BenSpark Family Adventures

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02364 I went for an early walk along Great Bay today. I had last night off but have to work in the office tonight so I wanted to get home early so that I could sleep. I took Andy with me because we were all headed home. Eva went with Tara and Erik because they were bringing her to the bank for a new checking account. They set up all that she needs for her accounts. Allison went and picked Eva up from the bank and then went to the Farmer’s Market with Eva to pick up a few things. We all vegged out in our respective spaces when we got home. A couple of days to recharge before going back down to the Cape. The kids have always needed a couple of days to just be back in their own spaces doing their own things each Summer. When I got home I removed the protective screen on the garden. My zucchini plants are growing HUGE. They have started to bend because they were pressing into the screen. We’re even starting to get some blossoms on the plant. On the walk this morning the w...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02301 I’ve had some great success in buying entertaining books off of Tik Tok from the authors. I’m finishing up three books from S.L. Rowland and I have enjoyed them very much. This book is my newest acquisition is a modern retelling of the King Arthur legend with Queen Guinevere as the main character. The author did a Tik Tok video explaining who she thought would play her main characters and that actually sold it for me. That and the fact that I love King Arthur related books.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02215 I found a new author on Tik Tok named S. L. Rowland. I while back I bought one of his books, Path to Villainy. I enjoyed it and then looked at his other books. I picked up Cursed Cocktails and Sword and Thistle. These books came signed and also came with bookmarks, stickers and postcards. It was a nice addition to the books. I am looking forward to reading them both. If I like those then he has another set of books I may pick up.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02203 Before the Tik Tok shutdown I ordered a book from one of the authors on there. The story is about a NPC (Non-Player Character) who becomes self aware and remembers all the awful things that the heroes have done to them in the game. So then they decide to get their revenge. So far it is an interesting read and I may pick up some other books from this same author. He has a couple of other series that look interesting.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02095 I went in search of the vending machines at work because I was looking for a snack. Apparently the vending machines are being removed from the building. There are two of them gone so far and only one left. In the space where one of them there is now a bookcase. There had been a small section on a counter that was being used for the books. It is a little lending library that someone here created. They even went out to get some little stickers and made bookmarks for people. I wonder why they got rid of the vending machines.

