(43-308) Yogurtology

I usually consider myself to be someone who's in the know,.  I'm attune to new trends and stores and all things pop culture-ish.  But I swear, I must have been under a rock for a hot minute, because it seems like I just blinked my eyes and all of a sudden there were frozen yogurt shops EVERYWHERE.  I liken it to the coffeehouse boom that Arizona enjoyed, prior to Starbucks arrival.  And I say this because even though people flocked to the independent, coffee houses, and everyone had their own personal favorite;  AND the private coffee houses products were typically better than Starbucks; they still managed to put em all outta b'ness.  But that's not really here or there.

Last Sunday I had taken my kids to a birthday party, and while I was there, my friend Lesa G told me about this new frozen yogurt store that she's in love with.  We were in the process of making plans to get together before she leaves for Michigan for the summer and she suggested that we go to Yogurtology.  I figured that if Lesa thought it was fabulous, I should try it out, and we scheduled a time to go.  THEN, on Friday night when I went to the movies, I noticed that Maggie Moos (which had been across the street from the theater,) had closed down, and in its place, there was now (YUP,) a frozen yogurt shop.  Additionally, Lisa B mentioned that a friend of hers was opening a frozen yogurt shop not far from her house.  On Saturday night when my friend Arlene came over, she too started talking about this new frozen yogurt place that she'd been going to; and I realized very quickly that although frozen yogurt is not a new thing; the self-serve frozen yogurt shop with a toppings bar,  IS the new craze.

Anxious to see what all the fuss was about, I met Lesa at Yogurtology yesterday, and after a couple of samples; I was a convert.  Now ya know I love my Culver's frozen custard (probably a lil too much,) but the frozen yogurt was a totally different story.  It was cold and refreshing and although they offered everything from cream puffs, to Baklava, to giant marshmallows and every kinda chocolate candy, and Ghiradelli sauces,  it was the fresh fruit that I was interested in, and I just can't say that at Culver's.

Yogurtology offers twelve flavors a day.  According to Lesa they have a few standard flavors and then they alternate the others.  They always give you one size cup, and you decide how much you want, and then pay by the ounce.  Per Lesa's recommendation I tasted the Berry Bliss (which is a blackberry berry for anyone who may have been concerned about my strawberry allergy.)  I also tried the Lemon (Meringue, I think it was) and the Golden cupcake batter.  I decided that the three tasted great together, so I added a lil bit of each to my cup.  For a topping I chose fresh blueberries (because I LOVE blueberries and lemon together) and I threw in (OK not threw in, but gently placed) a couple of blackberries to go along with the berry bliss.  In a word, it was heavenly.  Darn that devil, Lesa G for introducing me to Yogurtology.  I actually couldn't get it off my mind today, and longed for the cool, fruity flavors; but alas, it's not that close to my house - which is probably really, a good thing.

I'm now interested in trying the shop that Arlene's been to, but I'm also hesitant to try something else since Yogurtology was SO good.  I popped onto the Yogurtology website to see if they had any info that I might share with you.  Yogurtology uses three words to describe their concept, "Simple, Clean, and Delicious."  They claim to be yogurt for yogurt connoisseurs, and even though I certainly wouldn't qualify as a connoisseur at this point, I certainly did enjoy it; and honestly, I can't wait to have it again.
Till next time...
Queen of Everything

(43-256) Ice Cream Jinxed

Last night was an SMF movie night, so my friend Jenny and I took our kids, her mom and two additional kids, to Culvers.  We needed seating for 11 and Culver's was packed.  We divided ourselves between three different tables in close proximity to each other.  The four girls at one table, the three boys at another and Jenny, her mom and me at the other.  We were gathering every one's orders when all of a sudden we realized that all four girls had gotten up from their table, and someone else had sat down.  We needed to find another table, but there weren't any to be had.  We were waiting patiently, with the girls standing by our table and a woman who was sitting right behind us, asked if we needed another table.  We said "Yes," and she said that they were just eating their ice cream and they could do so in their car; so we could have their table.  We thanked them but told them that it wasn't necessary because we didn't want them to leave on our behalf.  The family said that they were happy to help us out; and we were all flabbergasted.  Even Lyndzi said "That's so nice of them," and it really was.

