Fun!

" 'round the world baseball!"

I have two children.

You can play almost any outside game with three people. What outside game can you play with only two? One of the two being four years old, full of energy and pure boy. The other being 32, out of shape = no energy, and maybe 3/8 tomboy.

I asked my pure boy this past Tuesday (MOPS Day!) what game he would like to play. "Baseball mommy!"

We go get some pieces of wood to make the bases, home plate, first base, second base and third. We begin to play. I soon realize this is not going to work well. He doesn't have a teammate and I don't have help in the outfield. He is going to have to hit a homerun each time for this to work. As good as my son is, he cannot do that.

We stop and think. We come up with a plan. We invent our own version of baseball. We call it " 'round the world baseball."

Here are the rules:

Set your bases up. Just as you do in regular basebal.
The youngest goes first, of course.

Since there are only two of you, you are on opposite teams. So one team is pitching and outfield, the other is hitting and running bases trying to score.

Two strikes = 1 out.
A foul ball = 1 out.
3 outs ends an inning.
There are six innings or a score to eleven (which ever comes first) to win/end the game.

The tricky part...
If you get a hit and are able to make it to a base, say 2nd, then the pitcher pitches to you at 2nd base. You get another hit but only make it to third, the pitcher pitches again to you at third, until the runner reaches home for a score.

That is why we called it " 'round the world baseball!" You are literally spending most of the game in rotation from base to base!

If there are no outs, but the current batter's score reaches 5 then it is the other persons turn to bat.

We had alot of fun playing this.
I have to tell you ladies that I was sweating by the end of our game.

So for those of you who may find yourself with only one child at home on a warm fall, summer, spring day...consider trying Ethan and his Mommy's " 'round the world baseball," or invent a game of your own!!!

If we can do it so can you!!!!