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.

Click here.

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

Oh @indianspringsstatepark you were fun and so pretty! . We had a blast playing on the rocks and wading in the spring...although I think the boys might have stretched the definition of wading to include “at least up to your neck or until Mama starts yelling that you aren’t even supposed to be wet.” 😆 . I think we came at the right time because the temperature was perfection and we got to see the start of some fall color, too! We’ll definitely be making a return visit! . What place have you recently added to your “let’s go here again!” list? ______________ #skoolie #skoolieconversion #skoolielife #skoolienation #schoolbusconversion #livesimple #minimalist #travelingwithkids #travelfamily #dreambiglivetiny #homeonwheels #tinyhousemovement #smallliving #fulltimefamily #schoolbuslife #fulltimer #livingtinyproject #stateparks #georgiastateparks #indiansprings #fulltimervers #gastateparks #momofboyslife #themeasureofus
Meet Jeremy and Jake...the newest members of our extended bus family and the best damn mechanics in South Georgia. . We brought the bus to @hgd_performance after a miserable experience elsewhere and these guys blew us away with their outstanding knowledge, fantastic customer service, and unending commitment to getting the job done right…they even gave up their weekend to make sure we had our bus back as fast as possible. . Instead of treating us like we were small potatoes, they were excited to work on the bus and to build the start of a long relationship with us. They tackled problems with a work ethic that you just don’t find these days. We knew our home was in good hands. . If you are in the Savannah area and need expert mechanical help with your school bus conversion (or to upgrade your diesel), give HGD Performance a call…tell them we sent you. 😉 _________________ #skoolie #skoolieconversion #skoolielife #skoolienation #schoolbusconversion #livesimple #minimalist #travelingwithkids #travelfamily #dreambiglivetiny #homeonwheels #tinyhousemovement #smallliving #fulltimefamily #schoolbuslife #fulltimer #livingtinyproject #hgdperformance #savannahgeorgia #mechanics #performancemechanic #dieselmechanic #buslifeadventure #themeasureofus
This is the one and only thing I am seriously missing about Airbnb life. . Guess who gets to hang out at the laundromat tomorrow? . 😭😭😭😭😭 ____________ #skoolie #skoolieconversion #skoolielife #skoolienation #skooliekids #livesimple #buslife #minimalist #tinyhouseliving #travelingwithkids #prioritize #travelfamily #dreambiglivetiny #homeonwheels #tinyhousemovement #smallliving #schoolbuslife #airbnbphoto #airbnblife #momofboyslife #somuchlaundry #laundryfordays #laundromat #themeasureofus
Could someone please tell me why every Airbnb has a melted spatula? . #arepeoplereallythisbadatcooking #stopburningbreakfast #meltedspatulaseverywhere _________________ #skoolie #skoolieconversion #skoolielife #skoolienation #livesimple #minimalist #travelingwithkids #travelfamily #dreambiglivetiny #homeonwheels #tinyhousemovement #smallliving #fulltimefamily #schoolbuslife #fulltimer #homeschoolmom #minimalismwithkids #livingtinyproject #buslifeadventure #themeasureofus #Airbnb
We’ve spent the last two weeks in an Airbnb. . Jake needed double hernia surgery (he’s fine) and the bus needed to visit the mechanic (it’s fine) and it made the most sense to combine all the repairs (both human and home) into the same timeframe. . So we moved from bus to house and let me tell you...I was nervous about it. . Here we are, just over a month into #buslife...would we *like* being back in a house? Would everyone decide that they hated their bus bunks after getting their own rooms again? Would a huge sectional couch and TVs in every room and a big kitchen and a fenced backyard and space to spread out lure us back to suburban life? . Uh, no. . The kids asked daily if it was time to go back to the bus. Everyone was bored and grumpy after binge watching so much TV. My feet actually hurt from walking all over that house all day. There was too much to clean and take care of. We were all antsy and ready to get back to exploring. We missed our bus. We missed our home. . We’ve got some more time until the mechanic finishes up and Jake is still recovering from surgery, but we can’t wait to get back where we belong. _________________ #skoolie #skoolieconversion #skoolielife #skoolienation #livesimple #minimalist #travelingwithkids #travelfamily #dreambiglivetiny #homeonwheels #tinyhousemovement #smallliving #fulltimefamily #schoolbuslife #fulltimer #homeschoolmom #minimalismwithkids #livingtinyproject #buslifeadventure #themeasureofus #Airbnb #iwanttogohome #travelfamily #airbnblife #travelingwithkids #momofboyslife