I always try to be helpful and go out of my way for people, even strangers; and it was such a pleasant surprise to be on the receiving end of a random act of kindness and consideration.  And I knew that since this had occurred, I wanted to write about it.

We all ate our food and since the kid's meals include desert; everyone got ice cream.   If you've never been to Culver's, I have to tell you that although there food is better than average, their frozen custard is AWESOME!  They always have Chocolate, Vanilla and a Flavor of the day; and last night's flavor was Strawberry Cheesecake.  Now since I'm allergic to strawberries, I had Vanilla, but Jenny got the flavor of the day.  I had told Jenny that one day my co-worker had gotten that flavor and it was Vanilla custard with cheesecake pieces,real strawberries and strawberry sauce.  When Jenny's custard was delivered however, it didn't look at all like what I'd described.  Basically it appeared that Jenny had Vanilla custard with maybe one strawberry in it.  Kind soul that she is, Jenny didn't seem to mind.  But then her mom decided that she wanted to get some custard; and she too chose the flavor of the day; but when hers was delivered to the table, it looked EXACTLY like what I'd described and Jenny's certainly paled in comparison.

When I saw her mom's custard I couldn't help but laugh out loud.  You see the last time that Jenny and I had gone to Culver's with the kids; she and I both tasted the flavor of the day, which was Turtle, and we each ordered a scoop.  Turtle is "vanilla custard with swirled in streams of sweet caramel, brittled chocolate coating and pecan pieces;" and when the server brought our custards over, she had made a comment that you could tell that two different people had prepared these desserts because mine clearly had more of everything than Jenny's did.  I asked the server if they could fix up Jenny's and they gladly did.  But the fact that TWICE she had gotten the lesser of the treats, just cracked me up.  I told her that she was ice cream jinxed, and we laughed, and laughed.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-220) Who, When, and Where Planning...

It's Friday, and once again the SMF's and the wives / kids; are going their separate ways.  This isn't an EVERY Friday night occurrence; but the SMF's do like to have their testosterone, movie nights  and the wives/kids often try to get together when they do so.

I know for sure that David and Mike K, will be joining Luis tonight; so Jenny and I were going to try and make some plans as well.  Jenny called me a little earlier to see if the guys had solidified their plans; but at that point none of them had even spoken to each other.  Then Jenny asked me what I was blogging about today; and when I gave my customary "I'm not sure response;" she suggested that I write a kinda "Who's on First" spin to how our husband's make their plans to go out.  I laughed and remarked that I thought it should be more of a "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" type of treatment; because their is such a significant difference in the way that men and women (at least those in our circle of friends,) make plans.

I thought that this was a clever idea; but wanted to be VERY careful not to write anything that would offend the men.  And, before proceeding, I will certainly concede that the way in which Luis and his friends make plans, is probably not typical of other men.  No, other men may be decisive, other men may be aware that when making plans all you really need to know is who's going, where you're going and when you're going.  This isn't always the case for the SMF's.  Usually the whole ball gets rolling because one wife has said to another, "My husband was thinking about going to the movies and was going to call your husband."  THEN, one of those wives will share this information with said husband and ultimately, a preliminary call will take place; where the following is said  "Would you like to go to the movies on Friday?"  The SMF that was the recipient of the call would respond "yes," and then there would be an agreement that one or both of them would call the other guys and then they would all talk again the next day.  Now just for giggles and grins I'll mention that this is regularly only a three to four man operation; but I digress.  So like I mentioned the other day, in my "Holy Shin Guard" post; I always prefer to get in, get out, quit messing about it.  So when the ladies make plans, we always get the who, what, where and when accomplished as quickly as possible.  For instance, Jenny and I might decide that we are going to go to Del Taco and then the park. We would then ask other friends if they'd like to join us; with the unspoken, understanding that they could suggest an alternate plan.  I have to laugh though, because it should be SO easy for the guys to make their arrangements since they ALWAYS do the same thing; they just haven't mastered how to talk to each other about it.

