The License Plate Game is Soooo Last Roadtrip!

Whew, time to dust off the ol’ blog and crank out a new post. Sorry. We’ve had an action-packed summer and not a lot of down time! The fun musical Annie occupied most of the time until our road trip to the World of the Mouse.

Which was going swimmingly, mostly because the hubby had us on the road by 4:45-in the a.m. Also, technology is a wonderful, mesmerizing thing. I have to give some serious props to the kids, though. Five people in a car, 965 miles in one day, and virtually no fights? It’s a record!

"Pretzels in the youngest's mouth. Nice." 

Remember the Griswolds? Remember the conversation between Clark and Roy Wally about road trips? We had a little bit of that. I know I referenced feet on a few occasions. We even pulled out of the driveway with “Holiday Road” blaring. Had to. That was just for us, the parents.

 We had sailed through four states and were halfway down the long panhandle of Florida when the natives started getting truly restless for the first time. It was dark, we were an hour-and-a-half out from our hotel, and they were hungry. It was getting desperate.

Then from the third row, the middle child piped up with a suggestion.

"I have an idea for a game until we reach the hotel.”

Bring it.

“Everyone makes up a new sport or uses regular sports smashed together to make new sports.”

Great concept.

“On each round you have to add on one new rule for your sport until you can't anymore. The one who makes up the last game rule wins. I'll go first"

Of course.

“My new sport is Rythmic Gymbling. It is a combination of rhythmic gymnastics, gymnastics and tumbling.”

Okie Dokie. First rule?

“You have to be able to do a pirouette or any turn and go into a back handspring with rhythmic gym ribbon in your hand.”

Riiiiight... Next?

The youngest child was ready: “Soanceer-soccer, dance and cheer. While doing a back tuck, you kick the soccer ball then jump out and catch the ball.”

So far, I couldn’t play ether of these sports.

The oldest was next: “Swimlerball-whirley ball and swimming. You get into carts that work under water and get the ball. You have lacrosse-looking sticks with a button on them to extend them. You have a magnet on the end that you have to reach down and get the ball (it’s metal) and all the other players’ sticks vibrate when someone gets the ball.”

Wow.

The hubby had a more aggressive sport: “MMSoccer-Soccer and MMA. Played on regular size soccer field but caged in with walls to have no out-of-bounds like MMA. Defense can play full contact if the man has the ball. There is a safer, non-contact version for kids.”

That was decent of him. What a good dad!

I jazzed up a contact-free sport. No, I didn’t rip off Caddyshack II. Much.

Mine was Grugby-Golf and Rugby. “When all players get on the green, there is a scrum to determine first to putt.”

The rounds continued. I wont do this thing round by round. That took us nearly the rest of the drive. And gave me finger cramps as I tried to type it all on my phone!

Rhythmic Gymbling: “On beam you have to do a back tuck while balancing stick thing on your nose. On vault you have to do a round off back handspring with your feet touching the springboard, you go up and do a double full and land on the ground with the hula hoop still on your waist. On bars, you have to do kips while balancing the rhythmic ball going down your legs and balancing perfectly on your head. Then you have to do a monkey giant then jump to high bar. The ball moves to between your hands and feet and when you kip up the ball moves down like a ramp and pops up and when you back hip circle and front tuck off it rolls down your back and lands in your hands and you finish.”

Ummmmmmmmmm, okay?

Soanceer: “So, there’s a soccer ball off in a corner and ballet shoes in a corner diagonal from each other. Do a back handspring to get soccer ball, hold it and do a back handspring and get ballet shoes. Kick soccer ball while doing ballerina spins then do a front handspring and then kick soccer ball again. Repeat three times. Put the soccer ball under one arm with your hand on your hip, and put on your beautiful ballet shoes. Your hair is pulled back and you are wearing beautiful cheer clothes. You do cheer moves then kick out the soccer ball then bounce it on your head and then it lands between your feet.”

Have these kids heard of gravity?

Swimlerball: “There is a box next to the switch that lengthens your stick. It shows who you are supposed to guard when someone on the other team gets the ball. Specially created pools are big enough and square. There are a bunch of bumps on the bottom so it is hard to get around. The ball sinks so it is hard to get it from someone because it sinks right away. Your head isn't under water, just the carts.”

MMSoccer: “In the league, players are allowed to push off against each other when nobody has possession and they are going after free or 50/50 balls. Goalie for each team is the only player on their side that gets to wear full pads. You can only attack the player with the ball.”

Grugby: “Other players may tackle the guy teeing up after five seconds if he doesn’t hit the ball. The points are scored higher not lower. Sand is replaced with mud. Higher points for landing in mud traps. You get to tackle opponent in mud pit like on tee box. Higher points scored in mud pit than on tee box.”

I think technically the middle kid won. Surprise, surprise, surprise! If you want to start any of these leagues in your neighborhood, please let me know