I always keep our skates in the trunk in case the mood hits. The one good thing about this colder, snowier winter is that the kids don't feel like they're missing out on the season. The other day we stopped at the island and skated for about an hour till the sun set. At times the wind was so strong we didn't even need to push to keep moving (my son loved this, and you can see the wind blowing his hat the same direction it's blowing him).
Even Wendell likes to hit the ice:
