Celebrate National Ice Cream Day With #TCBYGrocery #CBias

It is hot in Chicago.  And humid.  So what do we do to keep cool (and sane) during the summer?  My friends and I spend as much time in the pool as possible, both the community pool where we belong and at the pools friends own.  I just found out about National Ice Cream Day (yep, seriously) on the third Sunday in July each year.  That's this Sunday, July 15, so  you still have time to get your ice cream to celebrate.

My friends and I held a little pool party with #TCBYGrocery frozen yogurt a little early to ensure we managed to take part in this holiday thanks to #CBias.  Since my family is out of town on an RV trip and left me by myself, we decided to make this a party just for a the adults.  Or we tried, anyway.

My first step was to pick up some of the TCBY frozen novelties.  I've had them before, and I absolutely adore the orange and vanilla bars.  It took me a little doing, but I managed to find some.  You can read all about my shopping trip at Walmart via Google+, but I'll admit here and now that those three boxes of the orange and vanilla bars weren't all for my friends.  I only shared one box with them.  The other two are purely for me!

And yes, I actually went to two different WalMarts to get to my frozen yogurt.  Not every Walmart carries the TCBY frozen yogurt, and I learned the hard way that not every Walmart carries the same varieties of frozen novelties.  Fortunately, I found which location near me sells my favorite kind, although I'm going to have a little chat with the other Walmart manager to see if they can start carrying the orange and vanilla bars, too!

Once I was all set, I headed over to my friend's house.  She loved the idea of an adults only pool party.  When we head over there, it's usually for a playdate with kids.  She and I (and other friends) may sit near the pool, but our conversations are short and scattered.  We're focused on our children and what they're doing in the pool, trying to keep them safe and from annoying the other children.  It's not restful or relaxing.

And spending the day at the pool should be relaxing.  Doesn't just looking at this view lower your blood pressure?

My friend Maria invited our friend Johna to join us.  The three of us all have special needs children, so it seems like we're always on.  If anyone needs a break, it's us, right?  So we took a break from the work, and before the pool party got started, we enlisted a pool boy to do the work of prepping the pool.  Tell me this isn't the cutest pool boy you've ever seen!

This party to celebrate National Ice Cream Day was designed to be all about us.  We used a tablecloth, something we never do when there are children involved.  And we brought out the wine.

We spent the afternoon chatting and giggling, like we used to before kids.

Sitting by the pool, dangling our feet in the water just isn't enough when it's truly hot in Chicago.  Our heat index is up near 100 again, and it's miserable.  We need to stay cool inside and out.  As lovely as the water was, it just wasn't quite enough.

We drank some wine, and when we got hot... we brought out the TCBY frozen yogurt.

We had plenty to choose from, and interestingly, each of us chose something different.  Johna had the chocolate fudge bar.  She's the chocolate lover in the group.  Maria tried out the orange and vanilla bar on my recommendation.  And I had an ice cream sandwich.  It's amazing how frozen yogurt novelties brings out the child in us.  We haven't laughed this much or felt this relaxed in I can't tell you how long.

Maria agreed with me that the orange and vanilla bar was amazing.  It tastes just like a dreamsicle, but it has far fewer calories.  110 calories is the kind of treat we like.  It's creamy and orange-y and In fact, when I left Maria's house, she begged me to leave some treats behind.  I graciously agreed because well I had my own stash back at home, remember?

And yes, there was plenty of teasing involved.  I was told that apparently I was trying to "class up the joint" because I am unable to eat my ice cream without my pinky raised - just as if I were having tea with the Queen of England.  I had no idea until they took this picture and gave me the photographic proof.  It looks like I'm just that kind of gal.  Errr lady.

We had a blast.  We don't do this often because we forget that we have lives outside our children, too.  This was a good reminder, and we have vowed to do it more often.  And the ice cream?  It's a bonus that we're going to include.  All our children have various dietary restrictions, though I'm lucky to have the fewest issues, so we don't eat like this often.  The next time we get together, we're making sure we have more.  In fact, I think those waffle bowls and the English Toffee Crunch with this whipped cream we didn't eat yesterday has been requested for the next party.  Well, if there's any left, that is!

Want to chat about #TCBYGrocery and possibly win some prizes?  There's a Twitter chat on Thursday, July 26 from 1-2pm EST.  Join in!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and TCBY, and all opinions remain my own. #CBias #SocialFabric #TCBYGrocery