The Coletti Bozeman Camping Coffee Pot

 The Coletti Bozeman Coffee Pot

We love this coffee pot.  

It percolates on a gas stove (works on an electric as well) and allows us to make great pot of coffee, 

even if we are boon-docking.  

The longer you percolate, the stronger it gets, so be aware.  

We brew on a medium to low heat once the water starts to boil.   

That helps keep grounds from spilling over into the coffee.  

BUT, you may get a few grounds so, whoever doesn't mind cowboy coffee, give them the first pour.

Sleek and shiny, and well-crafter.  

And, we love Bozeman, Wyoming, so there's that!

Click here to buy!

What to Do for Free or on the Cheap in the Houston Area

When you travel full-time, and homeschool three children, you spend a great deal of bandwidth researching free, cheap, and interesting, educational, memorable places to visit. I hope to provide a resource of these places so you can spend your time on better things.  If I get to them, I'll tell you about them.

We are spending some time outside of Houston in the Galveston, TX area.  It's gorgeous and, so far, chock full of lots of great things to do for the kids.

Being the frugal family that we are, we try to find educational opportunities that won't warp the wallet.  We've located a few freebies or reduced-fee choices for family and educational fun. 

Visit the...

Houston Zoo
Free on the First Tuesday of every month: 2pm - close
or
if you possess a Bank of America account
Sat 10am - 7pm or Sun 10am - 7pm

Houston Children's Museum
Free Thursdays 5pm - 8pm
or
if you possess a Bank of America account
Say 10 - 6pm or Sun 12 - 6pm (FIRST weekend of the month only: only the account holder gets in for free)

The Museum of Fine Arts; Houston
Free Thursdays 10am - 9pm
or
if you possess a Bank of America account
Sat 10 - 7pm or Sun 12:15 - 7pm

Houston Museum of Natural History
Free Thursdays 2pm - 5pm

Houston Health Museum
Free Thursdays 2pm - 5pm 
or 
with Ecotarium Card, Free entry anytime.

Weather Museum
Free Thursdays 12pm - 4pm

Buffalo Soldiers Museum
Free Mondays 10am - 5pm


Free Tours:
Mrs. Baird's Bakery
St. Arnold Brewing Company


All the beaches in Galveston have free parking and access to the beaches.  Visit the beach right across from Fort Crockett Seawall Park to see the rock sculptures created by visitors...and create your own.

If books are your thing, get a temporary library card at Rosenberg Library in Galveston and check out their free programs while checking-out a great book.

Take a free ferry ride from Galveston Island to Port Bolivar!  It is a 2.7 mile, 18 minute trip to miles of beaches and small shops.

Visit The Strand in Galveston for shoppes and people watching.   The port of Galveston is there and you may see a cruise ship or two.  Check out La King's Confectionary, Taffy and Fudge Making shop...stand outside the shoppe to watch confections being made from scratch.  You may even get a sample or two!  

Are you a chess fan?  Grab a coffee or daiquiri and play life-size chess in Saengerfest Park, right on The Strand.  

If you are a Bank of America customer, you can gain free access to many museums across the country on the weekends....Museum Visits.

Stay tuned for more things to do in the Houston/Galveston area, as we have only been here a week and a half.


I will be checking in to see if you can get free passes from the library.

APPS and Internet and Travel

When you move your home from month to month, especially heading to areas to which you have never been, you put trust in others' opinions and what you read on the internet.  We utilize a few tools when we choose a destination and campground.

Our basic rules are that we want to travel no more than 350 - 400 miles each day when we head to a new place.  We choose areas that we are interested in seeing.  We don't want to only drive interstates; we like to get off and take roads that give us something to look at...but, this can have its perils when it comes to low bridges, construction, and sketchy neighborhoods.

Steve does the research on campgrounds, then we talk about them.

RVParkReveiws.com  is his first stop.

Then, there are Google searches to see if anyone has had any issues with the place.

If a campground doesn't have a website, we dismiss it.

When we narrow down the search to a few possibilities, we check out the surrounding areas to see if they are places we'd feel safe.  (Traveling the country brings a slew of dangers, but that's another post.)
Wiki has city and town stats, including salary level and crime.

Often, our choice is a place that is the hub of the places we want to visit, so that driving to sightsee or engage in museums, fairs, parks, etc, isn't a 5 hour project.


Once we make a choice, and hit the road, it's to the iPhones and some great apps that get us through the trip.

         

Planning

               Google Maps                                                                   

RV Park Reviews

Driving

 

What's coming up at the next several exits on the interstate;  food, fuel, lodging, rest stops, rv & truck friendly? 

What are the prices/ locations of fuel where I want to go?

Where is the next  Travel America truck stop?

Where is the next Pilot truck stop?

Route planner, locations, check your points.

Where is the next Love's truck stop?

Trip Advisor: Locate hotels, things to do, and restaurants.

Keep a journal of the trip; get city guides for cities around the world.

Important while traveling...keeping up with the weather.

Radar, alerts, forecasts, etc.

Community-based  traffic and navigation app; talk with others  about traffic, gas prices, construction, and speed traps.

Destination

Use this when you head to D.C.

iTrans D.C. Metro

GO NOLA...New Orleans

History Here...find the historical places around you

Other Stuff

Cop Radio: listen to local police radio

Police Scanner: listen to local police radio

See who is living nearby 

LegoLand

In early December, we visited LegoLand Florida.  I have to say, awesome place!  We originally were going to head there in late November but realized they had Homeschool Days at a fraction of the price...$8 for each student and $25 per adult.   We saved over $90 for the 6 people that went.  They do require home school verification of some sort.

Now, if you do not homeschool, you still will enjoy a LegoLand visit and there are plenty of coupons out there to save money.  Life Cereal as well as Lego Magazine, and sources online, give coupons for one free child per adult.  Adults are $64, children are $59 (online).  So, if you have the coupons, which you WILL find, you are really only paying for the adults and any extra children.

It's a great park.  Very clean.  And, here's a tip...get there at least 20 minutes or so before the park opens.  Get right in line.  Have your kid(s) charm the turnstile-ladies and maybe, just maybe, your children will get chosen to open the park.  A thrill for them, free lunch for 4 and a free picture for you.

At the very least, there are some fun rides, and some really awesome Lego sculptures.

But, one thing you HAVE to plan for, that we didn't save enough time for, is the Lego Imagination Center, most importantly the Lego Build & Test.  Here, kids play with Legos to create wheeled structures and then test them on various types of ramps.  This activity coincides with STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Besides this activity, you can also sign your children up for a science lesson with Legos. Right there at the Imagination Center.  Worth it.  Look into it.

Homeschool Florida Days:  

Feb 11, 2013

March 11, 2013

April 15, 2013

May 13, 2013

Homeschool California Days:  

Feb 11, 2013

March 11, 2013

April 15, 2013

May 20, 2013

   Large groups can also get concierge tours.