows... Hmmm...I have two Bumbos...wish I had three, but since the girls are mostly sitting on their own, we don't need another one now. Two exersaucers and one jumperoo. Oh and two swings. We did also have three of the play/kicking gyms, but we've outgrown those. (Notice I say WE.... because yes... I've decided I'm one of the triplets. haha kidding... but I'm a part of it all so there..I say WE!)

Do NOT ask me if the triplets are natural. I will personally kick the rear of anyone asking that. Seriously... we have had the nicest comments in public as well as some rude ones. I actually had a woman in Target one day tell me to "admit it, you did IVF like that octomom didn't you?"I wanted to run her down with my giant stroller! Next time someone asks me if the babies are natural, I might ask them if their boobs are natural!!!!

And finally... How do I get through each day? Without our wonderful volunteers, I would be toast! Seriously. We are so thankful that even though our girls are 6 months old, we still have 5 volunteers (who I now call friends instead of volunteers) coming in two days a week to help me. Also, my mom and sister always come anytime I need a nap or just need the help! We are so blessed to have wonderful family and friends who are continuing to help us so much!

So that's my randomness for tonight. Rachel was a little fussy so I was up...but she has settled down so I am going to go get some shut eye myself while I can.

Also..not proof reading this so just a warning that I may look like an idiot in this entry!