Fun Kid Games - Unique Kids Trouble Games

It seems that lately my son has been getting a lot of Trouble games for his birthday and Christmas.  It's actually pretty cool as Trouble is made today with characters from shows and movies.  Here is a list of some that he has received recently of the unique kids Trouble games.

Trouble R2-D2 is in Trouble - This game is very cool as it makes R2-D2 sounds as you go around the board.  Not very sturdy, but it is a lot of fun, especially if you like Star Wars.

Cars 2 Trouble Game - Cars is one of the most popular movie franchises out there right now, and with this fun kids game the players can pretend that they are zooming around the racetrack as Lightning McQueen.  The popper is sitting on top of Mater which adds to the fun.

Dinosaur Train Pop N Race Game - My son is a huge fan of Dinosaur Train and he loves this game.  It has a unique twist in that one of the pieces is larger than the others, and it must be the first token in the Home area.  This creates more strategy and more frustration.  But overall, this is a great game that he does not ever want to put away.

If you are a fan of Trouble, and you are looking for unique kids Trouble games, these are some great ones to go for.  There are many others available, so take a look around and see if you can find one that you like better.  Either way, make sure to have fun, and enjoy the time with your kids.

iPhone Speaker Systems - 3 of My Favorites

With the advent of the iPhone came great alarm clocks and iPhone speaker systems.  We have several in our house and they do a great job of playing quality music.  Here are my three favorite.

Bose SoundDock Series II - Quite simply the best sounding speaker I have heard (at least from one this small).  It is just the right size.  Small enough to blend in with your home's decor but still produces great sound.  It is also easy to use as you just have to plug it in, turn on iTunes and let it do its job.

RCA RC65i - The alarm clock that I use to wake up.  We don't use the dual alarm feature, but you can set two alarms so that two people can wake up at separate times.

Philips DC315/37 - The alarm clock that my wife uses.  She got it as a gift and really enjoys it.  It produces great sound and the alarm feature works great.  This iPhone speaker system and alarm clock has a weekday/weekend alarm feature that allows you to set different alarms for different days of the week.  No more waking up at 6:00 am. 

There are plenty of alarm clocks out there, and plenty of ways to listen to your music on a great iPhone speaker system.  However, these are three that I have used that I really like.  They can all be found anywhere electronics are sold, but can also be found online.  Hopefully you or the person you get them for enjoys them as much as we have.

Great Windshield Sun Shades

As we enter the final weeks of the hell that has been the North Texas summer of 2011 I've done some research into the best available windshield sun shades available from Amazon.  These all get great reviews and none of them are all that expensive.

The Two Best Baseball Stadiums I Have Seen

I have been fortunate to watch Major League Baseball games at some of the best stadiums in the league.  In 2003 I saw a game at old Yankee Stadium.  It was neat to be there, and all the fans were into it, but they definitely needed a new stadium.

The two best stadiums I have been to are:

Fenway Park

Fenway Park is baseball the way it should be played.  There is nothing like it.  When I witnessed a game there, the weather was cold and drizzly, but that did not hamper the fans from acting like the greatest fans in the world.  Fenway is in a league of its own.

Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field is the second best stadium I have seen.  The game I went to was the perfect Wrigley day.  It was 80 degrees and bright sunshine.  Also, the Cubs won in the last at bat.  I sat there and couldn't believe I was looking at the bleachers and ivy and singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame.  Just a great, great experience.

In both instances I was able to get good seats for reasonable prices from Stubhub.  That's a great way to find seats at out-of-town stadiums. 

I would really like to see a game in San Francisco next.  And the stadium in Minnesota looks really neat too.  I'll work on it.

Experiences with Thomas the Train Railway Sets

I'm going to take a break from the usual discussion on this blog to discuss something my son has been playing with for the entire day: his Thomas the Tank Engine Train Sets.  He has three that he likes to play with.


Thomas' Busy Day
Sir Topham Hat - Wooden Figure 8 Set
Thomas and Friends: Zip, Zoom, and Logging Adventure

I have no idea what it is about this silly train, but my 3-year old is mesmerized by it.  The tv show is pretty boring and the characters always seem to be in bad moods. But come to think of it, my son hardly ever watches the show anyway. 

I guess he just has a fascination with trains just like a lot of us did.  I still remember my first train.  It was a Sesame Street train with an orange track.  I'll bet my mom still has it in her attic somewhere.  I still sometimes find myself counting train cars as they pass a crossing.

Either way, I'm glad my son enjoys his Thomas the Train toys even if I don't understand it.

Great Summer Vacations

Since my wife and I got married we have been very fortunate to take some great summer vacations.  We have had a lot of fun during these trips, sometimes with friends, sometimes with kids, sometimes with both, and sometimes with neither.  After the jump are some of my favorite with a little description of each.

How I Got Into Employee Benefits

I might as well describe why Benefits is part of the title of this blog.