"Daughters are Special People"

If you're like me, you regularly ask yourself the question: "I wonder what I'll be doing in 10 years from now?" Despite the regularity of my speculation about the future, I rarely step back 10 years to consider how I would have reacted had I known the answer.

Today was an exception. As I reached up to get a mug for my hot chocolate I chose one of my favorites - the now ever-popular "daughters are special people" mug you see. Although it seems like a natural mug to have as the father of 4 girls (a likely present from a new grandparent or Father's day gift), I actually picked it up as a college student from someone who left it in our old apartment. At the time I was into collecting bizarre, eclectic things (as evidenced by this mug and my prized fridge magnet of Elvis shaking hands with President Nixon that my dad got me in an airport full of Elvis impersonators). So today, as I pulled down the mug I realized the irony and seeming foresight of the message. I'm just glad nobody left an "I See Dumb People" mug like the one Maren gave her dad :)

So today, me and the girls made up a new game. We like to call it Noodle Ball. It's a spin-off from Hockey, but slightly less dangerous since we use swimming noodles for hockey sticks and a balloon for a puck. Here are the general rules, although you can feel free to modify them as appropriate:

• What is needed: one balloon, a "field" (a.k.a. semi-large room without any fragile items such as lamps), two goals (hockey goal size - but no net needed, a nice duct tape rectangle would work), and 2 or more players, each one armed with a single Noodle.
  
• Goal: to hit the balloon into the other teams goal.
• Rules: players should hit the balloon with the Noodle (no intentional kicking and hitting with hands) in the air or on the ground.

Those are the basics. You may have to add a few other rules based on the temperament of your children. For example, we had Domba sit in the "injury chair" after taking a direct blow to the head from a team-mate's noodle. We didn't have any rules about high sticking because half of the game happens in the air, which makes it quite fun - especially if you are twice as tall as the other players (something I rarely experience).

All in all, I think everyone had a really fun time except perhaps Domba who claimed that it was "the worst game I've ever played in my life." So, with that ringing endorsement I'd encourage you to give it a try.