Over the weekend, we did some shopping.  We went to Dick’s Sporting Goods to look for some shoes, we went to Border’s to look for bargains and we went to Target to get some needed groceries/clothing.

In Target, however, NHL began to complain.  This wasn’t just a normal whine, though, it began to turn into yelling at me and being disobedient to make a point.  B took the shopping cart with JSL while NHL and I went to the car.  Actually, we first stopped outside the store in the hopes that I could get him to calm down.  When this didn’t work, we went to the car.

NHL wasn’t out of the woods, though.  During his scream-fest, I told him to calm down or else.  When he pushed the “else”, I told him that he wouldn’t get the book he had just bought from Borders.  He didn’t seem to care so I also took away the puzzle he had gotten.  This didn’t make a dent in his attitude so I brought out the big guns.  I told him he couldn’t play the Nintendo DS.

Now, *this* got a reaction.  I wrote about his Games Addiction last week and it is still very much in force.  NHL *loves* playing his DS.  If he had his way, he’d go through the entire day casting Lego Harry Potter spells.  So losing the DS for the weekend was a big hit.

At the car, NHL sat in silence.  When he was fully calmed down, we went back into Target.  We checked the registers and then walked all around the store, but, unfortunately, we couldn’t locate B and JSL.  Finally, we decided to wait for them at the car.  As we approached, I saw them waiting for them at the car for us.  Somehow, our paths had crossed without either of us noticing the other.

Later, I’d find out that B had tweeted about “losing” us.

This morning, NHL celebrated the ending of his DS exile with a rousing game of Lego Harry Potter.  It wasn’t long before he was triumphantly declaring that he had gotten past Snape and could make some Polyjuice Potion.

In case you haven’t heard, Father’s Day is coming.  Growing up, this meant buying my father a tie or similar piece of clothing.  (Techy gifts while I was growing up, either were beyond my monetary means or weren’t the kind of gift he was interested in.)  And while I appreciate a nice tie, my gift preferences usually skew towards the geeky side.  Sadly, though, we aren’t super wealthy.  I can’t afford to go out and buy every single piece of geeky

tech that makes me drool.  I need to prioritize and bargain shop and Walmart is always on my bargain shopping list.  Here, in no particular order, are some tech items that I’d love to get for Father’s Day.  All of these items were spotted during a recent stroll through our local Walmart.  They are also all available from Walmart’s Father’s Day electronics page or Walmart.com.

Video Games:

Playing video games is fun.  Playing video games with my boys is extremely fun.  NHL, while not a master, has learned how to operate the controls nicely.  JSL wants to work it right, but just can’t figure it out yet.  I think he just needs more practice.  Which means I need to play more video games with him.  Oh the never-ending chores us dads must undertake!

Roku

Yes, we already have two Roku players.  One in our living room and one in our bedroom.  Why do we need a third, you ask?  Well, our upstairs room (used by the boys as a play room) doesn’t have one.  In fact, since it only has basic cable TV (and a DVD player but the DVDs are kept downstairs), that TV would benefit greatly from a Roku player.  Plus, the boys could rock out with Pandora in the larger play room space.

iPad 2

Don’t ask me how we didn’t get a photo of this.  I drool over the thought of having an iPad to use.  Oh the web browsing I’d do.  The apps I’d download.  The Angry Birds I’d fling at green pigs.  Excuse me while I get my drool mop.

LCD Monitor

I recently inherited a desktop computer that my parents didn’t need anymore.  I want to set this up to be a print/file server, but I need a monitor.  I have two CRT monitors I could use but they are big, hulking affairs.  They work fine, but they take up so much desk space.  How much nicer would it be to have this slim number on the desk instead of the giant dinosaur?

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Dad Central Consulting on behalf of Walmart and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.