As we mentioned yesterday, it’s Blogiversary Week — hard to believe we’ve been doing this for half a decade. To celebrate, we recorded a typical day in our lives from both perspectives so you can see what each of us (and Clara and Burger) are usually up to. Here’s the day:
6:00 am – 7:30 am
JOHN: The house is quiet, so I slip out for a five-mile run along the river. I’m back by 7:30 and nobody even notices I was gone.
7:30 am – 8:00 am
SHERRY: I wake up around 7:45 and, hearing the silence, assume Clara is still asleep and that John went for a run. Burger stays in bed. I head straight to the office and find John at his desk, squeezing in a few minutes of work before shower and before Clara wakes.
SHERRY: I answer a few blog comments, then check my planner. It looks chaotic to outsiders, but it’s how I keep track of post ideas, appointments, book promo tasks, deadlines, and the like. Today I see I owe a short blurb to a magazine by 2pm, so I write it immediately to avoid scrambling later.
8:00 am – 9:00 am
JOHN: I hear Clara stir, say good morning, change her diaper, and sit her down for breakfast. While she eats yogurt, I map out my day — a few quick tasks and the coupons Sherry clipped for a grocery run later.
SHERRY: I continue responding to comments and Facebook questions, then play with Clara for a bit before the morning post goes live around 10am. Clara can play independently, but we treasure those intentional moments of interaction. (I might love her little play kitchen as much as she does.)
SHERRY: Once Clara’s dressed, John and I return to our computers while she plays and teases Burger with a snack.
9:00 am – 10:00 am
JOHN: I scramble eggs for breakfast before we head off to Clara’s weekly 30-minute music class at a local church (Musikgarten). She loves it.
SHERRY: I proofread the post scheduled for 10am. Proofing means previewing the layout, checking photo alignment, and reading the text multiple times to catch typos or unclear instructions. I add links where needed — we still catch a couple of typos per post, so these checks matter.
JOHN: Clara and I kiss Mom goodbye and head to music class.
SHERRY: I usually have to miss music class now because it coincides with our 10am post and the flood of comments that follow. When the class was later in the day we both went, but with the schedule change it’s easier for one of us to manage comments while the other attends. Hopefully next semester lines up differently so we can both go again.
10:00am – 11:00 am
SHERRY: I publish the morning post and spend the next hour moderating and responding to comments while John and Clara enjoy class. Clara loves to stare at a small Noah’s Ark diorama at the church — she always lingers there before and after class. Meanwhile, more than two hundred comments roll in and I try to answer as many as I can.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
JOHN: Since we’re out, Clara and I stop at the grocery store to pick up essentials.
SHERRY: I take a breather from comments and skim email, deleting obvious junk so the inbox count goes down. Midday inboxes often include sponsor and giveaway messages, book-related items like tour scheduling or fact-checks, and sweet reader letters that we save and read aloud to each other for a lift.
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
JOHN: I return with groceries and unload while Clara plays with her trains. Sherry and I discuss a new project we want to start next week and make a short plan of what we’ll need. I send a few sponsor emails and prepare images for an upcoming giveaway.
SHERRY: After our planning chat, I answer more comments and emails and start drafting a post when Clara asks for lunch. She’s been happily playing at her desk with crayons and in her dollhouse, but it’s time to eat.
SHERRY: We eat together — often simple meals like soup, deli sandwiches, or hummus and flatbread — but John picked up sushi at the store today. Clara eats tomatoes, grapes, hummus, crackers, and a small bite of a California roll.
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
JOHN: After lunch I wrap up emails while Clara runs in and out, playing with books and little plastic animals. She mostly entertains herself but checks in occasionally. I let Burger out for some acorn-hunting — he takes that job seriously.
SHERRY: I finish proofreading the afternoon post (which typically goes up between 2:00 and 2:30), add links, correct typos, and clarify confusing bits. With a few minutes left, I squeeze in playtime with Clara on her train board while Burger wanders over to see what’s happening.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
SHERRY: At 2pm Clara naps (she usually sleeps from about 2–4). I change her diaper, tuck her in with the same quick routine we use for naps (sound machine, curtains, lights off, kiss, door closed), and return to answering comments.
JOHN: I begin editing footage for our upcoming Q&A video. Since we recorded short clips yesterday, I trim the clips, choose music, add transitions and titles, and generally clean things up. It’s our longest video of the year and usually takes a few hours to finish.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
JOHN: I’m in the editing groove but we have a 3pm call about our book tour schedule and related plans — topics like speaking points, event logistics, and press. Even after submitting the manuscript, planning the launch keeps us busy; the book feels like our “third kid.”
SHERRY: The call runs the hour, but we make solid progress. I jump back into moderating comments and intend to write a post once I wrap up a few quick replies.
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
JOHN: I return to video editing and spend the last 15 minutes resizing photos for a post scheduled for tomorrow. With our pace of publishing, we’re always balancing finishing posts, writing new ones, and handling ongoing comments — which is why Sherry’s lists keep us organized.
SHERRY: I check a few urgent emails from our publisher and accountant, then start drafting a post. Ten minutes in, Clara wakes, so I go spend a little time with her in her room. Even when a deadline looms, those quiet moments together are restorative.
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
SHERRY: Back in the office, I try to make progress on that post while Clara plays with a box of spare ribbon nearby — a favorite pastime that’s adorable to watch.
JOHN: Midway through, Clara’s ready to get out of the house. I take one more call to coordinate a complex giveaway and then we all pile into the car, Burger included, to head to Home Depot for material for a small bathroom project.
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
SHERRY: At Home Depot we pick up supplies while Clara and Burger enjoy the car-shaped cart ride.
SHERRY: We stop at a nearby mall for dinner at Chipotle and take a walk afterward to enjoy the evening air. We eat out sparingly and usually choose fresh, simple spots; at home our meals range from spaghetti and perogies to veggie chili or rotisserie chicken.
JOHN: The mall is dog-friendly, so Burger can come along as we stroll — Clara loves it.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
JOHN: Back home, we have family hour before Clara’s bedtime at eight. We read, scribble with crayons, and talk about the day.
SHERRY: Burger is usually energized at this hour and Clara chases him around the sofa. At 8pm we follow the same bedtime routine we use for naps: teeth brushing, pajamas, sound machine, curtains, lights out, a kiss, and the door closed. Clara snuggles under the quilt I made and drifts toward sleep.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
JOHN: With Clara asleep we do a lot of our work in the evening. Tonight I continue video editing and prepare images for posts.
SHERRY: I finish and proof posts for the next day, reply to emails, and review Reader Redesign submissions — browsing those inspires a million project ideas. Most posts take a couple of hours total between writing and editing photos.
10:00 pm – 12:00 am
JOHN: We usually work with laptops until around midnight but try to keep it relaxed by sitting on the sofa with the TV on. Some nights we shift gears and do larger DIY projects instead of computer work, but tonight we stay put.
SHERRY: We watch a bit of TV — The Voice and Parks & Rec — while I finish the post I’ve been working on all day. Around midnight we finally close our laptops and head to bed, exhausted but satisfied.
12:30 am
SHERRY: John, Burger, and I climb into bed and recap the day’s highlights and tasks for tomorrow — a quick rundown of building or painting to finish, posts to write or proof, and calls to take. Before long we’re asleep, with Burger and Bearger curled up beside us.
Psst — You can compare how our routine has changed over the years by checking out last year’s and earlier “day in the life” rundowns.
Update — We often get questions about professional blogging: how we built the site, grew the audience, and turned it into a full-time job. We shared those details in a post about how to start a blog, grow traffic, and monetize it.