I want to show you all the photos I took during our time at @splendoroaks last week. . I want to show you all the huge trees and the hills that my noodle legs were totally not used to trekking up and down and the barn and the chickens/goats/pig and the dogs constantly playing and the other buses and the people who are making those buses into homes and the treehouse and the bell tent and the farm stand and all the community and the friendships and the gang of boy children (6 strong!) who ran through all of it. . But I can’t. . I was too busy enjoying everything to even think about grabbing my camera! And in an extremely rare reaction from me...I didn’t feel like I needed to hide behind a camera lens either. . So you’ll just have to enjoy this farm bouquet that snuck onto my bus (courtesy of Dayna) until next time we get to experience all that Splendor Oaks has to offer...we can’t wait to get back to our spot at the top of the hill. _________________ #skoolie #skoolieconversion #skoolielife #skoolienation #livesimple #minimalist #travelingwithkids #travelfamily #dreambiglivetiny #homeonwheels #tinyhousemovement #smallliving #fulltimefamily #schoolbuslife #fulltimer #homeschoolmom #farmlife #communalliving #splendoroaksfarm #skooliecommunity #farmflowers #tinyhousekitchen #minimalismwithkids #livingtinyproject #buslifeadventure #farmwifelife #themeasureofus
We are having the best time at all these Georgia State Parks and the boys are loving the Junior Ranger program! Bonus that it totally counts as school, too. 😁 . Each state park (and some of the historic sites, too!) has its own booklet to fill out with info about the park and things to look for. It’s best for the elementary school crowd, but even our 3 year old has followed along with his brothers. . We’ve gone on hikes, investigated local wildlife, checked out artifacts, picked up lots of trash, and done our best to help out while enjoying the parks. . Does your state park system have a Junior Ranger program? _________________ #skoolie #skoolieconversion #skoolielife #skoolienation #livesimple #minimalist #travelingwithkids #travelfamily #dreambiglivetiny #homeonwheels #tinyhousemovement #smallliving #fulltimefamily #schoolbuslife #fulltimer #homeschoolmom #homeschoollife #homeschoolers #homeschoolrocks #homeschoolife #homeschoolingboys #homeschoolersofinstagram #homeschooladventures #secularhomeschool #georgiastatepark #minimalismwithkids #livingtinyproject #buslifeadventure #campgroundlife #themeasureofus
We constantly tell the kids, “Try it! You might like it!” for just about everything. . Well...we tried a typical RV park and we didn’t like it. 😆 . We felt *really* out of place and we got as many, “Hey, cool bus!” comments as we did looks of disdain. 😒 It didn’t feel like a cool place to stay and explore, it felt like a parking lot. . But also like we tell the kids...sometimes you’ve got to try things more than once, just to make sure and sometimes you’ve got to do things you don’t love to get to the stuff you do. . So after a glorious week in what might be our new favorite state park (there were trails to hike! squirrels! friendly rangers! nature things! so many squirrels! lots of space to ride bikes without a Mama worrying someone was going to be run over! did I mention the squirrels!), we are back in an RV park. . So tell me, do you like this ⬆️ or (swipe!) that ➡️ better? Tell me all the excellent things I should totally be loving about RV parks! _________________ #skoolie #skoolieconversion #skoolielife #skoolienation #livesimple #minimalist #tinyhouseliving #travelingwithkids #travelfamily #dreambiglivetiny #homeonwheels #tinyhousemovement #smallliving #fulltimefamily #schoolbuslife #doallthethings #fulltimer #homeiswhereyouparkit #tinyhouse #minimalismwithkids #livingtinyproject #buslifeadventure #campgroundlife #roofraise #tryityoulllikeit #rvpark #lifeintheslowlane #thepigeonbus #themeasureofus
We’ve started a new tradition…Fire Fridays! . We have a dinner cooked over the campfire followed by everyone’s favorite…s’mores. The boys check every night to see if it’s a Fire Friday yet and were thrilled when it finally came around again. Last week we had hot dogs, corn on the cob, and watermelon. Tonight we had foil packets filled with sausage and veggies. . Have a favorite campfire recipe? I’d love if you shared it! _________________ #skoolie #skoolieconversion #skoolielife #skoolienation #livesimple #minimalist #tinyhouseliving #travelingwithkids #travelfamily #dreambiglivetiny #homeonwheels #tinyhousemovement #smallliving #fulltimefamily #schoolbuslife #doallthethings #fulltimer #homeiswhereyouparkit #tinyhouse #minimalismwithkids #livingtinyproject #homeonwheels #buslifeadventure #campgroundlife #smores #campfire
Whenever anyone asks about the roof raise, the bunks are always one of the top reasons we give for why we decided to go up 18”. It was a priority that the boys have real livable space, not just a spot to sleep. . And now that we’re all moved in, I’m so glad we took the leap!
