Photo-A-Day #2499

He totally started crying seconds after this shot.

It was a good day for photos of Andrew today. Allison took some amazing ones of him alone as well as one with him with Allison. Today was also Pajama Party Day. Eva decided that today would be a Pajama Party day. So, since I was going to end up going back to bed at 1:00pm I got into the spirit of it and put on some PJs. We played some Skylanders and played with stickers, had some breakfast and enjoyed a nice lunch. All in our PJs. It was something fun that Eva wanted to do so we indulged her a bit. It certainly had nothing to do with being a little lazy on a Friday before a work weekend.

We continue to play Skylanders and have so much fun with it. Even though I have beaten the game I continue to play because the characters can be upgraded further. There are Heroic Challenges that each character can do and then they can can upgrade things like: Armor, Speed, Critical Hit, Elemental power and more. So once I get each character fully upgraded then we should be ready for Skylanders Giants coming this fall. I can’t wait for that. I am so excited. Check out the video. Eva loves the video.

I’m pretty excited about this game. There will be 20 new Skylanders and 8 giants. I believe that the giants will most likely be one to an element. Since there are 8 elements in the game it makes sense that the 8 giants will be aligned to the elements. I also finished the game again today and I wonder if Kaos will end up as one of the new Skylanders. It would be cool if he did and that way you could play as a bad guy messing things up. Eva would not approve but I think it would be fun.

We had a nice dinner of a roasted Chicken. Had to put Duncan in the Basement. Thank you for the Cat Door Dad! I’m so glad it locks. Of course he tried is damnedest to get out too. He was scratching and banging on the door. But there was no way that little scavenger was getting out. He’s trying to eat everything now. You cannot leave anything out for a second or he’ll be sniffing around. The one thing he doesn’t go for is popcorn, that is Oliver’s territory.

On the way to work I grabbed the mail and inside was my Blu-Ray copy of Transformers Prime: Season 1 Limited Edition!!

I cannot wait to watch this, check out all the commentary and more. It is not coming out until March 6th and I’ll have a full review of all the features a few days before the release.

We are only a week away from the premiere of Season 2 of Transformers Prime too. Can’t wait!

I buy a ton of stuff from Amazon.com. If you do please buy through our links and help support BenSpark.com. Thank you.

Copyright (c) 2010 Blog Consultant, Photo-A-Day Photographer & Daddy Blogger - BenSpark.com - Everyday Pictures... Every... Day

The Appearance of Calm

Photo-A-Day #2498

Allison and I have realized something. We need to get out of the house to accomplish things together. We had to bring my car to get an oil change so we all went to drop Eva at school. We went to Target after that and we were going to go to Stop & Shop too but I went later on my own. Anyway, while at Target we put together the shopping list and talked about things that we have to get done at the house. For some reason while in the house we just find things to do or clear out on the DVR. Mostly the DVR thing.

Andrew, for his part slept very well while we shopped. We’re looking for a new TV. We took a look at the selection at the store and I think we might end up with a decent sized one if we can find it for a decent price. Each February I get a bonus from work. We think of all that we want to use it for all year long and when we get it in our account it is pretty much already spent. We slashed the amount of credit card debt that we have plus a few more things including the new computer but there is more that we’re interested in doing.

Things to do would be mostly in our living room. We need new couches. Our love seat is still in decent shape but that is because it becomes a place for the laundry and is seldom sat upon by company. I’m not complaining but it has been long enough with these couches. That is why we went over to Bob’s Store the other day, Eva is going to get a job there. She went and showed us all around the building. All the sales associates were so impressed with her too. We just let her go around and show us what she wanted to show us. She had fun doing it and it sort of tired her out, which we liked.

The only sofa that we are interested in has pull out drawers under the sofa. Great for storage. It will most likely be another thing for me to obsessively organize only to have it turn to chaos again

I think of that because tonight I organized Eva’s toys. I also got rid of some things. Early on we bought her some cheap plastic food. Since that time she’s gotten some really great Melissa & Doug sets with wooden play food. We also have two sets to send back to the store and get some more. So, because we are upgrading her toys to higher quality stuff we just wanted to clean out the garbage. I hope that she doesn’t notice tomorrow.

I also organized a whole bunch of other things so that we had some space for Andrew’s toys as well. We’ve got a few of them so far and there are many of Eva’s toys that we put away for him to play with later. We’ve got some time before his toys invade the space as well.

