Rollin' With My Nomies

16/06/2016

Of all the things that we bought to prepare for this trip, this $50 was possibly the most valuable. If you spend a lot of time in the car, it might be right for you, too.

With two young kids being asked to ride all over the country, we made the choice to let them watch videos and play games in the truck on their phones (our old phones without service). Using this mini travel router from HooToo ($18) and a tiny 128GB USB drive ($31), the kids can play Minecraft together on an always-there, private WiFi network. Or they can choose to watch one of the many shows we've loaded onto the drive. It will work with any USB drive, but this one is so small that it will never get in the way or risk being snapped off.

Our HooToo model requires power from USB (we plug into a cigarette lighter), but they also sell a similar model that has a built in battery you can charge ahead of time. If we weren't always in the truck, we probably would have opted for that one instead, but with two big batteries under the hood, this thing stays on and running all the time, even if we are not in the truck. There is no internet access unless I tether the HooToo to my phone's hotspot, so there is no concern of accidentally seeing something inappropriate, or using all of the data on our cell plan. Having an actual router also means that we can setup some sort of security to reduce concerns you should have about public WiFi.

If you're a business traveller, this HooToo router is also really good for connecting in your hotel room or to Starbucks WiFi to create a small network that is somewhat more secure and shareable with friends or coworkers. If I travelled a lot for work, I can see tossing one of these in the bag for "just in case".

Since our truck is named Stella, we also named the network that the HooToo creates Stella. So the 7yo regularly refers to the router as Stella and the mini USB drive as "Stella's brain".

These links are affiliate links, so if you happen to buy one we get a couple cents, but that's definitely not the reason for this post. Having used this setup for the last several months, I think it's something to be considered by every parent who has made the choice to let their kids use technology to entertain themselves. Check it out.

HooToo: http://j.mp/1UXIplb
USB drive: http://j.mp/28HYXIp

HooToo also provides a resolution for you to

27/05/2016

Our stay in Vegas was fantastic! We did a lot of walking and saw so many amazing things. The first Sunday in Vegas we attended Praise Tabernacle and it was very nice. When we drove up the building was rather impressive and had multiple buildings including a building specifically for Sunday School. We also noticed that there were five different churches listed on the sign out front and we eventually found out that those five churches use the facility together and each church gets a time on Sunday and one weeknight for services. [ 1551 more words. ]

http://rollinwithmynomies.com/2016/05/15/weeks-26-and-27-new-york-venice-paris-and-a-vegas-wedding/

Our stay in Vegas was fantastic! We did a lot of walking and saw so many amazing things. The first Sunday in Vegas we attended Praise Tabernacle and it was very nice. When we drove up the building …

09/05/2016

Our second week in Needles was rather uneventful. The weather was super hot for this time of year so we stayed home, either in the AC or in the pool. Finally on Saturday the 15th we made the drive to Williams, AZ -- a quaint little town on Historic Route 66. We all agreed that the main drag reminded us all of Radiator Springs, from the… [ 1905 more words. ]

http://rollinwithmynomies.com/2016/05/01/weeks-23-25-canyons-trains-and-family/

Our second week in Needles was rather uneventful. The weather was super hot for this time of year so we stayed home, either in the AC or in the pool. Finally on Saturday the 15th we made the drive …

11/04/2016

I have to begin by apologizing for being absent for a while! The last few months we have been moving more often and I have gotten so far behind that I am going to call this post my "catch up" post! I am going to catch you up and then commit to posting on a more regular basis. To make it up to you, we've added a… [ 3514 more words. ]

http://rollinwithmynomies.com/2016/04/11/weeks-15-through-22-we-declare-blog-bankruptcy/

I have to begin by apologizing for being absent for a while! The last few months we have been moving more often and I have gotten so far behind that I am going to call this post my “catch up&…

10/04/2016

When we decided to take this trip, one of the things we most looked forward to was having visitors! On Thursday, my parents and my sister, Katie, came into town! We had planned to meet in Gulf Shores, AL, but the RV Resort that we chose was about 6 miles north of that in Foley, AL. It is a small town so my family had to fly into Mobile, and drive to Foley. [ 807 more words. ]

http://rollinwithmynomies.com/2016/04/10/week-14-gulf-shores-with-larsons/

When we decided to take this trip, one of the things we most looked forward to was having visitors! On Thursday, my parents and my sister, Katie, came into town! We had planned to meet in Gulf Shor…

10/04/2016

Today marks five months on the road for the Isaacs family!!

In celebration of that, I am about to publish a blog post that Kelly wrote about two months ago.... :-/

Plus there's another in the queue. We'll be caught up soon!

15/03/2016

Week 13: A Week of Firsts at Disney

http://rollinwithmynomies.com/2016/02/09/week-13-a-week-of-firsts-at-disney/

This was a week we had really been waiting for. After hanging out in Florida for two months we were finally going on a vacation, and it was at Disney World! When we arrived in Orlando, we weren& #82…

19/02/2016

Life is about moments. Moments that knock your socks off, moments that make you grateful for all that you have, moments that make you cry tears of joy, and moments that make you quietly smile and the last two weeks have been full of a plethora of these moments. The week started off with my baby turning seven! It was a Sunday so we got up and attended church with the Carini's at… [ 1203 more words. ]

http://rollinwithmynomies.com/2016/01/30/weeks-11-and-12-birthdays-mermaids-and-a-visitor/

Life is about moments. Moments that knock your socks off, moments that make you grateful for all that you have, moments that make you cry tears of joy, and moments that make you quietly smile and t…

10/02/2016

It was exactly three months ago today that we left Wisconsin. Tomorrow a little Wisconsin is coming to visit us. Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Katie are coming to visit for a few days. :)

Also, I know the blog has been a little quiet lately, but we've got a couple posts nearly ready to go. More updates are coming soon!

