A beach day in January...only in Miami

Almost two full weeks home with the kids and it's been great after all, there's been Christmas and New Year's in those weeks and the holidays were pretty fantastic.Plenty of park excursions, holiday festivities like visiting decorated neighorhood homes, parks and outdoor malls. But one thing we hadn't done was hit the beach and it's been pretty hot.So...with the end of the kids' winter break looming ever closer, I chose today to be the day we hit the beach. It was funny how I noticed when we were shopping at Target this morning that there was an entire display of sunscreen right at arm's length in the checkout line.It was the absolute perfect idea. We headed there late afternoon around 2:30 under cloudless blue skies and temps in the high 70s. Yes, the water was ice cold by Miamian's standards but the kids still went swimming. And building sandcastles was no problem either.The breeze was absolutely fantastic and the mellow, non-scorching sun was oh so welcomed. Tide was low and paddle-ball-playing was the best.The beach in January...only in Miami. Guess seashell collecting is a year-round hobby in our part of the country. That, and the ability to buy a bathing suit and a tube of sunblock.