. All three boys can hang out in a bunk together. (Although I don’t think this ability will last too much longer!) The bunks are big enough to play, hang out, and even watch a video with their daddy. . (We’ve officially begun week 2 of #buslife and have already hopped to a new campground! Everyone is doing really great…but internet woes are keeping me from sharing as much as I’d like!) _________________ #skoolie #skoolieconversion #skoolielife #skoolienation #livesimple #minimalist #tinyhouseliving #travelingwithkids #travelfamily #dreambiglivetiny #homeonwheels #tinyhousemovement #smallliving #fulltimefamily #schoolbuslife #doallthethings #fulltimer #homeiswhereyouparkit #tinyhouse #minimalismwithkids #livingtinyproject #homeonwheels #buslifeadventure #campgroundlife #roofraise #bunkbeds #momofboys #thepigeonbus #themeasureofus
It’s Day 5 of #buslife and I’m just coming up for air (and enjoying a few rare minutes of internet connection…I need to hear about your favorite mobile hotspots) to show our progress over the last few days. . Surrounded by piles of stuff that hadn’t found a home and dumping Legos out of a pot in order to try and cobble together a meal, I was seriously feeling our bathroom sign on a whole new level. Well shit…so much for being minimalists. 😆 . But then I remembered this picture from way back when…of chubby baby legs and a thrilled toddler (now a toddler and a kindergartner) on the day we went to pick up the bus. Well shit…if we can go from that to this, anything is possible. . And would you look at that! Most stuff has found a home. We purged a little (*why* did we bring along no less than 12 kid cups?!) and ran out to the store to buy a few things we hadn’t thought about (bathmat! dish drainer mat! a broom!). I’ve got a list going for all the things we’ll tackle once we get to @splendoroaks and a few things we need to rethink, but until then…well shit…looks like we’ve got a home. _________________ #skoolie #skoolieconversion #skoolielife #skoolienation #livesimple #minimalist #tinyhouseliving #travelingwithkids #travelfamily #dreambiglivetiny #homeonwheels #tinyhousemovement #smallliving #fulltimefamily #schoolbuslife #doallthethings #fulltimer #homeiswhereyouparkit #tinyhouse #minimalismwithkids #livingtinyproject #homeonwheels #buslifeadventure #campgroundlife #thepigeonbus #themeasureofus
We did it. . It took us 740 days, but here we are....our very first night in the bus. *Our* bus. . Is it totally finished? Uh, no. Everything got crammed in whatever available space there was because the disappointment of a mechanic kept our bus for 5 days and didn’t actually fix anything. It was a mad scramble to get out of the house and to closing. We spent two nights in a hotel and were totally saved by friends who kept all of our stuff. . But here we are. We took what seemed impossible (what *still* seems impossible) and turned a retired school bus into our home. . If you are in the middle of your own conversion...keep going. This feeling is worth every drop of sweat and every moment of doubt. . If you’re already an old skoolie pro...thank you for being an inspiration and unending source of knowledge and friendship. . If you’re dreaming of an entirely different life...you *can* do this, the hardest part is making the decision. Ok, and taking all those damn rivets out...that part sucked. 😂 . Thank you to all of the people in our lives who have cheered us on and shown up to help and listened to the endless bus talk. We love you all and can’t wait to park in your driveways. . 📸: @paggy00271, the best campground neighbor ever. ________________ #skoolie #skoolieconversion #skoolielife #skoolienation #skooliekids #livesimple #buslife #minimalist #tinyhouseliving #travelingwithkids #prioritize #travelfamily #dreambiglivetiny #homeonwheels #tinyhousemovement #smallliving #fulltimefamily #schoolbuslife #campgroundlife #believeyoucan #minimalistfamily #chooseadventure #memoriesoverthings #travelwithkids #740days #skoolielove #thepigeonbus #themeasureofus