Review on Yo Johnny Frozen Yogurt! in Watertown, NY

I really deserve to be on the naughty list this season.  I can't remember the last time I put on my running shoes and worked up a sweat.  My diet selections deserve to be on the naughtiest of all naughty lists.  Seriously though, why does it have to taste so good?  Why can't apples taste like chocolate chip cookies?

I swear December 26th, 2012 I am going for a run.  Get ready treadmill. 

Since I am already on a bad girl spree, I figured out it was a GREAT time to check out Yo Johnny Frozen Yogurt! in Watertown, NY.  It's a new frozen yogurt bar owned and operated by a radio personality.  After seeing many mouth watering pictures of frozen yumminess on Facebook, I decided it was time I let my taste buds be the judge.  A huge Coldstone Creamery fan, they had high expectations to meet.

I walked up in somewhat dismay to realize it was in the same location Teriyaki Experience used to be.  They must have closed.  Frown face....I really liked it there.  Okay, back to frozen yumminess.  My first impression was pleasant based on the decor and atmosphere.  It was fun with bright colors...hot pink, lime green, shiny silver.  A white Christmas tree with multicolored, vibrant ornaments is in the foyer between the exterior door and entrance to the restaurant.  Several smaller silver tables with modern, bright colored chairs are in the front of the joint for those who choose to stay to munch on their concoctions. 

A pleasant young lady must have sensed my unfamiliarity with the layout because she guided me to the back on the restaurant where the bowls are kept.  And then the line of frozen yogurt machines.  I expected chocolate and vanilla frozen yogurt.  Not the case.  Apple pie, Tahitian Vanilla, Oreos Cookie and Cream, Peanut Butter, oh my.  It went on and on.  A few flavors were out of order, but some kinks are to be expected during grand openings. 

Once you make the difficult decision of which flavor yogurt you desire, you move on to the toppings bar.  You name it, they have it.  Even bacon.  Yup, bacon on frozen yogurt.  No I did not try it.  I was buying for the entire family so I really focused on the fresh fruit toppings as my kids are fresh fruit vacuums.  Kiwi, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, cantalope, pineapple and even these little bead shaped toppings called Bursting Boba.  I have to try that next time.  Syrups are at the end!

Checkout consists of weighing your frozen yogurt masterpiece.  50 cents an ounce.  It's that simple! 

It was far better than expected.  I really expected like a strong yogurt taste but it was really creamy and soft ice cream like.  My husband seconds that opinion.  The toppings were fresh and plentiful (over 50 different toppings to choose from).  I love that you serve yourself.  Four bowls of frozen yogurt loaded with toppings all for $20.00.  I didn't think that was a bad price at all. 

The staff was very friendly and helpful.  It was very clean and tidy and organized once I realized what the flow of the line was.  The modern decor is hip and inviting but also very family friendly.  It will be great to sit in the bright Adirondack chairs that line the exterior of the building with my family this summer for a sweet treat. 

Gift cards are available (great Christmas gifts).  Free Wi-Fi.  Open 10am - 10pm Monday through Saturday and 10am - 7pm on Sundays. 

We all agreed it was delish.  I like the fact that they have options for when I am behaving diet and exercise wise to keep me off the naughty list!  You control the portions and there are plenty of healthy options so you can decide whether you are being naughty or nice!  We will be return customers without a doubt! 

**Picture was taken by my brother in law...I was too interested in consuming my frozen yogurt to remember to snap a pic of it first.  Priorities, ya know!!**

Believe!

Madison lost her first tooth this morning.  Like literally lost it.  Seriously, I can’t make this stuff up.  The first loose tooth is a big deal in the world of Parenthood.  It comes with all different emotions.  Excitement for the child for experiencing the Tooth Fairy.  Heartache as you realize it is just another sign of the passing years, of the child no longer being a baby.  Loose tooth today, driving and dating a pierced, tattooed peer tomorrow.  Sigh.

