Chaos in the Backyard

Welcome to Chaos in the Backyard. Real Life between Sports, Animals, and Everything in Between. Real life is messy here, but in the best way.

Most mornings for me start with running shoes on and as long as my Roomba did it’s thing overnight, no mud or dirt sprinkled (or really dumped) throughout the house.

My work lunchbag and bookbag are both half-packed on the counter, my big is asking if he is bus or club/latchkey, while my little is eating his cocoa puffs. I’m in the middle of all of it trying to remember if there is anything going on today that I am forgetting.

Most days feel like a blur…
a quick (mostly not so quick) run before the rest of the house wakes up,
husband and kids waking up and getting ready for the day,
animals waiting outside,
and me…

That’s life here.

Hi, I’m Lida. The human behind Chaos in the Backyard.

I’m a mom of two boys, a wife, a teacher, and someone currently training for a marathon while juggling everything else life throws at me.

Our home is full of chaos.

– A horse who demands attention in the worst possible ways (typical horse behavior, always ending up hurt)

– Egg layers that think I exist only for fruit and veggie scraps from the day before (and yes, meat birds are coming soon)

– Two dogs that are living their best lives

– Two boys who live and breathe sports, soccer mostly, AND anything with a motor and dirt involved

– A husband who is always ready to figure something out, fix what’s broken (most of the time it’s because the boys or I broke it), or jump in to whatever project is next. He’s the kind of person who’s down to explore anything with us, no matter how crazy and chaotic it gets, and an absolutely amazing father and partner in all of this.

It’s the backyard version of life. Messy, loud, unpredictable, and somehow where everything important happens. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Our life doesn’t slow down. It just keeps moving.

This space isn’t about perfection. It’s not staged. And it definitely isn’t quiet…ask my neighbors on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

Chaos in the Backyard is what happens when real life is life-ing all at once: kids to raise, a husband to love, animals to care for, meals to get on the table, training runs squeezed into early mornings, and everything else that doesn’t fit neatly into a schedule

If you stick around here, you’ll find real-life help for real-life days.

• Simple weekly meal plans that fit our busy schedule
• Family routines that work when life is anything but routine
• Homestead progress…wins, mistakes, and everything in between
• Easy food ideas for nights when everyone is tired and hungry
• Life as a busy sports family, figuring out practices, games, races, and chaos
• And honest moments from training, parenting, and everything outside in the backyard

Nothing fancy. Just what works, or doesn’t, in real life.

If your life feels full, loud, messy, or like you’re constantly trying to keep up, then you’re in the right place.

There’s no perfect version of life here.

Just real people, real animals, real schedules… and a lot of learning as we go.

Welcome to Chaos in the Backyard.

You’re welcome here exactly as you are.