one family. one bus.

big on adventure. small on stuff.

Hi! We're a family of 5 (sometimes 6 when we have our bonus child in the mix) on an epic journey to turn a retired school bus into a tiny house on wheels. We'll go from McMansion to Minimalist and you're invited along for the ride.

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The latest.

Blog
Busworthy: Silipints
Busworthy: Silipints
Reset.
Reset.
Better (Almost) Late Than Never.
Better (Almost) Late Than Never.
End of the School Year: How to Make a Clean Start for Summer in 6 Steps.
End of the School Year: How to Make a Clean Start for Summer in 6 Steps.
Mama Don't Need Your Crap: 5 Things to NOT Get This Mother's Day.
Mama Don't Need Your Crap: 5 Things to NOT Get This Mother's Day.
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bus stuff!

See the entire conversion from start to our current state.

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(in a totally non-creepy way, please and thank you.)

When my plans to pick up the bus kitchen while I was alone in Orlando didn’t work out, I had to take a second to come to grips with the fact that it meant I’d have to drive several hours back to IKEA with 3 wiggly boys. Including one deep in the throes of terrible twodom. To pick up an entire kitchen. Without Jake to tag team parent with me to keep everyone entertained through the waiting and boring parts. . But they did awesome. My worries were completely unfounded. We took our time on the drive down and sang along to @imaginedragons and @311 and @thecranberries and @iamlpofficial (because damn those kids are awesome) and took in the change of scenery. . They thought IKEA was delightful and we tested out most of the couches, went back for seconds on the meatballs, and Quill even took a 10 minute snooze in the children’s section while brothers carefully selected a paint set, some vehicles, and a dragon finger puppet. . They considering going into Småland, but they went from iffy when I said I wouldn’t be there, to an absolute no when they found out Quill wouldn’t be allowed to go. “Brothers stick together!” Eli insisted. 😍 . They waited patiently while we put my (and several IKEA workers’) Tetris skills to the test to fit a whole kitchen and a bathroom sink into the back of the van. . Several hours drive back and I’ve officially found a use for our formerly empty living room. 😁 . Most exciting part though...there is a KITCHEN!!! Now we just need to do seventy billion other things so it can be installed. 😆 _________________ #ikeakitchen #skoolie #skoolieconversion #schoolbus #schoolbusconversion #tinyhousekitchen #buildityourself #familyproject #swedishmeatballs #ikeameatballs #momofboyslife #terribletwos #boylife #momofthree #momofthreeboys #blessit #wesurvived #wheresmyallenkey #tetris #adventureisoutthere #makeitanadventure #thepigeonbus #themeasureofus
Modern art or all of the insulation and boards for the floor? I’ll let you decide. 😆 . While I was off playing photographer in Orlando over the weekend, the boys were back at the bus starting on the ceiling framing supports. . A couple of days of heavy rain have revealed a few more leaks that we’ll need to address. We are so over leaks, but I’ll take this over the alternative...finding them after they’ve turned our home into soggy mold central. ________________ #theboringstuff #allpartoftheplan #skoolie #schoolbusconversion #tinyhouseonwheels #theprocess #foamboards #insulation #familyproject #skoolienation #thepigeonbus #damnleaks #leak #onestepforward #twostepsback #themeasureofus
I don’t know how people work in public spaces. . I’m camped out in a @panerabread with a bread bowl and 5 sessions worth of photos to edit from yesterday and this morning while I wait for my next client and I can’t focus (see what I did there) to save my life. . I have to glance up every time someone passes by and I find myself protective of my raw images. Like, “Don’t look! These aren’t ready yet!” . How about you? Can you be productive out in public? __________________ #notworkinglunch #peoplewatching #breadbowl #photoshoplife #photogproblems #cantfocus #itsloudinhere #productivityfail #notgettinganythingdone #workinglunch #notsomuch #sidehustle #themeasureofus
I’m back at one of my favorite places with my camera strapped on again (it’s nice to be back!) to see some past (and a few new!) clients for holiday photos! . Bonus...I get to pick up the kitchen for the bus while I’m down here, too! 😍 ______________ #semiretired #formerphotographer #backtoworkigo #busfunds #familyphotographers #beautifulspot #falldays #historicpark #winterpark #kraftazaleagardens #buswork #sidehustle #backinaction #thepigeonbus #themeasureofus
Just doing a little measuring this morning. 😍 . Eagle eyes will spy some of our unintended work from this weekend. We wanted to spray foam, but instead spent the whole weekend finding and repairing leaks and then waiting for caulk to dry. #frustrating . So instead of twiddling our thumbs, we got the driver’s window replaced, finished removing the (super gross) rotted wood that was under the pedals, and went ahead and took more of the dash out. The heaters didn’t work when we got the bus, so we’re looking into what might be a smart replacement since the heater also works to cool the engine when it has to work harder...important since we’ve got mountain travel plans. 😁 . Swipe for a peek at the craziness that is going on in the other end of the bus. Jake and I work best in 4D, so doodles on paper all eventually become temporary mock ups in the bus. . None of this is permanent, but whoa is it way different to see what those measurements look like in real life. We’ve made some adjustments and solidified some decisions that were up in the air. . We’ve also spent a lot of time just staring at all this in complete “dude, this is a thing that’s happening” disbelief. 😆😂 __________________ #skoolie #schoolbusconversion #schoolbus #tinyhouse #tinyhouseonwheels #minimalistfamily #tinyliving #buildyourownhouse #makingitours #progresspic #thingsarehappening #diyhouse #familyproject #buildingwithkids #dreambigger #thepigeonbus #themeasureofus
We’ve got our first busworthy item! We are so pumped to have found drinkware that is not only busproof, but kidproof and environmentally friendly, too! . Bounce to my bio for a direct link to our full review of @silipint! . Every Skoolie is going to want a set and I’d love to know what other uses my homeschool pals can think of for these! _______________ #silipint #skoolie #schoolbusconversion #busworthy #unbreakable #kidproof #sponsoredpost #schoolbus #skoolielove #skoolienation #thisishowwehomeschool #secularhomeschool #homeschoolrocks #experimentbasedlearning #multiuse #cups #buslife #skoolieconversion #minimalistlifestyle #kidfriendly #campinggear #thepigeonbus #themeasureofus
Dry fitting the original bus seats into their new spots because I need to quadruple check that I’ve got the measurements for the kitchen right. . @ikeausa is having their kitchen sale and we want to take advantage! . The fact that we are at a point where we can actually buy kitchen cabinets is mind blowing. This is happening!! . (I love how Newt the Cute just comes right on in now. He’s ready to be a bus dog!) ______________ #skoolie #schoolbusconversion #schoolbus #originalseats #1993 #tinyhouse #tinyhouseonwheels #buildingourhome #skooliedogz #newtthecute #reusereducerecycle #onestepcloser #ikeakitchen #gettingthereslowly #dreambigger #minimalistlifestyle #minimalistfamily #thepigeonbus #themeasureofus
Coffee for me, tea for them. Egg in a hole for everyone. . We started on The Wild Robot by Peter Brown as our breakfast read aloud a few days ago and all of us are completely charmed by it. . The 7 year old is obsessed, it’s the first time the 4 year old is really paying attention, and even the 2 year old yelled, “more WHOA-BOT!” at the end of yesterday’s chapter. . I’m starting the hunt for what’s next (we like to break series up, so we won’t dive right into the next book) and would love recommendations! . What are you currently reading aloud with your kids? ________________ #thewildrobot #baymax #momslovecoffee #homeschoolbreakfast #readaloudfamily #bravewriterlifestyle #readaloud #familiesthatreadtogether #homeschoolmom #thisiswhathomeschoolinglookslike #momofboys #momofthreeboys #homemadebreakfast #peterbrown #bookrecommendation #wednesdaymorning #homeschoolers #themeasureofus
Dear Children, . In the future, when you’re grown and old, if you ever find yourself thinking of all the things you lacked in your childhood, I ask that you remember the one thing you absolutely never wanted for: . Your own personal submarine porthole. . Remember, Mama loves you. ____________ #skoolie #skoolielove #schoolbus #thinkoutsidethebox #schoolbusconversion #porthole #submarinewindow #lovemyboys #momofboyslife #momofthreeboys #threeboys #familyproject #diyhouse #tinyhouseonwheels #buildityourself #bunkhouse #dreambigger #thepigeonbus #theseboys #makeitwork #themeasureofus
Someone asked how big the tub was, and the answer is “big enough for this to happen.” 😂😂😂😂 . Rub a dub...three men in a tub! 😆🛁🧒👦👶 _________________ #momofboys #boymomlife #momofthreeboys #brothers_for_life #homeschoolkids #bathtub #skoolie #skoolieconversion #thatsright #schoolbus #ourhouse #diyhouse #tinyhouselife #thinkoutsidethebox #makeitwork #fridayfun #theseboys #thepigeonbus #themeasureofus
Oh you know...just hanging out in the bus. With the water tank (!!!) and the tub (!!!) and the windows (!!!!) 😁😁😁😁 _______________ #thepigeonbus #workinprogress💪 #updates #rvwindows #skoolie #skoolieconversion #tinyhousebuild #schoolbusconversion #stocktank #seeinside #gettingthereslowly #tinyhouseonwheels #minimalistfamily #lessstuffmorelife #familieswhotravel #themeasureofus
We took a break from buswork and schoolwork to celebrate our smallest guy turning 2.5. . Celebrating half birthdays with half a cake is one of my favorite family traditions. . What’s a not-so-typical-tradition that you have in your family? ______________ #halfbirthday #halfacake #momofboys #vanillacake #mintfrosting #familytraditions #asktheaudience #outofthenorm #homeschoolfamily #twoandahalf #cutietoddler #bettertogether #momof4 #thislife #themeasureofus