Tag Archives: froyo

Observations About Sloan’s First Froyo Experience

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For months now, Sloan has asked if we could stop at a froyo place we pass every day after school. Yesterday, it just so happened that the Memorial Day holiday combined with the hot temperatures proved to be the perfect time to go. So, Sloan and Beau hopped in my car and we drove to Froyo Earth in the Spokane Valley.

Most of you probably didn’t know that about a decade ago I was a froyo connoisseur. Although I am no longer an expert on the frozen yogurt scene, you probably aren’t surprised that I have some observations from yesterday’s experience…

Yesterday, we visited the Froyo Earth location in the Spokane Valley.

Kids choose weird flavors. Sloan opted for the dynamic and agreeable froyo combination of cake batter and watermelon sorbet.

Kids choose even weirder toppings. To go on top of her exquisitely paired flavors, she chose peach sugar rings, boba pearls, and marshmallows.

Sloan putting peach rings on her froyo.

Fun and games. It was something along the lines of “Monday Guess Day” where you could guess the weight of your froyo at the scale. Those who correctly guessed to the nearest ounce received their treat for free. My estimate was seven ounces over.

Pricey. Sloan and I each grabbed the smallest cup and filled it with a modest amount of ice cream but the bill was still more than $12.

But what about Beau? Our 3-year-old was so exhausted with our day that included stops at three parks and water toy fun in our backyard that he slept in my arms the entire time we were in Froyo Earth.

You Gotta Be Kidding. A month after I wrote my passionate post about the absurdity of current tip culture, I was flipped a tip screen for our $12 bill…at a froyo shop. Yes, the froyo shop where I did everything myself to help a giddy 6-year-old girl fill her cup while I tried to fill my own at the same time that I held a toddler in my arm.

Almost worth it. Hats off to Froyo Earth, our frozen yogurt was delicious. Texture was on-point, the flavor was strong, and the toppings fresh. But for $12 should I have expected anything less?

On second thought… Maybe I am being too much of a scrooge. The visit was in fact worth it because Sloan was on the moon. She loved her froyo as she ate every bite with a smile while constantly saying, “This is the best day ever!”

Sloan had such a cool time at Froyo Earth that it made the price and tip solicitation worth it.

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I had the urge to go through the yogurt line again but thankfully self-control and financial responsibility won out. Through the positives and negatives of the experience, the ultimate silver lining was that Sloan had a special time. Don’t Blink.

Worms In Dirt Thursday Rundown

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Good evening, my highly esteemed readers! As we close out September tomorrow, let me give you some of the final joy you will receive this month with my Thursday Rundown…

Best September – There is no place in this country that can hold a candle to the perfect weather we had in Spokane this month. Perhaps it was Mother Nature’s way of throwing us a bone after a delayed start to summer, but the weather we have enjoyed in September has been nothing short of spectacular. The mix of warmth, slight briskness, and zero humidity all contributed to many beautiful days and prime “eating outside” weather. Just this past Sunday we celebrated my brother’s birthday on my parents’ back deck and it was glorious. Hey October, feel free to pick up where September left off.

All smiles this past weekend as we celebrated my brother’s birthday on the back deck of my parents.

Worms in Dirt – At the beginning of the month, I shared an animal cookie donut that Sloan devoured from Casual Friday Donuts. I thought it made sense to share a different type of donut she ate at the end of the month. After good behavior at mass, she once again had the chance to pick a treat from behind the Casual Friday Donut glass and she chose the “Worms in Dirt” donut. The play on the popular children’s dessert-themed donut garnered the same rave review that the animal cookie one did.

Sloan holding her “worms in dirt” donut from Casual Friday Donuts.

Froyo Flashback – Back in the infancy of my blog, I used it as an excuse to do a lot of unhealthy things. Case in point: On this date nine years ago, I chronicled my Spokane froyo tour. During the peak of the froyo craze, I visited three froyo shops during a weekend visit from Missoula. In the same vein as area coffee stands that I wrote about yesterday, the froyo joints were all essentially similar but did have a couple attributes of distinction. You can read my froyo post from Sept. 29, 2013, by clicking here.

A photo of me at Froyo Earth in Spokane during my froyo tour of the city in September 2013.

First Ever Top Ten – I was a fan of David Letterman when he had his late night show. Heck, I even went to a taping of it when I visited New York. I always enjoyed his top ten lists and even had a book that featured a compilation of them. This month marks the 37th anniversary of when Letterman presented his first ever top ten list. I saw that original list on Twitter and I found it be very….um…unfunny? #SorryNotSorry.

