BenSpark Family Adventures

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01951 A while back I picked up this Fast & Furious LEGO Dodge Charger. The set comes with Dominic Toretto. It was a fun build and the car looks amazing.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01862 The teaser trailer for Deadpool and Wolverine came out today and I am very excited for July 26th to arrive. I did not have a Deadpool figure in the red costume, just the purple, so that isn’t really Deadpool but I did want to take a Deadpool photo today because of the trailer. I’m excited for this movie because so many characters will be making cameos in the movie. This should be great to see Wolverine and Deadpool play off each other.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01738 I picked Andy up from school today on foot and we walked home. The other day Andy got turned around a bit when they walked home and I figured I’d take the time to go over the route so that they are more confident about walking home on their own in the future. Andy has walked home this way once before with their friend Maia. However, Maia sprints out of school to avoid the crowds and so Andy gets left in the dust unless Andy is completely ready to leave with Maia. Andy was not completely ready and so Maia had left (the kids do not make direct plans, it blows my mind) and Andy got turned around and called Allison for help on getting home. I had just gotten home from picking up Eva and went right out and got Andy at the park. We’ll be going over the Maps app on Andy’s phone to help if they ever get turned around again. On our walk home we say this sign for Hocus Pocus being played in the park tonight. Andy was invited by his friend Maia and I walked Andy to Ma...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01687 The few days that we were on the Cape have not been great for going to the beach but it was nice enough to go for a walk along the water. Allison and I walked this morning and later in the afternoon we took Andy to see the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem at the Falmouth Cinema Pub. I’d been waiting to see this movie and I really enjoyed it. It was fun and done really well. Some changes made to the story overall but they worked for the Turtles which has always been a tongue in cheek joke. I loved the animation and the voice acting. Great choices on everyone all around.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01674 At camp today Andy made some sand art. Andy made two sand art spheres that represented two characters from the cartoon, Bluey. they are of the mom and dad, Chili and Bandit. Chili is tan and Bandit is blue. The show is one that I really enjoy watching despite it being a kids show for really little kids. There is a lot for adults to enjoy there as well. Tonight we watched the movie Flamin’ Hot which was a fictionalized account of Richard Montañez and how he invented the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. I love an underdog story and this one was fun. I picked up some Flamin’ hot Cheetos for all of us to enjoy. It was fun and the movie was entertaining.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01666 Allison and I took Andy to the Cinema Pub today. We’ve been cleaning the house and getting things ready for Mimi and Dano to visit. It is hot and sticky so it was a good day to go to an early afternoon movie together. We saw the movie Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken by Dreamworks. The movie was a cute one. there were several laugh out loud moments in it, too. The nice thing about going on a Wednesday, too is that they have a date night special which is $30 for two entries and two drinks which includes wine or beer. So it wasn’t crazy expensive for the activity.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01617 Tonight I took Andy to see the movie, Transformers: Rise of The Beasts at the IMAX at Providence Place Mall. This was Andy’s first IMAX experience. I probably should have brought them earplugs. While Andy really enjoyed the movie. He said it was not their thing. Andy definitely found it to be funny and exciting. There were a couple of jump scares that caught them unaware. But, for the most part Andy enjoyed seeing the movie. I loved it because I could share something that I love with my boy and since it was Andy’s request to see the movie it was even better. We went to the movie after Andy’s last Rock Climbing class until the Fall. When I went back in to pick Andy up the 3 boys had decided that they would like to meet up over the Summer to climb together. It has been a great experience for Andy to have at Rock Spot. It has definitely helped their confidence in so many ways. I know that Andy is looking forward to more classes in the Fall.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01550 This afternoon we took Eva, Andy and Eva’s whole Dungeons and Dragons group to see the Dungeons and Dragons movie. I had suggested to Eva that we try and see it opening weekend and suggested that we bring her group to see it. I was surprised when Andy piped up that they wanted to see the movie as well. Andy has long shied away from action movies and the potential of seeing someone get stabbed and yet the Dungeons and Dragons movie appealed to them. So I got tickets for all of us and we took up the whole back row of the theater. The movie was a fun one. I certainly enjoyed myself and was pleasantly surprised to see a cameo of a certain Dungeons and Dragons group that I knew from my youth. There was a Saturday Morning cartoon of Dungeons and Dragons and I remember watching all of the episodes. A few years back there was a car commercial with people dressed as those characters and I guess they brought them back to have in the movie. It was a great Easter egg f...