So you can imagine the panic I felt at realizing the first tooth had been lost.  I drive the girls to school every morning.  We have our routine.  Elementary school first, in line with all the rest of the parents dropping off their precious bundles of joy.  Waiting until the child makes it to the safety of the aid who opens the door for them.  The line was long today.  She hopped out, further back in the line then I liked and ran up the sidewalk coming to a screeching halt halfway up.  She turned and ran back to the car and I knew what she was returning for.  The Kissing Hands. 

I plant a kiss on the palm of both her hands, she plants a kiss on the palm of both my hands and then we kiss on the lips.  Every morning.  If you do not know the significance behind the kissing hands you need to look up the book and get it to read to your little ones.  Such a great story.  https://www.google.com/#q=The+Kissing+Hand+book&hl=en&tbo=u&source=univ&tbm=shop&sa=X&ei=eETLUPH9FY-29gSc6oBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEsQsxg&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=11d5ec86076e28e2&bpcl=39967673&biw=1152&bih=696

So after the kissing hand ritual, I noticed she was touching her mouth.  My first thought was she was wiping my kiss from her mouth as the stinker likes to do sometimes.  She turned and looked at me and matter of factly said, “I lost my tooth.”  Open door for flood of emotions once that sentence sunk in.  Excitement for her, heart wrenching for me, anxiety for the Tooth Fairy who will now have to keep her eyes open long enough to perform the duties.  Then she said the words, “I am not sure where it fell, it’s gone though.”  WHAT?!! 

As she took off, the horror set in knowing that her tooth was now in limbo.  My baby’s first lost tooth, I could not stand the thought of it just being lost on the school sidewalk, stepped on by many kids and teachers and mixed in with dirt and pebbles.  So I did what any mother would do.  I pulled into a parking spot and convinced my teenager to help me find the itty bitty tooth. 

Full line of parents dropping off children.  Several hundred feet of sidewalk.  Lots of dirt and pebbles.  My daughter and I on our hands and knees searching for the lost tooth.  Picture it.  Oh the situations we get into for our children. 

End of story is that the tooth was found.  A piece of my baby girl’s childhood in my hand.  To be placed under her pillow where she will lay her head tonight and the Tooth Fairy will fly in and exchange the tooth for some money and fly away leaving the magic of childhood and fantasy behind.  And I now have a memory to hang on to with a little smile and a lot of love.  The story of the first lost lost-tooth.

On a side note, I have a hard time with religion but there are many moments in life that I have to really wonder if a higher power is not at work.  It seems financially especially, when things are tight and I am wondering how everything will come together and then there is a sudden chain of events like a few bills that are unexpectedly less than what was budgeted or news of unexpected yet appreciated gifts of money at times it is needed most that really make me wonder if the word Believe doesn’t have more meaning than what we give it face value for.  For those who question the meaning of Christmas, maybe it is to renew spirit in believing in things we don’t see or understand.  Believing in miracles and that we are not meant to understand everything in life but that Faith means knowing with your heart Everything that happens is meant to be and that it will all work out in the end.  Take no moment, no matter how small for granted because no moment in life is meaningless.  Open your eyes and heart to all possibilities for those who are blind and closed will miss so much beauty and magic in life. 

I am truly grateful for my curious and open mind and heart that looks beyond the ordinary to see the extraordinary in everything and everyone.  Creativity and imagination should not end with childhood, it should always exist.  Thanks to a chain of events throughout the past year, just know that I am starting to BELIEVE with my heart and my mind.  I can not explain some things that have happened, other to know that there is a bigger power at work.  May it be angels, may it be Him, may it be Santa or the tooth fairy or just how life is meant to be work out, there is something bigger than us out there.  So this holiday season and beyond just celebrate what is in front of you and beyond you.  That is the meaning of Christmas.  Nothing and no one in life is truly lost.  It can be found in the craziest places if you open your eyes and look for it.  Whether it be a tooth or faith or meanings.  It’s there.  Just believe.  Merry Christmas to all and to all a GREAT night!

The Blogging Queen and her Huntsman

Today is December 11th, do you know what that means?  I mean aside from the fact Christmas is two weeks away?  It means hunting season is over with, hallelujah! 