Am I missing something?

What Happened? – Blame it on me. I jinxed it. Earlier this month, I wrote with jubilation about gas prices going down. Well, I went to bed last night and when I woke up this morning I swear prices jumped 50 cents per gallon. And don’t tell me Hurricane Ian is responsible. I hope they go back down as quickly as they went up.

Gas jumped to $4.79 this morning at the station closest to my house. What happened?!

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September was awesome but I am a big fan of October for many reasons…including one that entails cake. Have a safe and relaxing weekend. Don’t Blink.

My Spokane Froyo Tour

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During my packed weekend in Spokane hanging out with my family and watching football I decided to squeeze another endeavor into my busy schedule. I toured froyo shops in the city. Yep, I sure did. Even though the weather was rainy, windy, and cold I decided to prolong my denial that summer is over and I indulged. On Saturday I visited one froyo location and today I visited two. After froyoing it up all weekend long, I learned one pretty important thing about these types of shops…

They are pretty much all the same.

I guess I had the fantasy that each location would have their own unique twist on the rapidly growing froyo self serve yogurt concept but I was disappointed. My thought that maybe each little shop nestled in random strip malls would have a different personality with different flavors and with different toppings was unfounded. After reviewing both froyo self-serve places in Missoula (YoWaffle and U-Swirl) I saw some unique traits in both and kind of assumed that all other locations would also have cool quirks about them too but after my three stop tour this weekend I know this not to be the case.

Not to say that all three places I frequented this weekend were exact replicas of each other. They all had something that kind of made them stand apart but not to the degree that one would think. For stepping foot into three different, local, and independent businesses I just expected to see more diversity among them. Rather, I saw the same prices, same flavors, same toppings, and same setup. Of course if each business is making bank why should they care that someone like me wants to see noticeable differences from place to place? They shouldn’t.

Here are some photos and a personal description of each froyo place I frequented this weekend (listed in the order I visited them):

FroYo Earth (829 Boone Avenue)

Myself at Froyo Earth

Myself at Froyo Earth

My first stop took me to the Gonzaga district to try out Froyo Earth. The place was very spacious and clean, although the spacious part probably had a lot to do with the fact that my mom and I were the only ones inside. Who knows though, maybe everyone else was upstairs because they did a second level with additional seating. I got a cup with peanut butter and cake batter yogurt. I put Cap’n Crunch and Reese’s candy on it and topped it with peanut butter sauce. The lighting was the worst here out of the three locations but the yogurt was pretty decent.

Did’s Pizza & Froyo (5406 N. Division Street)

 

Myself at Did's Froyo and Pizza

Myself at Did’s Froyo and Pizza

Today I stopped at Did’s Pizza & Froyo right in the middle of Division Street where all of the Chinese restaurants are located. This place was made for all of us who like unhealthy, fun food. Besides froyo they also have pizza, shaved ice, teriyaki, smoothies, bubble tea, and beer! It is pretty cool inside with an island theme, televisions, and an arcade. I got a cup with three different flavors: candy bar smash, cupcake, and peanut butter. I topped it with peanut butter candy chips, Snickers pieces, and a piece of brownie. The yogurt at this location definitely stood out to me as the best. My brother tried a slice of the pizza and said it was okay. With different food, entertainment, and seating options, this is a good place to take a young family.

Go Froyo (6704 N. Nevada Street)

Myself at Go Froyo.

Myself at Go Froyo.

My froyo tour ended just a couple hours ago with a quick visit to Go Froyo on Nevada Street. This was the smallest shop I went to but it was brightly lit, they had cool red couches to sit on, and the girl working behind the counter was very friendly and cute. I got a cup and tried their cake batter and New York cheesecake flavors. I topped it with oreo cookies, Reese’s candy, and peanut butter sauce. My dad and I sat on one of the red couches and watched the end of the Denver-Philadelphia NFL game. Unfortunately, the best was not saved for last. Go Froyo probably had my least favorite tasting yogurt. My New York cheesecake tasted nothing like cheesecake…obviously flavors had somehow been mixed and the consistency was off. But that is probably what I deserve for deciding to eat frozen yogurt three times in less than 24 hours, right?

I will keep trying to think up silly, health destroying ideas to do during my coveted free weekends. I enjoyed making the rounds on Spokane’s froyo circuit and I thank my mom, brother, and dad for joining me at each of the stops and taking the embarrassing photos of me holding my froyo. I still think I prefer YoWaffle. Don’t Blink.