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01549 I was sent a box of fun stuff for the upcoming super Mario Bros. Movie. Mario and Luigi hats, t-shirts, stickers, buttons and bags. Lots of fun stuff. I made a video unboxing the swag. The movie hits theaters on April 5th.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01534 I ran down to the Cape today to see my grandmother and then to stay overnight with my parents. Grandma was in good spirits and very interested in how my kids were getting on in school and other activities. They sent along some cards and I brought her a few photos from Eva’s Confirmation. I stayed there for a few hours visiting, hanging out while she slept and visiting with her visitors. I drove back from Grandma’s house to my parent’s house. On the ride I had been listening to Ready Player One. I haven’t had much time in the car to do much Audible listening and it was good to get back into that book. I really enjoyed it the first few times I read it and it was nice to settle back in. We got back to my parent’s house and we picked up pizza for dinner from Supreme and from Paul’s. It was a nice meal and then we watched the movie The Banshees of Inisherin. This was an Oscar nominated movie and my parents have been watching the different Oscar nominated movies ...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01513 Eva and Andy had their stripe test today. I had mine this morning, too. We all got our stripes. This rotation we are working on gun defense. Eva got to help out in the demonstration with Sensei Brochu. You can see Andy in the back holding pads for their partner. Andy partners with a girl named Axel whenever they can. They work very well together because they are both learning and she doesn’t blast Andy across the room with her kicks. Eva’s partner was Miss Sabrina, she’s intense. Eva likes that, though, she’d rather work with someone who is tough and challenges her than someone who offers no challenge. It is great watching both kids get stronger and more skilled in Jr. Krav. Eva will earn a 7th stripe and graduate at the graduation next month to the red/black belt. Andy will move up to orange belt at their next stripe test and both will graduate in the same class for the first time. With Eva earning her red/black next month that means that she’ll soon be in...

A Christmas Story is an annual tradition in this house. We watch the movie at least three times a holiday season. The story of Ralphie Parker and his pursuit of the Red Ryder BB Gun is iconic. The movie itself is so incredibly quotable and it is accessible to so many people. From Jean Shepherd’s narration to the imaginative daydreams to getting a tongue stuck to a freezing flag pole this movie has so many great moments. On Thursday November 17th HBO Max is releasing A Christmas Story Christmas which is a sequel to the iconic Christmas Movie. I was able to screen the movie early so that I could interview Ralphie Parker himself, Peter Billingsley. You can see the trailer below. As a fan of the original I went in wondering if I would like how they handle this sequel while also knowing that nothing could ever be better than the original. This movie, however, did an amazing job of being true to the original film and being its own unique story and did not lean on the original movie’s plot or...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01414 A Christmas Story Christmas comes out on Thursday on HBO Max. I am very excited about it and so many people I know are also excited. One of my Sensei’s at Krav is super excited. He’s a huge fan of the original movie and cannot wait for this sequel. To get me even more excited Warner Bros sent me this fantastic mailer with some great A Christmas Story and A Christmas Story Christmas items inside. They included a hat, a little cake, the leg lamp ornament, a copy of the original movie on DVD, sparkling cider with an ugly sweat covering, plus and ugly sweater cookie decorating set. Wow! And there was also a code to screen A Christmas Story Christmas and a $50 give card to a minibar site for some adult beverages for when the kids go to sleep and Santa takes care of the magic. One of the more fun mailers I’ve ever received. If you haven’t read it yet, my review of A Christmas Story Christmas is below this post. Give it a look over and I hope you watch the movie o...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01410 Allison and I went to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and it was a really good movie. There was an amazing tribute to Chadwick Boseman who portrayed The Black Panther in many Marvel movies and who passed away from Colon Cancer in 2020. Marvel’s decision to not replace the actor in subsequent movies was the right one. The story of his passing in life and his character’s passing in the movie moved the story along. The movie was very emotional in many parts all the way till the end. We both commented on the amazing costumes in this movie. It should get an Oscar for that alone. Costuming for everyone involved was incredible. I liked ow the story introduced some new heroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I unfortunately knew about a few things were going to happen in the movie because I had seen a spoiler ridden synopsis about a year ago. All those things did happen in the movie but I still enjoyed it. I loved the introduction of Ironheart. I could care les...