Today around 4am I finally finished reading the entire Sword of Truth Series. I’m not even sure how many years that this epic story has been a part of my life but finishing it sort of left a hole. I’m not even sure how many years the story covered but it felt like a hundred years. Reading it a few pages at a time before I went to sleep for work made the progress very slow going. But when I got down to the last 60 pages I was fully awake, at 4:30am and tearing through the pages. The end was in sight and then when it was over it was like saying goodbye to friends who had been with you for years. You know that they are going to be okay, finally and now everyone needs to move on.

So now I have a choice, what to read next. I am going to review a book about blogging and I probably should read that as a palette cleanser before I start on Game of Thrones, Inheritance or Neptune’s Son. Neptune’s son is on my night table. Game of Thrones is on my Kindle and I don’t own Inheritance yet. So maybe before an epic I will read one of the other books first.

I buy a ton of stuff from Amazon.com. If you do please buy through our links and help support BenSpark.com. Thank you.

Copyright (c) 2010 Blog Consultant, Photo-A-Day Photographer & Daddy Blogger - BenSpark.com - Everyday Pictures... Every... Day

Elfin Slumber

Photo-A-Day #2497

Today we went our for lunch and it only cost us $0.80. That included free refillable cups, face (hand) painting, balloons and lots of coupons. A new 7-11 opened down the road from us and they offered 7 cent hot dogs and 11 cent Slurpees. I was alerted to this grand opening by a friend on Facebook. Since the new 7-11 was on the way to the Comic Book store I figured it would work well to go pick up the books and catch some lunch. Eva had a great time and loved her little butterfly painting on her hand. She also liked the balloon sword that she got, however, it did not survive the ride home.

I buy a ton of stuff from Amazon.com. If you do please buy through our links and help support BenSpark.com. Thank you.

Copyright (c) 2010 Blog Consultant, Photo-A-Day Photographer & Daddy Blogger - BenSpark.com - Everyday Pictures... Every... Day

Lunch for Eighty Cents

I am so looking forward to the release of Transformers Prime on Blu-Ray and DVD. Even though I have all the episodes on my iPad I still would like to have the episodes on DVD. I’d love to hear all the audio commentaries and the behind the scenes information on the series.

I’ve watched the whole series and have also shared it with Eva. She loves Arcee and also Bumblebee. Her favorite character is Miko and she calls me Bulkhead. She wants to hear more stories of Transformers including me growing up and playing with them as a kid. I love that she is a fan of the show which I absolutely love. It is one of the best series to come out in such a long time. The Blu-ray comes out on March 6th. Definitely looking forward to getting my hands on it. To get you excited for the show, check out this intro video.

TRANSFORMERS PRIME: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
Featuring Over 10 Hours of Non-Stop Action, Special Bonus Content and More!

THE COLLECTIBLE 4-DVD SET & LIMITED EDITION 4-DISC BLU-RAY™ COLLECTION –PACKED WITH A 96-PAGE GRAPHIC NOVEL OWN IT ON MARCH 6, 2012 FROM SHOUT! FACTORY

Prepare to experience the world of TRANSFORMERS PRIME like never before with perfect picture visuals and the purest digital sound available when the entire first season of the award-winning CGI animated series TRANSFORMERS PRIME arrives in stores everywhere in North America on March 6, 2012 in a deluxe 4-DVD set and a Limited Edition 4-Disc Blu-ray™ collection from Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Hasbro Studios.

Both the DVD and Blu-ray collections of TRANSFORMERS PRIME: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON boast all 26 action-packed episodes (including the 5-part miniseries Darkness Rising) and special bonus content. For a limited time only, TRANSFORMERS PRIME: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON Limited Edition 4-Disc Blu-ray contains a 96-page IDW graphic novel based on this hit series.

Delivering a new level of heavy metal action and family entertainment for all ages, the limited edition Blu-ray collection is priced to own at $64.99 SRP. The deluxe 4-DVD set is sold separately and has a suggested retail price of $ 29.93 SRP.

The TRANSFORMERS saga starts a new chapter as old foes return, legendary heroes rise, and new ones are found in unlikely places. The new EMMY Award winning series TRANSFORMERS PRIME, A Hasbro Studios production, currently airs on The HUB television network in the U.S. and Teletoons in Canada, deepens the epic mythology of both the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS, while starting a new chapter for a new generation of fans.

In early 2011, loyal TRANSFORMERS fans, as well as families and kids, were introduced to this visually stunning five-part miniseries on The HUB. OPTIMUS PRIME, BUMBLEBEE, ARCEE, AUTOBOT RATCHET, BULKHEAD, and many others are back to “roll out” against MEGATRON’s latest attempt to conquer Earth. And MEGATRON proves to be more powerful than ever, having acquired a rare element that allows him mastery over life itself. OPTIMUS PRIME and the AUTBOTS may be few against the DECEPTICON hordes, but they find increased strength through bonds forged with three human teenagers.

