BenSpark Family Adventures

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01004 The office continues to come together. I was able to put some of the artwork up on the walls. I did have things up but they fell because I was using command strips. I think they hold more than they can. Allison would be shocked to hear me admit that. The command strips are working well to hold up all of the Funko Pops that I have, though. With the Hulkbuster all lit up now the other bay looks a little dark. I will have to remedy that. I also have to check out the light kit for the Voltron figure that I have. It is also in a good spot where I could power that and have it lit up as well. I thought of taking this photo because I used the GoPro MAX and it has a super wide angle lens. I figured I could capture most everything in the office except for what was behind me.

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01003 I received a BriksMax Lighting kit for the Iron Man Hulkbuster Ultron Edition LEGO set for free from Lightailing. Opinions are my own.One of my favorite display pieces on my desk is the Iron Man Hulkbuster set. This is the Ultron Edition set and it was rather expensive. It is huge and looks incredible. I added a little taplight into the bay where it lives to give it some good lighting but it was far from perfect. What if the set could be lit up on the set itself? That is what the folks from Lightailing (https://www.lightailing.com/), do. They sell lighting kits for tons of LEGO sets. When the box arrived I gave it a quick open to see the contents. There were a couple of full color instruction books as well as several clearly marked plastic resealable bags that contained the led lights, wires, additional LEGO bricks and power brick. The kit can be powered by 3 AA batteries in the power brick or with a USB plug. I am very fortunate that my desk setup has the bay wh...

We received an advanced .PDF copy of this comic book for review purposes. Opinions are our own. When the introduction of a comic book speaks so strongly to your daughter that she devours the entire book in a night, you know that you have something great on your hands. That was the experience my daughter had in reading Wonderful Women of the World a compilation of stories of 23 influential women. Each story is done by a different writing and artistic team. Here are some of those women and the teams that brought their stories to the pages of the book. Women profiled and creative teams below: Beyoncé – Writer: Mikki Kendall / Artist: A D’Amico Edith Windsor – Writer: Amanda Deibert / Artist: Cat Staggs Francisca Nneka Okeke – Writer: Sheena Howard / Artist: Laylie Frazier Greta Thunberg – Writer: Kami Garcia / Artist: Igzell Judith Heumann – Writer: Marieke Nijkamp / Artist: Ashanti Fortson Khatijah Mohamad Yusoff – Writer: Amanda Deibert / Artist: Hanie Mohd Keiko Agena – Writer: Sarah K...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01002 Today is National Son Day. As with the other day being National Daughter day, today I celebrate my son. Andy is one super sweet kid. He’s funny and kind. Spends way too much time playing Roblox but he’s playing with his friends so he’s getting some good bonding time with them. He’s always thinking of new jokes to tell. He’s become very responsible and he’s very smart. The other day he negotiated allowances for he and his sister. We had a nice long discussion on what allowances will be used for and how the money will be divided each month. He listened and offered questions and was very mature about it. The other night at dinner he told us about an incident at school where a friend was saying some disrespectful things and Andy called him out on it. That takes courage to stand up to your friends and call them out when they are not being as kind and respectful as they should be. It makes me very proud to hear that Andy was able to do that. He’s growing up and he’s be...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01001 Funko often sends me figures for free to review. Opinions are my own. I’ve been a fan of Transformers since I was 10 years old and they debuted in 1984. They have been my go to toys for so much of my life. One of the coolest characters was Soundwave. He spoke with a synthesized voice and had five (original) cassette tapes that went with him everywhere and were housed inside his tape deck chest cavity. They were Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, Frenzy, Rumble and of course Ravage. Laserbeak and Buzzsaw were both birds and were repaints of each other. Frenzy and Rumble were little robots that were also repaints. These characters often had their names and colors mixed up in the comics and the cartoons. Ravage was the only one that didn’t have a repaint. The Jumbo Funko Pop! is of Soundwave and it comes with the tapes for Laserbeak, Frenzy, Rumble and Ravage. No Buzzsaw, the most overlooked of the tapes, he disappeared from the show and Laserbeak was the one most often featured. ...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01000 We received the CorningWare® French White® White Cast Aluminum 5.5-quart Dutch Oven with Lid for free for review purposes. Opinions are my own. Tonight Allison made Pot Roast for dinner in the new Dutch Oven that we just received. I have not had a pot roast this tender in such a long time. It was melt in your mouth perfection. We will certainly be using this more in the future.

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #00999 Today is National Daughter Day. I have been blessed with one spectacular daughter. She is smart, creative and kind. She is always working one one project or another. She can sew, paint, create with pop tabs from sodas and more. She’s working on several projects at once, reading all the time and has good taste in TV shows. We can talk about anything and trade punches and kicks all the time. She’s grown in maturity and confidence as she has progressed in Krav Maga. There are so many great things ahead for her.