A Day In The Life Of A Home Blogger: a house log
As we mentioned yesterday, it is Blogiversary Week, baby (still cannot believe it is been four whole years). And since we shared a day in the life during our last annual celebration (and about a year before that too) it is time for this year’s breakdown (similarities: no day is ever the same, differences: now we have a toddler running around and a 260+ page book we are writing on the side). This year we had lively recording a full day from both of our perspectives so you can see what each of us (and even Clara and Burger) may be doing at any given time. Woop, here it is:
7:30 am – 8:00 am
JOHN: Clara’s awake early sufficient (7:30) and the weather’s good sufficient (and I have sufficient energy) to take Clara on a run in the ol’ jogging stroller around the neighborhood. After changing her diaper, filling up her milk, and grabbing some goldfish for her to snack on we hit the road. I manage to squeeze in four miles and return home within about 40 minutes.
SHERRY: I wake up around 7:45 and the house is too quiet so I know John and Clara are on a run. Burger stays in bed, but I drag my butt up and walk straight to the office and sit down in front of the computer. I am not ready to make major decisions like which t-shirt I will wear today or what I will have for breakfast, so I check journal comments and answer a few questions instead. I also glance at my planner which consistently looks like this. I know it is crazy, but it makes sense to me (I use it to write notes about post ideas, appointments/calls we have, book stuff that is due, deadlines for our BabyCenter & Do It Yourself magazine columns, etc). I check what is going on for the day and notice that I have a call with USA Today at 2pm for a furniture painting article they are writing (they simply want a swift quote) so I set my phone alarm to go off at 1:58 so I do not forget.
8:00 am – 9:00 am
JOHN: After returning from my run around 8:30 I take a swift shower and make breakfast for everyone (yogurt for Clara, two scrambled eggs for Sherry, and a bowl of cereal for me).
SHERRY: I continue answering comments and Facebook questions until John gets home from his run with Clara and I get to smooch that face. Well, both faces in fact. I play with Clara a little bit while John takes a shower and makes breakfast (we read books and do some highly coordinated dancing). Yes, this is a picture of me in my pjs answering comments. Gotta keep it real. I am still not dressed.
9:00 am – 10:00 am
JOHN: I watch Clara while Sherry does journal stuff. We read books, play with a ball and a car, and she helps me put in a load of laundry. She loves laundry.
SHERRY: This whole hour feels like it is a minute. I spend it proofing the morning’s post which typically goes up between 9:30 and 10:00. On this specific morning it goes up right at ten because I need the whole hour to proof read. Proofing typically involves previewing what we wrote to make sure photos are centered and reading it through at least two times (sometimes three times if it is a detailed walkthrough- simply to make sure things make sense and are in order and I have not written “somebody punch me” when I mean “somebody pinch me”). I also add links to things that I reference and additional info if I think something needs more explaining. We still average about two typos a post so I cannot imagine how bad it would be if I did not read things through beforehand.
10:00 am- 11:00 am
JOHN: I continue to hang out with Clara while Sherry does more journal stuff (we do more reading, play outside with a ball, and read even more books). Most mornings involve the me-with-Clara ritual since Sherry typically answers comment questions, which roll in furiously in the morning (she has better recall for the “where did you get X” and the “how much did that cost” queries). Although sometimes we switch. Every day truly is distinct (so I might have more Clara time or more project time one day and Sherry may have more of it the next day).
SHERRY: I am on comment duty the whole hour. Over two hundred of them roll in over the course of an hour, so I furiously try to keep up and answer every single question we get (and delete the occasional spam message that sneaks in there). Here is a screen grab that I snapped when I got it down to 30 pending comments, which is typically when I can breathe again.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
JOHN: I start measuring and planning for our next project, which is to add trim/molding to the bottom of our wall to wall desk to make it look more built-in. After taking measurements, pow-wowing with Sherry about ideas, and drawing a swift sketch to keep things straight, I head off to Lowe’s to grab the trim that I need. (NOTE: This is what happens after Sherry says I do not look “dynamic sufficient” taking trim out of the car).
SHERRY: Eleven o’ clock means it is time for Clara’s morning nap, so I take a break from the computer to change her diaper and “tuck her in” (which truly simply involves turning off the light, closing her blinds, turning on her sound machine, and saying “sweet dreams”). While John is measuring and running his errand I toss on real clothes (jeans and a black t-shirt) and hop back on comment duty since around 80 more have rolled in before noon.
I also glance at my email but it is too overwhelming so I simply skim the page and delete the junk mail so the number in my inbox gets slightly less intimidating…because seeing 76 new emails at 11am (!!!) when there were none the night before can make ya crazy. A lot of it is sponsor and giveaway stuff that we have to manage along with book stuff or column stuff for Hands-on mag/Babycenter. Mixed in there are sweet reader letters that we enjoy. I star those and read them out loud to John a few evenings a week so he can share the warm fuzzies with me.
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
JOHN: Clara’s still napping (she typically gives us about an hour to an hour and a half) so Sherry and I meet up to chat about what we think about a few trim options/methods for the base of our new desk and I go down to the basement to make some cuts to see how trim looks around one cabinet before cutting the rest of it. I also swiftly check email and coordinate the next week’s giveaway and send a few sponsor renewal notices.
Sherry – I have a little meeting with John about the trim, answer more journal comments, get through a few emails and am simply about to begin writing a post for the next day when Clara wakes up at 12:30. So I change her diaper and hang out with her while John finishes the rest of his trim project. The bean waits for no one.
1:00 – 2:00 pm
JOHN: Trim project is wrapped up, so I turn my attention to lunch. Typically it is sandwiches, but today we have quiche leftover from last night’s dinner along with some other random leftovers (some spaghetti, corn, and beans). With everything reheated and Clara in her seat, we at last have a moment for all three of us to spend some time together (Burger is still sleeping). But about fifteen minutes later we are done and I take Clara to go play and read some more. Note: ignore the crazy furniture placement in the kitchen- we are perpetually moving things around and it makes no sense.
SHERRY: I try to proofread as much of the afternoon post as I can (which typically goes up between 2 and 3:30) before lunch is ready, but I do not make it all of the way through. I finish up after lunch by adding some links, catching some more typos, fixing a few unclear parts and it is at last ready for posting at two.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
JOHN: Clara and I hang out while Sherry tends the afternoon post. She “helps” me fold laundry and we play ball with Burger outside (who is at last out of bed- yes he moseys out of bed around 2pm).
SHERRY: I have a swift call with USA Today (they want that speedy quote for an article they are writing about painting a chair). It takes fifteen minutes tops (perhaps twelve if I am being exact?). Then I answer comment questions for the rest of the hour.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
JOHN: Time to trade with Sherry (she takes Clara, I head back to the computer). I do a bunch of emails involving more giveaway and sponsor stuff along with exchanging a few messages with some folks at our journal hosting place (they are doing some back-up server work and we want to make sure the site does not crash). I also catch up on Twitter messages that I need to reply to.
SHERRY: I hang out with the bean. We put things on our heads, sing songs, chase the dog, and Clara looks tired again around 3:45 so I change her diaper and put her down for an afternoon nap. Sometimes we get one and sometimes we do not, but she in fact falls asleep right away today. Sweet girl.
4:00 – 5:00 pm
JOHN: I edit and size photos that we have already taken and begin writing a post for tomorrow afternoon. I also set up the tripod and shoot the wall-to-wall desk trim project that I did this morning for a future post about that (the thing about sharing 8 in a 5 day period means you consistently have to be working on future ones while proofing/publishing/answering questions on the ones that are already written).
SHERRY: I had big plans to spray prime the office chairs (the first step in painting/reupholstering them) but it is already four and I have not written the next morning’s post (a project that we already shot, but I still have to write it and edit the pics). So that takes priority. Those chairs and my can of primer might have to wait until tomorrow. By 4:30 Clara is awake, so I do not get to finish my photo editing/post writing, but at least it is a start.
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
JOHN: The bean is restless so we decide we should go for our evening walk now because it is supposed to rain a little later. Burger’s psyched and ready to go.
SHERRY: We walk around the neighborhood for about an hour and brainstorm post ideas for the following week. We also briefly talk about the kitchen floor plan and toss out a few more potential layout ideas. Who the heck knows where we will end up with that- we simply believe in talking things to death until we land on something we both cannot wait to do.
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
JOHN: I cook a recipe that I tore out of Everyday with Rachel Ray (chicken with apples, raisins, and olives). It takes about 25 minutes to make, so Clara plays on the floor of the kitchen while I cook and we chat whenever I am not furiously trying to make sure nothing burns.
SHERRY: I am back doing journal comments, finishing up that post I began for the next morning, and editing some photos. Dinner is on the table around 6:45. And it is excellent. John even gave me extra olives. I am a lucky lady.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
JOHN: Time to clock some quality family time together before Clara’s conked out for the night. We three, er, four (Burger decides to join us) hang out, read more books, and generally try to tire Clara out.
SHERRY: Burger is full of energy, so he’s zooming around the room and Clara finds it hilarious. But 7:45 is here before we know it and its time to put that baby to bed. After brushing her teeth and saying goodnight to her grandparents (well, a photo of them) she’s out like a light.
8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
JOHN: Now that Clara’s in bed for the night we can do most of our work. It is normal for us to both have laptops going until midnight or later, but we try to sit in front of the television and occasionally chat so it feels more casual. Some nights we do major Hands-on stuff together instead of sofa-computer stuff (since during the day it is hard to get anything other than quite small projects done with a one year old around), but not tonight.
SHERRY: We sit in front of the TV (Project Runway’s on) and I at last finish the post for the next day that I have been writing on and off. It is normal for a post to take us around 2-3 hours to write since we have to edit/size/upload photos along with writing detailed steps (that does not include the time it in fact takes to buy materials and do the project). Unless it is fast like a giveaway – those only take around 30 minutes to write (but likely take an hour or two to coordinate via email beforehand).
9:00 pm – 10:00 pm
JOHN: Then I realize that we need to record our Q & A video since that will take me a few days to edit so I’d like the weekend to work on it. I set up the tripod & Flip cam in the office and swiftly organize the 80-ish questions that people submitted on Facebook (removing any duplicates so we can simply read the rest off as we go on camera).
SHERRY: I get ready for the video, including a quite essential outfit change from a t-shirt to a sweater (I am a wild woman, what can I say). It is at last time to sit down, turn on the camera, and answer things in a one-shot-only-no-do-overs way (we hate feeling scripted, so having the one-take rule is pleasant because it keeps it real). Hopefully we can knock it out in about 30 minutes.
10:00 pm – 11:00 pm
JOHN: General weirdness and chattiness ensues as we film our answers to a variety of questions. Gosh we are dorks. And boy is this taking longer than we thought.
SHERRY: What he said. The thirty minute goal of completion is shot, but we are having lively talking to no one (aka: the Flip cam).
11:00 pm – 12:00 am
JOHN: We are at last done with the video and I get the uploading process began while I respond to a few more tweets and emails. Then I turn my attention to Google Sketch-Up, which I am teaching myself to use so we can render a few kitchen layout ideas in 3D. There is a bit of a learning curve here, but not the kind that prevents me from eating some ice cream (with whipped cream) in the process.
SHERRY: I begin writing another post, but realize I have not updated our House Tour page with new photos since sharing some bedroom and office updates, so I add the “progress” label to those pics and update those. Five minutes later I realize that I need to update them in the Paint Colors and Where We Got It pages too, so I do that. Then it is back to comments and emails.
12:00 am – 1:00 am
John – We talk about going to bed, but I pull a “give me ten more minutes” so I can try to finish my Google Sketch-Up rendering. But it is nearly a half hour ’til it is done (we like it, but not sufficient to make any decisions or anything – we will keep ya posted whenever we decide to stop flip-flopping). I go around the house and turn off lights, turn the alarm to our “night” setting, and do one last check on Clara, our sweet little sleeper.
Sherry – While waiting “ten more minutes” for John I start writing a BabyCenter post. Do not quite finish it though. Still need to add pics. But for now I simply want to get my contacts out and myself into bed. Cannot believe it is nearly 1 am already.
1:00 am – 1:30ish?
THE HOUSE TEAM: All three of us are at last snuggled in bed (the third “person” being Burger). We recap some of the highlights / issues of the day and do a swift run-through of any essential plans for tomorrow (gotta write ten book intro chapters, spray prime those chairs, proof and publish the two nearly-wrapped up posts from yesterday, try to get our inboxes back down, etc). It does not take long for our conversation to turn into sleep. But not before making an out-loud wish that Clara miraculously sleeps until at least 8am. (Spoiler alert: she made it to about 7:45).