Season One of TRANSFORMERS PRIME boasts an all-star voice cast, including Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Steve Blum, Jeffrey Combs, Adam Baldwin, Markie Post, Ernie Hudson, among other notables. TRANSFORMERS PRIME is produced by Hasbro Studios, with Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Kline serving as executive producers. Kurtzman and Orci served as writers for the feature films TRANSFORMERS and TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen.

TRANSFORMERS PRIME recently garnered two Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation and six Emmy nominations.

TRANSFORMERS PRIME: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
Bonus Content
· Original Making of Special
· 15 Audio Commentaries with the Creative Team and Voice Cast
· Toy Featurette
· Season Two Teaser Debuted at New York Comic-Con 2011

Technical Information
TRANSFORMERS PRIME: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON Blu-ray Collection
Limited Edition 4-Disc Blu-ray is packed with TRANSFORMERS PRIME graphic novel and bonus content
Street Date: March 6, 2012
Running Time: +/- 10 hours
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic widescreen
Audio: English, Audio 5.1 Surround

TRANSFORMERS PRIME: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON DVD Set
4-DVD Set and bonus content
Street Date: March 6, 2012
Running Time: +/- 10 hours
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic widescreen
Audio: English, Audio 5.1 Surround

About Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company’s world-class brand portfolio. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, video games and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its customers through the strategic leveraging of well-known and beloved brands such as THE TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY. The Hub, Hasbro’s multiplatform joint venture with Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) launched on October 10, 2010. The online home of The Hub is www.hubworld.com. The Hub logo and name are trademarks of Hub Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved.

Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com. © 2010 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company’s audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY®-nominated boxed sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.

Emmy® is the trademark property of the Academy for Television Arts & Sciences/ The National Academy for Television Arts & Sciences. Grammy® is the registered trademark of the national Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc.

I buy a ton of stuff from Amazon.com. If you do please buy through our links and help support BenSpark.com. Thank you.

Copyright (c) 2010 Blog Consultant, Photo-A-Day Photographer & Daddy Blogger - BenSpark.com - Everyday Pictures... Every... Day

Can’t wait for Transformers Prime: The Complete First Season on DVD!

Photo-A-Day #2496

If you are attending Toy Fair next week you should stop by the Peaceable Kingdom Booth to see their newest games including the one that we got to play called Feed The Woozle. Feed the Woozle is a cooperative board game that also helps children develop gross motor skills as well as basic counting. The game is fun to play and entertaining in the silly, slightly gross snacks that the Woozle likes to eat. Eva was laughing at those snacks and having fun feednig the Woozle over and over.

Eva and I played through each level of the game. She’s more advanced than level one, not quite ready for level three but level two is just right for her. I’d like to get her playing this with friends and see how much fun they have together. This is a definitely a fun cooperative game that kids will have fun playing. Level two incorporates gross body movement through fun things like spinning around, doing a hula and even going crazy. However,t he kids need to be aware that they are holding a spoonful of Woozle snacks that need to be fed to the Woozle. So, they have to take care not to drop the snacks.

Here is the official statement from the Peaceable Kingdom’s Toy Fair Press Release.

Feed The Woozle • Ages 3-6 • $20
Woozle is hungry and his mouth is wide open and ready to catch some silly snacks like chocolate covered flies or hairy pickles. Can you feed him 12 silly snacks without dropping them from the spoon? Two to 5 players start the game with a roll of the die to learn how many snacks to put in his big open mouth. With a spin of the colorful spinner they then determine which goofy gross motor movement they will do while walking across the room to feed him. Maybe it’s a Bunny Hop, maybe walk backwards! Be careful, kids, and don’t drop those snacks. If everyone together can feed the Woozle 12 snacks, everyone wins! And giggles are guaranteed.

Level 1 introduces basic counting.
Level 2 adds a gross motor movement a child must perform while making his way to the Woozle.
In Level 3, players rely on guidance from teammates to find the Woozle because they must close their eyes!

Disclosure: We received a copy of Feed the Woozle to review and play with. Our opinions are 100% our own.

I buy a ton of stuff from Amazon.com. If you do please buy through our links and help support BenSpark.com. Thank you.

Copyright (c) 2010 Blog Consultant, Photo-A-Day Photographer & Daddy Blogger - BenSpark.com - Everyday Pictures... Every... Day

Review: Peaceable Kingdom’s Feed the Woozle