If you’ve stumbled onto this corner of the internet, welcome! We’re the Reil family–a blended crew of five boys, two tech-savvy parents, dogs, cats, and a growing flock of chickens learning to coexist on two acres in small-town Michigan. Our days are a mash-up of raising kids, “fixing up” our 1915 colonial home, figuring out this whole “homesteading” thing without any real experience, and balancing full-time tech careers.

So why “All Too Reil”?

Because everything we share–whether it’s a triumph, a fail, or something hilariously in between–is authentically ours. No Pinterest-perfect homestead here. We’ll be documenting the messy middle: an untamed garden, chicken coop misadventures, home projects that take three times longer than planned, and the little wins that make it all worth it.

What can you expect here:

• Homesteading from scratch – gardening, chickens, and maybe goats one day (if we survive the chickens)
• DIY home projects – from small fixes to big renovations, all on a realistic budget
• Life in a blended family – honest, lighthearted stories about raising five boys under one roof
• How we’ve incorporated tech in our everyday – because sometimes your homestead needs a solid Wi-Fi connection more than a new fence
• A healthy dose of humor – because if you can’t laugh at yourself when you plant your tomatoes upside down, you’re doing it wrong

This is our “Hello World” moment–the first post in what we hope will be a long, winding, and entertaining journey. Whether you’re here for the chicken shenanigans, the home projects, the parenting chaos, or just to see if we can actually grow a tomato, we’re glad you’re here.

So pull up a chair, pour yourself a coffee (or something stronger), and let’s get to know each other. After all, life’s too short and too scary not to share the messy, funny, and all-too-real moments that make it worth living.

Welcome to All Too Reil