Yes, sad but true I am a hunting season widow.  From the months of mid October to early December my husband generally assumes that I have no life and am able to take on being a single mom for a few months so he can tip toe around the woods in camo and face makeup. 

I would like to pause and take a second to assure all my readers that I in fact do have a life during this time period and that I do not understand the thrill of the hunt.  Therefore, I could care less if he decided to take up another hobby...like house cleaning.

I am sure the pursuit of a defenseless animal who causes no harm to mankind and is just trying to avoid humans and go about living a peaceful life in the woods is exciting.  Waking up before dawn even breaks to put on eleven layers of clothing to walk a mile back into the woods, climb up a tree and perch in absolute silence until an unassuming animal falls within your scope sounds like a GREAT time to me.  I totally would love to give up sleeping in, laying in my warm bed and checking my Facebook to see who put up embarrassing drunken statuses the night before in order to go out to hunt.  NOT!

I get grossed out looking at a local website's feature called Deer of the Day.  It features pictures of proud hunters who boast about their kill by posing with the dead animal as they grip the massive antlers to heave the dead head up to pose for the picture.  If that dead animal was a human, you would be considered insane.  So morbid.  I am sure that hunter has tapped into some sort of primal feeling of being alpha dog over another creature, but where does the joy of the kill end?  Okay to kill a fly, a snake, a crow, a pig, a deer but not okay to just slaughter a dog or another human?  Who makes up these rules? 

There is a bunch of hunting rites that I personally view as psychopathic tendencies.  Like eating the heart.  Oh yeah, that whole rite caused a HUGE fight in my home Thanksgiving morning.  He used my pot to boil it, it smelled nasty and I truly believe you have to have a screw loose to get giddy over boiling a heart to be pickled.  And all this comes after GUTTING the deer.  Slicing it open, draining the blood, removing vital organs, all elbow deep in blood....  Disgusting doesn't even begin to explain my thoughts on that. 

How do I explain to my daughter why one of Santa's reindeer's head is mounted on our wall?  By the way, at five she already has her lifetime hunting license. 

I admit I used to eat venison without a second thought.  There is some satisfaction and joy in knowing that our freezer is full of meat.  However when eating venison stir fry one night a few years ago I happened to have just one piece of deer hair in my food.  And I lost it.  I can't get past that moment in time where I could not look at the fork about to be placed in mouth and deny that it was Bambi.  I am definitely someone who can't overthink what it is that I am eating. 

And then he watches this channel dedicated to only hunting.  24 hours, 7 days a week of hunting tips, hunting expeditions.  A man crouched in a tree whispering into a microphone, "I'm in these here woods, 24 miles north of where I was yesterday.  I have heard rumors of a 10 point deer up in these here neck of the woods.  Shh...I hear something.  Here comes a deer.  I am raising my gun up to my shoulder.  I am looking through the scope.  I am going to pull the trigger when the deer is in my crosshairs.  Dang, it's only a doe.  Tune in tomorrow when I do the same exact thing."  The whole thing whispered. 

I try to be supportive.  I really do.  After Christmas I will be remodeling our bedroom with an outdoorsy/hunting lodge feel.  I said, "Yay" when he shot a deer Thanksgiving morning (before I realized he intended to boil a deer heart on my stovetop).  But it takes some energy to muster that support, probably the same energy he musters for my blogging, couponing and deal seeking hobby.  It causes some fights....it is not understood by the other...as long as it doesn't interrupt our lives we don't complain...but when it's not in full force, it is pleasing.

I just want to apologize in advance to everyone that Santa will probably be running a little behind this year seeing how my husband killed one of his antlered friends.  I seriously hope Santa takes the coal he is bringing for my hubby and shoves it into the chamber of his gun.  Maybe sets all his hunting gear on fire by splashing milk on it and rubbing cookies together to get a spark.  Or take all the deer back to the North Pole.  Other than that I am very supportive of my husband's hunting hobby....From the end of December until beginning of October that is....