With all that being said; Luis and the SMF's are now enjoying their Ass Burrito, before heading to some guy movie; and Jenny, the kids and I are off to Culver's and the park.  In the long run; I would have to admit that the only thing that really matters is that everyone enjoys their evenings to the fullest; no matter how the plans were made.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-164) Rubber Bands & Common Sense

This week, I told a Lyndzi story, in "The Princess of Positivity," and a Kelsie story, in "What A Girl!" so last but not least; I DO have a Nicky story.  This was a tough week for Nicky.  On Tuesday he went to the Orthodontist and they put heavier wires on both his top and bottom teeth; and then, as if that wasn't enough to get used to; they gave him rubber bands as well.  The Orthodontist's assistant came out and explained everything to me; and then asked me to come back with her so that she could show me how to put the rubber bands in; if Nicky were to need some help.

I walked over to Nicky, who was still sitting in the Orthodontist's chair; and he looked like he was on the verge of tears.  Nicky was in pain from the heavier wires AND he was frustrated because he was having difficulty putting the rubber bands in.  I assured Nicky that he was going to be fine; and I told him that if he could figure out how to play all the video and computer games that he plays; he can figure out how to put the rubber bands in.  I told him to think of it like a game, as he tried to hook the rubber bands to the 3 brackets; and he rose to the occasion.

Nicky asked to stay home on Wednesday, because he was in so much pain; and I let him.  I totally remembered how miserable I used to feel after I would have my braces tightened, or wires replaced and the addition of rubber bands on top of it, just may have been to much to bear.  I gave Nicky Ibuprofen and bought him some mashed potatoes and a vanilla shake from Culver's and by the time the girls got home from school, Nicky was feeling a little better. 

With Nicky going back to school; I was concerned about him changing his rubber bands after lunch; but he told me that he managed; and I have to say that I am very impressed with how well he's adapted.  Nicky has yet to need my help putting the rubber bands in or taking them out; so maybe my suggestion to think of it as a game, was a good one.

Now, as if the braces adjustment wasn't enough of an inconvenience for one week; Nicky met with another.  On Wednesday night, I discovered that Nicky's Facebook account had been deactivated; and I didn't know why.  We decided that he should wait 24 hours before trying to log into his account, but even after the time elapsed, the account was still inaccessible.  We submitted an inquiry and were advised that they would email his account.  A little while later, Nicky asked Luis and I what the email meant; but as we hadn't read it, we couldn't explain.  Luis asked Nicky if he'd read it; but he hadn't, so Luis instructed him to do so.  Nicky went to go read the email, and when he returned, we asked what it said, but he had deleted it.  WHAT?  I couldn't figure out why in the world he'd delete the email before understanding it, or showing it to Luis and I; and I guess I should say, that not only did he delete it from his inbox; he permanently deleted it; so there was no way for Luis and I to see it and assist him.

Long story short, if I'm being perfectly honest, I suppose you could say that I chastised Nicky for deleting the email and after Nicky went up to bed; Luis called my attention to how hurtful what I said may have been to Nicky.  I went up to see Nicky, because the last thing that I would want to do is hurt him.  I explained that what he had done, showed no common sense; and that it was important to have common sense, because common sense can keep you out of trouble.  I told Nicky that you can have a 4.0, straight A's, and be the smarted person in the world; but without common sense; you could get hurt; both physically and emotionally; and I would hate to see that.
I reviewed what had transpired with the account, and explained why it would have been necessary for us to have seen the email.  Ultimately, I think Nicky understood; and by this morning we were able to re-activate his account.  It turns out, they suspected that it may be a "fake" account, and suggested that Nicky send more friend requests, put more status updates and send messages to friends; in order to be recognized as a genuine account.

I explained this to Nicky, and encouraged him to try and use Facebook more actively.  Now there's a twist.  Most parents of pre-teens probably don't have to prod their kids to use FACEBOOK; but then again, Nicky IS NOT most kids; and I am so grateful for that.  Nicky is a kind, thoughtful, sensitive, caring, young man.  He is hard working, diligent and wise; so when he doesn't use the good sense that he was given; I find it frustrating and disappointing.  I never want anything bad to happen to Nicky (or any of my children, ) but I have to insure that if something bad did happen; they wouldn't fall apart and they would be able to rely on their common sense to know how to handle the situation.

I know that sometimes, it may seem that I'm very strict; but the truth of the matter is; I lost both of my parents before they were done teaching me a lot of valuable lessons; so since we never know how much time we're going to have; I try not to miss an opportunity to teach my children something.    Nicky has learned some very important lessons this week, and I think that he'll be all the better for them.  He'll get there; I know he will!
Till Next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING