As we mentioned yesterday, it’s Blogiversary Week — we can hardly believe we’ve been at this for five years. To celebrate, we recorded a typical day from both of our perspectives so you can see what each of us (and even Clara and Burger) are up to at different times. Here’s a look at our day:
6:00 am – 7:30 am
JOHN: While the house is still asleep, I sneak out for a 5-mile run along the river. I’m usually back by 7:30 and nobody even notices I was gone.
7:30 am – 8:00 am
SHERRY: I wake up around 7:45. The house is quiet so I know Clara is still sleeping and John’s not next to me — he probably went for a run. Burger stays in bed, but I head straight to the office where John is already at his desk, squeezing in a few minutes of work between showering and Clara waking up.
SHERRY: I check blog comments and answer a few questions, then glance at my planner. It looks chaotic but it works for me — I jot post ideas, appointments, book promo tasks, deadlines, and other notes. Today I notice I owe a short blurb to a magazine by 2pm, so I tackle that right away so it’s off my plate.
8:00 am – 9:00 am
JOHN: Clara starts to stir, so I say good morning, change her diaper, and sit her down for breakfast. While she eats yogurt, I write a short to-do list for the day and grab the coupons Sherry cut for a grocery run later.
SHERRY: I keep answering comments and Facebook messages, then play with Clara for a little while. Once our mid-morning post goes up, I usually won’t have much time to spend with her, so we carve out a few minutes to connect. She’s great at independent play, but we still tuck in some interactive time — and I might like her play kitchen as much as she does.
SHERRY: After dressing Clara, John and I return to our computers while she plays and teases Burger with a snack.
9:00 am – 10:00 am
JOHN: I make scrambled eggs for us and then get Clara ready for music class. She goes once a week for thirty minutes at a local church — she loves it.
SHERRY: I proofread the post scheduled for 10am. That includes previewing the layout, checking photo alignment, reading the copy a couple times (sometimes more for tutorials), and adding links. We still average a couple typos per post, so careful proofreading helps keep things clean.
JOHN: Clara and I give Sherry a kiss and head out for music class.
SHERRY: I miss Clara’s music class because it overlaps with the 10am post. When the class time shifted earlier, we tried switching who went but it was chaotic: questions piled up and readers got confused when no one was responding. For now we split duties so one of us handles comments while the other attends class. Hopefully next semester the class will be later so we can both go.
10:00 am – 11:00 am
SHERRY: The post goes live at 10 and I moderate comments for the next hour while John and Clara enjoy music class. I can’t wait for them to come home so I can hear Clara’s commentary — she always has the sweetest observations. During class she likes staring at a little Noah’s Ark diorama at the church — she’s obsessed with it. Meanwhile my inbox and comments flood in, and I spend the hour responding to questions and keeping up with readers.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
JOHN: Since we’re already out, Clara and I stop at the grocery store to restock essentials.
SHERRY: I take a break from comments to skim email. It’s often full of sponsor and giveaway messages, book-related items like tour scheduling or fact checks, and sweet reader notes that I save and read aloud to John some evenings. Seeing dozens of new emails at 11am can be overwhelming, so I triage and delete junk to keep things manageable.
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
JOHN: I return from the store with Clara, unload groceries, and she disappears to play with her trains. Sherry and I chat about a new project we want to tackle next week, sketch a plan, and list materials to pick up. I also answer a few sponsor emails and coordinate an upcoming giveaway.
SHERRY: After our planning chat I answer more comments and emails and start drafting the next post — until Clara asks for lunch. She’d been playing at her little desk with crayons and dollhouse pieces, but it’s time to refuel.
SHERRY: We eat together at the dining table. Sometimes it’s soup or sandwiches; today John brought home sushi. Clara has fruit, hummus, crackers, and sneaks a nibble of a roll.
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
JOHN: Back at the computer, I finish emails while Clara plays nearby with books and plastic animals. She often entertains herself but sometimes asks for help. I also let Burger out for his afternoon acorn patrol — he takes that job seriously.
SHERRY: I proof the afternoon post, add links, catch typos, and clarify a few parts before publishing around 2pm. With a few minutes left I squeeze in some train-board time with Clara while Burger moseys over to see what’s happening.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
SHERRY: Two o’clock is nap time for Clara (usually 2–4pm). I change her diaper, tuck her in with the sound machine, close the curtains, kiss her goodnight, and then spend the hour answering comment questions.
JOHN: I work on editing a video we plan to share in a few days. Since we recorded yesterday, I find music, trim long clips, add transitions, and polish the project. It’s our longest video of the year and takes several hours to edit.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
JOHN: I keep editing but we have a three o’clock call about the not-quite-final book tour schedule. We also discuss speaking topics and other launch planning. It turns out that after sending the manuscript, the promotion and event planning picks up where writing left off — the book feels like our third kid.
SHERRY: The call goes the full hour but feels productive. I jump back into comments and plan to write a post once a few quick replies are done.
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 afternoon. With multiple posts each week we juggle writing, editing, photographing, and answering comments continuously — thank goodness for lists.
SHERRY: I check email and respond to a few urgent publisher and accountant questions, then start the post I planned. Ten minutes in Clara wakes up, so I go get her and spend a little time in her room. Even when I’m anxious to finish work, those small pockets of time away from the laptop keep us balanced.
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
SHERRY: I try to write more while Clara plays with a box of spare ribbon nearby — she’s loved ribbon play since she was tiny.
JOHN: Midway through the hour I finish a short call coordinating a complex giveaway, then we all pile into the car for Home Depot. Clara loves that place — she even recognizes the logo and squeals when she sees a commercial. We need supplies for a small bathroom project, so after sketching out what we need, we head out (Burger comes too).
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
SHERRY: At Home Depot we pick up materials while Clara and Burger enjoy riding in the cart shaped like a car.
SHERRY: We stop for dinner at Chipotle nearby so we can walk around the mall afterward and enjoy the evening air. We eat out sparingly and tend to choose fresh options; at home we cook everything from spaghetti to veggie chili.
JOHN: Walking around the mall is nice because Clara loves it and it’s dog-friendly, so Burger can come into some stores with us.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
JOHN: Back home, we enjoy family hour before Clara’s bedtime at 8. We read, scribble with crayons, and talk about our day.
SHERRY: Burger gets energetic at this hour and Clara chases him around the sofa. When 8pm arrives we brush teeth, put on pajamas, and follow the same nap routine for bedtime: sound machine, curtains closed, lights off, kiss, door closed. Clara drifts off under the quilt I made for her.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
JOHN: With Clara asleep, I get back to video editing, post writing, and photo sizing.
SHERRY: I finish posts, proof the next morning’s post, answer emails, and review Reader Redesign submissions — they always inspire me to tackle a new project.
10:00 pm – 12:00 am
JOHN: We often keep our laptops open until around midnight, but we try to relax on the sofa with the TV on in the background. Some nights we work on big DIY projects after bedtime, but tonight it’s mostly computer work.
SHERRY: We watch a bit of TV (The Voice, then Parks & Rec) while I finish the post I’d been drafting throughout the day. Typical posts take 2–3 hours total across writing, editing, and photo work. Giveaways take less time to write but require coordination. Around midnight we finally shut the laptops and get ready for bed.
12:30 am
SHERRY: We climb into bed, recap highlights and challenges of the day, and run through important tasks for tomorrow. Before long we’re out cold with Burger and Bearger curled up beside us.
P.S. If you’re curious how our day has changed over the years, we’ve shared similar rundowns in past years that show the evolution of our routine. Also, because we get asked a lot about blogging professionally — how we built the site, grew our audience, and turned it into a full-time job — we put together detailed guidance about how to start a blog, grow traffic, and make it a career.