The Battle of All Time

Imagine a partial list of some of the coolest imaginary characters and creatures in a young boy's world:

Army Men
Secret Agents
Dragons
Ninjas
Samurai
Giants
Superheros
Cowboys
Robots
Alien creatures
Cyborgs
Mythical beasts
Vikings
Knights
Dinosaurs
Wizards
Pirates*

Now, imagine all of these (* except for Pirates, but that's another story) as playable figures in the ultimate board game for boys and dads. You don't have to imagine anymore, because right now on the shelf of your local Walmart, Target, or favorite game store there is a little slice of "plastic heaven" called Heroscape.

If you have never heard of this game you are missing out on a wonderful experience. If your idea of an evening of playing a family boardgame is another dull game of checkers or *cringe* Monopoly, then you are in for a treat should you pick this game up.

My boys and I have been involved in this game/hobby for a few years now: collecting the figures (it is "non-collectible" but we are completists, so we have all the figs), designing maps/scenarios, and playing as much as possible.

I highly recommend it as a great dad/son bonding experience and a darn fun game.

Find more info here:

Gamerdad.com : Heroscape Review

Official Heroscape Site

The All-Time Best (And Worst) TV Dads

I haven't had much time to add entries lately as I started a new job. So for the meantime I am trolling other blogs and posting cross-links to their content.

I've been wanting to link to the Art of Manliness blog for awhile, even though sometimes the content can be a little extreme for my tastes. Here's their take on TV dads:

The All-Time Best (And Worst) TV Dads

Cherish Your Children

Nice little article especially for Father's Day that reminds us to cherish every moment with our children:

After their baby died, Mike and Sara went through all measure of genetic testing to see if it would be okay for them to have another child. When everything checked out, they had a baby girl, Jenny. Then, a couple of years later, they were blessed with a second baby girl, Katie. These were glorious years for Mike and Sara. No doubt the loss of their first baby helped them to cherish their girls.

But then, one day, for no apparent reason, Jenny became seriously ill. Her parents rushed her to the hospital, but there was nothing the doctors could do to save her life. She died of unknown causes. The grief Mike and Sara felt was felt was overwhelming. To have lost one child was profoundly tragic. To have lost a second was almost unbearable.

Reflections on Fatherhood: Cherish Your Children