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01364 A Few weeks ago I got an email from Disney + asking if I would like a Disney Drop. Apparently, they send out these special boxes to subscribers from time to time. At first I thought it was a scam email but then discovered that it was not so I signed up for it to see what would be sent. The box contained a whole bunch of things themed around, The Little Mermaid. There was Little Mermaid Bingo cards, a movie still with facts on the movie, some blank cards, a sarong, a Rubik’s cube, a pot holder and more. It was interesting but not really anything that anyone here in the house would use. Allison might use the sarong but that is about it. but, overall it was a nice thing to get. Had the kids been younger this would have been a fun box for activities.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01311 We received some free Fandango passes from Warner Bros. to see DC’s League of Super Pets. Today was super hot outside so a trip to a nice air conditioned theater in the hottest part of the day sounded like a lot of fun. We were delighted by the movie, it was very funny and cute. There were some emotional parts to the movie as well. I laughed out loud several times throughout the movie. It has a great cast of voices and there were even a few that caught me by surprise when I heard them and one when I actually saw who it was during the credits. After the movie I wanted to get a photo of us around the poster but they don’t really hang up movie posters anymore they have screens that show the poster. So we waited by this screen until the poster rotated through again.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01288 Today was by far the windiest day on the Cape our whole trip. so, what else would the kids like to do on a windy day then fly a kite. Yes, you need wind for kite flying but this was a lot of wind. The kids were not to be deterred so they took the turtle kite over to the beach and they did a nice job of taking turns with the kite. However, some things are just inevitable with kites. At some point the roll of string was let go and the kite went sailing off but not before the string got wrapped around the power lines. Allison and Eva and I went to see Thor: Love and Thunder at the Falmouth Cinema Pub and just before we left we saw the kite flying up over the houses while it was stuck on the power lines. It think this happened more often than not when I was a kid. I even think that is how we obtained that kite in the first place. Thor was a good movie and we enjoyed it very much. Not as good as Ragnarok but still entertaining overall.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01221 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness came out in theaters today. Marvel movies are finally coming back to theaters in a more timely and consistent manner. I’ve seen pretty much every one of the movies so far and am looking forward to all those that are upcoming. This one was pretty good and I’ll definitely see it again with Eva even though we are both looking more forward to Thor: Love and Thunder coming in a couple of months. I did love the cameos that were in the movie. We finally got to see someone portray a specific character and fans have been asking for that forever. Then there was an actor who reprised a little known role and I loved that, too. It was visually very, very cool.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01219 I received a free download code for the movie Uncharted. The movie came out on Digital on 4/26 and will be on Blu-ray 5/10. Opinions are my own. I have never played the Uncharted games but I am very sure that I would enjoy them. I love figuring out puzzles and clues and all sorts of fun things like that. So, when I was asked if I wanted to participate in a scavenger hunt as a promo for Uncharted I said yes. I was sent an envelope that contained four clues that would lead me to my own digital download code of the movie so that I could watch it. The movie stars Tom Holland and Mark Walhberg and looks like a wild ride. the envelope contained a few things. There were some maps, some postcards, a key, a pen, a flashlight and some bubble gum. I used the clues to solve the puzzles in order to find my download code and it was really fun figuring everything out. Eva helped me and we had everything figured within a could of minutes. The puzzle was a challenge but I h...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01136 I received a free mailer of promotional items for the movie American Underdog. Opinions are my own. Anyone who knows me knows that sports are not really my thing. Sports movies, however, are. I am a sucker for an underdog story centered around sports and Out on digital right now is the movie American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story. I was asked if I would like a special football themed mailer to help promote the movie. I had wanted to see it so I said sure and we received a really fun bunch of items. With The Big Game coming up on Sunday what better time to watch an amazing movie about a player who never gave up and went on to be an MVP. Here is the trailer and then the synopsis of the movie. American Underdog tells the inspirational true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from a stockboy at a grocery store to a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback. The film centers on Warner’s unique story and years of challenges a...