Nintendo DS

As a congrats gift for Paul earning his MCSE, my parents bought him a Nintendo DS. If you've ever played on one of these little hand-held systems, you'll know how addictive they can be. We sometimes go to my parents' house and play games with a group of people since you can compete against each other wirelessly.

So, these games are sometimes games of speed, and sometimes they're just games of creativity. Of course, they're all supposed to exercise your brain. No matter what kind of game it is, it is a BLAST to play with a group of people. (Okay, maybe not any group, but definitely my family.)

Until now Paul and I have had to beg/borrow one when we get together, because we didn't have any. Fortunately there have been plenty to borrow from, because we have several in the family: my mom, two sisters, a bro-in-law, my brother (who has 2), and four nieces and nephews all have one. My parents felt Paul deserved to have his own for doing so great on his exams, and he's enjoying it tremendously.

Only problem he has with it thus far is that he has to share with me. Maybe we'll end up like my friend Julie's family ... Her daughter bought one with her own money. When Julie caught her playing it after bedtime, she confiscated it and started playing it herself. She enjoyed it so much that her husband bought her one for Mother's Day. Then she bought him one for Father's Day. Pretty soon all the kids got one, too. My kids would LOVE that! Tyler asked for one for his birthday or Christmas even before Paul got his. I didn't even realize he knew what they are called! In any case, it's too bad our tax return went to Paul's MCSE class. Wouldn't family fun be way better than getting more qualifications for a better job? ;)

In any case, Paul is loving a little relaxation/brain exercises and is even pretty good about sharing ... most of the time ... :)