21/01/2016

You might have noticed that we never got around to updating the blog last week. On one hand it feels like nothing is going on, yet we find all of our time taken. Looking back over the last couple weeks, though, I see that we really did do a lot of things after all. Most of them involve manatees. Manatees are a big deal in this area. [ 2126 more words. ]

http://rollinwithmynomies.com/2016/01/21/weeks-9-and-10-manatees-everywhere/

You might have noticed that we never got around to updating the blog last week. On one hand it feels like nothing is going on, yet we find all of our time taken. Looking back over the last couple w…

07/01/2016

We're thinking of adding a new "What's it like?" series to the blog in addition to our regular weekly(ish) updates. We'd answer questions from you about life on the road and living in a trailer. Please let us know what you think or if you have any questions about our nomadic family. You can comment below or message one of us.

07/01/2016

I can't believe another week has passed! This past week was a hot one with temperatures soaring into the high 80's. Everyone around here is telling us that this has been the warmest winter Florida has seen in years! We are ok with that! To beat the heat, we spent time everyday at the pool. Brytan has really progressed in his swimming this month and is not wearing floaties at all anymore. [ 723 more words. ]

http://rollinwithmynomies.com/2016/01/06/week-8-happy-new-year-and-moving-on/

I can’t believe another week has passed! This past week was a hot one with temperatures soaring into the high 80’s. Everyone around here is telling us that this has been the warmest win…

28/12/2015

This was a big week for us. There was one question that we got over and over while this trip was still in the planning phase. Well, there were many, but this one was one of the most common questions I heard before leaving Wisconsin. What are you going to do for Christmas? Were we going to come back to Wisconsin to spend the holiday with Kelly's family? [ 1351 more words. ]

http://rollinwithmynomies.com/2015/12/27/week-7-christmas/

This was a big week for us. There was one question that we got over and over while this trip was still in the planning phase. Well, there were many, but this one was one of the most common question…

22/12/2015

Merry Christmas! Our week started off in perfect fashion, at Disney World. Since we have such little space in the trailer we decided to treat the kids to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party as part of their Christmas gifts this year. The park closes early, but, with special tickets, the event starts at 7pm. When I was researching online I found multiple blogs that referenced the fact that the gates were actually open to the event at 4pm! [ 879 more words. ]

http://rollinwithmynomies.com/2015/12/22/week-6-christmas-parties-with-mickey-and-wekiva/

Merry Christmas! Our week started off in perfect fashion, at Disney World. Since we have such little space in the trailer we decided to treat the kids to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party a…

17/12/2015

This week has been one big countdown! The kids were so excited to go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Disney World on Sunday, and each day was another number to cross off. Sunday morning we attended church at The Pentecostals of Apopka and it was wonderful! The people were very friendly, the music was great and the preaching sincere. [ 800 more words. ]

http://rollinwithmynomies.com/2015/12/12/week-5-baking-swimming-painting-and-pops/

This week has been one big countdown! The kids were so excited to go to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Disney World on Sunday, and each day was another number to cross off. Sunday mor…

07/12/2015

In some ways it seems like just yesterday that we were waving our goodbyes to Camp Jasper and South Carolina. Then when we talk about all that we’ve done in the last seven days it seems like ages ago. We hit the road Sunday mid-morning and started south through Georgia. The eastern edge of Georgia, where we were driving, is fairly short and after just a few hours we were crossing into Florida. [ 1728 more words. ]

http://rollinwithmynomies.com/2015/12/06/week-4-pirates-forts-and-birthdays/

30/11/2015

22/11/2015

My first blog post.....

So we have found that we have a really hard time following a schedule. Between the potty breaks for the kids, the potty breaks for the dog, the “oh let’s just stop at that pretty place …

15/11/2015

Well, we did it. We finally hit the road. After a few delays at home, we finally pulled out of town early Tuesday afternoon. (See photo gallery below.) We definitely underestimated how much stuff we had to pack, both into the trailer as well as into storage. Until Sunday afternoon I had been sure that we would be leaving on Monday morning, but we spent most of Monday doing all of the little things. [ 630 more words. ]

http://rollinwithmynomies.com/2015/11/14/week-1-wisconsin-to-ohio-to-tennessee/

Well, we did it. We finally hit the road. After a few delays at home, we finally pulled out of town early Tuesday afternoon. (See photo gallery below.) We definitely underestimated how much stuff w…

09/11/2015

The last mile is the longest. It feels like we'll never finish getting everything packed away.

So close...

Tomorrow morning we hit the road. :)

07/11/2015

So. Excited.

The day is almost here. Today was my last day in the office and the last day of school for the kids.

Now time for a little going away party. :)

30/10/2015

Rigby is going to live with Nana and Pops in California tomorrow. 9yo is having a hard time with that tonight. The dog is older than her. She's never *not* had her as a friend. :(

26/10/2015

Things are suddenly becoming very real. We've had the trailer for about 6-7 weeks now. We've taken a shake down trip to make sure everything works like we expect. We've started selling and donating and throwing out lots of stuff. We've taken a bunch to storage. We still have a long way to go, but our basement is finally starting to get empty. [ 144 more words. ]

http://rollinwithmynomies.com/2015/10/25/things-are-getting-real-now/

Things are suddenly becoming very real. We’ve had the trailer for about 6-7 weeks now. We’ve taken a shake down trip to make sure everything works like we expect. We’ve started se…

10/10/2015

Our first blog post, with many more to follow. Hoping to improve the site over time.

Want to hear something crazy? This is our new house. My name is Scott. My wife, Kelly, and our kids, Charlie and Brytan, have decided to take the plunge. After years of thinking about it and puttin…