How to survive a beach outing

Day 3.

Unfortunately, it really is Monday this time. Also, I have a sneaking suspicion my hour is going to become two, 0.5 hours. Or more likely, 10 min and the rest whenever I can find it... a toddler stirs.

Yesterday we did make it to the beach as planned, the parking gods even smiled upon us.

When I was pregnant we came to the beach nearly every weekend. "Glowing" (sweaty), giddy parents-to-be, B and I would gaze at budding architects constructing lopsided sand castles and little ones squealing in the crashing waves, marveling that soon, we would get to create blissful beach memories with our children.

Fortunately, like her self-professed water-baby parents, T loooooooooves the beach. With my island heritage, the grandparents' proximity of two blocks to a (much colder) ocean and our current home, which boasts beach-worthy (mostly swim worthy) days 365 days a year, our offspring will undoubtably have childhoods spent in the sun, sand and surf.

I think I just forgot what came along with the squealing wave jumping and quiet sandcastle construction...

Our days go something like this: after carting all our "necessary" beach belongings across Coronado's wide swath of white sand at T's starfish-like pace we finally pitch ourselves in front of the small morning waves betting on an ebbing tide.

1. Parents pitch umbrella and spread out blanket carefully so as to not invite sand. Place shoes to keep blanket from blowing up.
2. 2 yr. old runs onto blanket, prancing feet catch the edges and scrunch a rectangle into an ameoba-like blob. Small shoe-shaped cakes of sand trail across the remaining spread.
3. Mom and Dad shake out blanket. Repeat #1.
4. 2 yr. old returns. Repeat #2. Parents accept sandy, scrunched blanket.
5. 2 yr. old's clothes are removed for sunscreen application and bathing suit change.
6. 2 yr. old feels first smears of sunscreen applied to shoulders and streaks naked towards the ocean.
7. Mother chases 2 yr old. Sunscreen application is resumed, amidst protest.
8. 2 yr old, dutifully covered in sunscreen, places hands in sand. Realizes hands are now sandy. Asks parents to wash them with water. Parents oblige.
9. Repeat #8 for the rest of the morning (intersperse with "patient" explanations by parents of laws of sand + water physics to 2 yr old.)
10. Spend lovely hour collecting stranded sand dollars with 2 yr old and tossing them back in the sea.
11. Try not to act dismayed when 2 yr old accidentally crushes live sand dollars in her excitement.
12. Wind picks up. Blanket becomes covered, food becomes gritty and sunscreen-covered 2 yr. old becomes coated in the consistency of gooey sandpaper.
13. 2 yr old tries to rub sand out of eyes. Sand becomes embedded in eyes, caked in eyebrows, streaked across hair, cheeks and forehead, clings to lips and corners of mouth. All efforts to remove sand are futile.
14. Parents take now naked 2 yr old into surf to wash off. Giggles of glee ensue, as long as face-washing is avoided (that is wisely left to the freshwater shower by the bathrooms).
15. Stuff is packed, 2 yr old is carried for expediency and family moves for after-beach ice coffees and chocolate milk at nearby outdoor cafe.

Ah, yet another successful beach outing.