one hundred and eighteen

These awesome yogurt places keep popping up around here. First Pinkberry, then Orange Leaf and now Zinga are all just a quick drive away. And they are an oh-so-tempting destination after pretty much any kind of day!

In general, I like these places. They have yummy flavors for the omnivores among us and often there’s a dairy free option for me! There are your run of the mill, bad for you toppings, but there are also berries and kiwi for the fruit lovers (ahem, me).

I favor the yogurt shops that let you dispense your own yogurt over the ones that do it for you, but I am increasingly turned off by the fact that the smallest cup size they offer is practically a bucket. I mean, look at Esme up there- if we let her fill her cup she’d be eating her weight in froyo!

We, of course, don’t let her fill her cup, and neither do Peter or I. I often find myself cursing the marketing genius that came up with the idea for the megacup. Especially when policing two kids with their hands on the yogurt machine handle. But, you know, it has turned into a good opportunity to talk about and model self control.

None of us needs a trough of yogurt to load with toppings. None of us needs to add each and every topping available. We can make the choice to take a small amount and a few select add ons to make it a treat…and it will cost less, too. It hasn’t been without some whining or grumping, but I do think the message is getting through.

As an added bonus, we’ve had some good discussions about why the cups are the size they are and why (and how) the chains try to trick us into taking more than we think we are. It’s a clever business model, but, by gum, my girls are not going to fall into their (delicious, yogurt filled) trap!

*as I overheard another Mom describe it, and may or may not have used the term myself.