Family Activities in the Fox Cities, Wisconsin

This week I had the priveledge of visiting several new locations in the Fox Cities. Being new to this area it has been so much fun to see and get introduced to new quality businesses.

Our first stop of the week was to The Machine Shed restaurant located near the Fox River Mall. Both my husband I come from farming families and a farming community so we appreciated the motif of The Machine Shed.

The decorations are really fun and we knew if our kids would have been with us they would have been eating it all up. Old farming equipment and tractors decorate the outside as you enter. Waiters and Waitresses dressed in bib overalls and wood tables with checkered tableclothes, drinks served in canning jars all add to the charm of the country.

The food was fantastic and the service unbelievable. My meal was a chicken salad croissant with potato soup. I'm very picky on soups and loved every bite. My husband enjoyed pork tenderloin sandwich with French Onion soup. So yummy and the serving sizes were large. I did not go away hungry--ate way too much.

I had the pleasure of talking to the manager and found out that they offer cooking classes for children the first and third Wednesday of the month. For more information on the cooking classes, please call 920-830-2326 and visit www.foxvalleykidsguide.com to view the calendar of events for more information.

The second family activity that we were able to experience this week was Wild Air Play Zone. What a Blast!!!! I don't believe that I have ever had that much fun with my kids and husband before. We were fortunate to go on a weeknight and there were other families there but it was not too over crowded. If you go, be prepared to climb and run and slide and bounce and have one heck of a good time laughing all the way.

Our 3 and 4 year old boys had the best time and actually told us "Thank You" for taking them and keep asking when we are going to go back. Of course, I took my camera---with dead batteries. I believe I got one picture off and then out, like a light. I will see if I can post that picture in a day or two. I would recommend this to anyone and this would be an awesome place to hold a Birthday Party but don't go yourself with 5 kids. Make sure you have another 1 or 2 adults with you.

The third business I had the pleasure of getting introduced to was Learning Shop. located at 4705 W. College Ave in Appleton--kind of kiddy corner to the Fox River Mall. If you are looking for quality, teaching toys and learning books, this is the place to come. From the unique to the hard to find--you'll get it here.

From my early years, I remember having these card board shapes with holes punched in them and string like shoelaces to learn lacing skills. Now this is something that you are not going to find at Target or Wal-Mart but guess where you'll find it? Learning Shop!!!

As more and more people are getting back to the basics, the hot sellers have been games and puzzles. As I had the chance to work with Tom Merryfield and one of the store associates, we all talked about how we have been implementing Family Night at our homes. I think this is terrific and again, God knows all, sees all, hears all and I believe that this time in our life is very much about getting us back to family, love, and simplicity. Living within our means and learning some of these lessons the hard way.

A game that has been selling like "bananas" is Bananagrams!! A game invented by a family that was bored when they went out to eat and needed something to do from the time they ordered their food until it arrived. Similar to scrabble, you have square letter pieces that fit into a bag shaped like a banana. You deal out the letters from the bag to each person playing and you start making words. The size of the game fits easily into a purse to make it ideal for bringing with you out to eat or anywhere else you would wait. Great for camping or even on your boat, it's an easy bring along. Go to www.foxvalleykidsguide.com and click on Learning Shop for more details. It is listed on their home page or better yet, go in and meet the knowledgeable staff and take a look at all they have to offer.