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02038 Today I went to An Unlikely Story to meet up with an old friend. They did not show but I was also there to pick up some Last Kids on Earth books. I’ve been rereading the series and I realize that I did not have a couple of the books. I got those at the store and have been tearing through each book in a day or so. I’m hoping to finish them up next week. Also in the photo is a couple pairs of shoes and some sweatpants. I’m working on my costume for Granite State Comic Con. I’ll be Peter B. Parker and Eav is going to be a teenage Mayday Parker. I’m looking forward to our time on the trip. I’m also growing my hair and my beard for the costume. I’ll trim everything up when the time comes, though. I’m still waiting on one more piece of my costume. Should be a fun time.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01958 I recently l listened to the seven books of the Explorer Academy series by Trudi Trueit. I had reviewed all those books at they came out and I really enjoyed the series. Relistening made me remember that there was going to be a second series focusing on another explorer, Sailor York. I’m interested to see where this series goes and if there will be a third series. I just started reading the book and so far it is fun.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01886 Today was book fair at Andy’s school. Andy picked up three books including a cookie cookbook. On the same day Eva had her friend Steven over and they made chocolate chip cookies together. Eva had mentioned that she wanted to make cookies today and I requested chocolate chip ones because all through the winter I’ve wanted chocolate chip cookies and kept waking up to Swiss chocolate squares, which are not my favorite. So, got my chocolate chip cookies and they were great. I took Andy to rock climbing and it was the second to last session and the instructor would not be there next week so she gave the kids their certificates this week. Andy earned the Best Dynamic Climber superlative. that makes sense. Rock Climbing is something that Andy loves so much and each time they go to class they push themselves harder and harder. Andy is always up for a rock climbing challenge.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01722 Today I took my old laptop and repurposed it for Andy. Andy loves playing Minecraft and has recently gotten back into playing it via computer. However, we have one family computer and that is used mostly by Allison while she does work for school. I basically took off everything that would be bogging the computer down and installed Minecraft so that Andy could use it. this way there is a dedicated device that Andy can use to play their favorite game. It may be a little slower than the other computer but it still runs pretty well to play that game. The book is the newest Bruce book. Andy loves the Bruce books and asked that we pick this up the other night when we were with Uncle Jim at Target. I haven’t had any free Bruce books sent to me in a while so we bought this one to continue the series. It may be a children’s book and Andy si definitely aged out of them but they still enjoy these funny stories.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01693 I got my copy of Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair in the mail today. I’ve been following the author, Mercury Stardust on Tik Tok for some time now and I really enjoy her content and wanted to support her first book. While I don’t really need a book like this it is rather helpful to have on hand for some of the little things around the house that may need fixing. There are some really good tips in here. I hope that the book does well and that she stays safe and sound on her book tour.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01603 We received a free review copy of Jim Benton’s Fann Club: Batman Squad. Opinions are our own. I’ve been a fan of Jim Benton’s humor for a long time now. I’ve had the privilege of interviewing him via Zoom and meeting him in person at a couple of comic book conventions over the years. The guy has an incredible sense of humor and he can use that for both kids and adults. Jim works on many of his own properties like the Catwad and Franny K. Stein series. His new series takes place in the DC Universe and centers on a kid named Ernest Fann. Fann Club: Batman Squad is a super silly look at one kids obsession with the cape crusader and how he tries to assemble his own club of people seeking to bring the justiest justice of all to his neighborhood. Ernest is well, earnest and a bit dim. He loves Batman and he along with his babysitter, best friend and dog try to protect their neighborhood from would be villains. Ernest has the code name Gerbilwing, Hi best friend i...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01600 We received a free copy of the new cookbook by Tara Theoharis, Minecraft: Gather, Cook, Eat! Official Cookbook for review. Opinions are my own. When your kids are into Minecraft and also have a passion for the kitchen it is a total no brainer to pick up Minecraft: Gather, Cook, Eat! Official Cookbook. I was asked if I wanted to review this and I jumped at the chance because my son loves both cooking and Minecraft. Andy got a whole night to showcase their cooking talents (with some help from Allison). Andy made 4 things from the cookbook. We were able to enjoy 3 of them tonight and tomorrow we will get to enjoy the fourth item. For our main course Andy made the Chicken Jockey Sandwich. This was a chicken breast sandwich on a brioche bun with provolone and bacon plus tomato and lettuce. You could also add pesto to the sandwich. I’m not a big fan of pesto but I did add a little. I enjoyed it more without the pesto. But that is personal preference. Andy also ma...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01559 We received a review copy of World’s Worst Time Machine by Dustin Brady. This book is going to be released on April 25th. I requested a copy of this book so that Andy could read it because getting Andy to read anything has been difficult. Dustin Brady is said to write books for kids who hate reading books. We’ve actually reviewed one of his books in the past called Trapped in a video Game. That was a whole series that he created and I think that World’s Worst Time Machine may potentially be a whole new series. At least that is what I gathered when I read through the whole book. It took Andy a very long time to read the book because of all the other things that they can be distracted by. However, today I got Andy to finally finish the book. Once the book was done Andy tells me that the book nearly made them cry at the end. It was the best ending ever they said. So I then read the book. It took me two days but it was a very quick read. I read the book all the...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01541 Our friend Wes Molebash published a new book and Allison pre-ordered it for Andy. I went over to An Unlikely Story to pick up the book and I ended up reading the whole thing before I even gave it to Andy to read. The book is very good with Wes’ amazing artwork and his sense of humor spread throughout. I made sure to snap a photo outside of the store so that we could send it to Wes. It would be great if he could come up here and do a book signing and maybe an interview with Jeff Kinney. I also took a photo of the display inside where the book was out for everyone to buy. I hope that it does well and am looking forward to the next one. Tonight we had Krav graduation and both kids were able to move up to new belts. Andy did not have to make up the test that he missed on Tuesday and that is because of the level that he is at. He is definitely ready to advance. Eva had to redo the gun defenses after the graduation in order to be promoted. This I also understand ...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01533 Several years ago I met Lewis Howes at an Affiliate Summit. He was a really nice guy and very interesting. He’s ha d a podcast now for several years called The School of Greatness and he’s interviewed so many different people. He posted that he had a new book out and so I ordered it. I figure that this would be a great book for me to read as I continue working toward my Black Belt. Get myself into a great mindset and all that. I first need to start reading it.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01531 When I was growing up, my favorite books to check out of the library were Ed Emberley books because I loved to draw in his style. When I became a parent I bought all of the books I could to add to our library. Eva recently cleaned out her bedroom and found them. I had to save them from her purge and maybe when we have grandkids they will enjoy the books like I once did. I don’t recall Andy or Eva ever using the books that much to draw. They are booth good artists but I guess Ed never spoke to them.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01511 I have a feeling that we may have one too many of a certain book. This makes me laugh every time I walk by.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01436 I received an advanced copy of the book Quest Kids and the Dragon Pants of Gold. I requested it for Andy because I figured that he would enjoy the silliness of it plus the tons of cartoon illustrations inside. The book is filled with cartoons that go along with the story. It is one of those combination books where much of the story is told through the cartoons on each page but then there are also pages of text. It is a great book for those kids who are not huge readers but they enjoy cartoons and will find having cartoons and text broken up throughout the book much easier to read. This is the type of reader that Andy is. He’s not one for a straight up book with text only. He enjoyed the cartoons and the story of this book because it was so absurdly silly. I also read the book and found it to be pretty funny. The simple drawings and the unique and funny characters made it an interesting read. You can pick up this book from out amazon.com affiliate link and g...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01428 I recently received a copy of the final book in the Explorer Academy series from National Geographic. This is a YA adventure series that takes place all around the world. There is a blend of real world science with science fiction plus a ton of cool locations across the globe and lots and lots of puzzles and riddles and codes to solve. I have read all seven books in the series and I have enjoyed them all. The series centers on the character Cruz Coronado. He’s a kid form Hawaii who gets accepted into the fictional Explorer Academy based in Washington DC. From there he has adventures all over the world with his friends Emmett, Sailor, Bryndis and Lani. This series has been building to an incredible finale and this book did not disappoint. Some major thigs were revealed and I am happy to hear that while Cruz’s story and focus on him is over with this series there is a spin-off series coming centered around another explorer and that already has some interestin...

  If you are a teacher of kids from grades 4-6 or 6-8 Wizards of the Coast has created a new initiative to provide educational materials for teachers so that they can incorporate Dungeons and Dragons into their lesson plans. This is very exciting and so useful, too. It also comes out to coincide with a brand new starter set being released.. Dungeons and Dragons is very popular with many celebrities playing it and it being featured in some very popular TV shows. Kids are learning more and more about it but they may have never played before. There are many benefits from playing and many educational moments to learn from while playing. This initiative will even provide schools, libraries and community centers and enrichment organizations with D&D Afterschool Kits that will include everything to start D&D clubs and meetups. I have a full press release below with all the information on the initiative. I would also like to point you towards the website where you can download many...