As we mentioned yesterday, it’s Blogiversary Week — we can’t believe we’ve been at this for half a decade. 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 doing at any given time. Here’s how a normal day goes:
6:00 am – 7:30 am
JOHN: The house is still asleep, so I slip out for a 5-mile run along the river. I’m back by 7:30 without waking anyone.
7:30 am – 8:00 am
SHERRY: I wake around 7:45 and the house is quiet. Clara’s still sleeping and John’s not beside me, so he must have run. Burger lounges in bed while I head straight to the office and find John at his desk squeezing in a few minutes of work between his shower and Clara waking.
SHERRY: I scan blog comments and answer a few, then check my planner. It looks chaotic, but it works for me — I jot down post ideas, appointments, deadlines, and book promo tasks. Today I see I owe a short blurb to a magazine by 2pm, so I write it now so it won’t be rushed later.
8:00 am – 9:00 am
JOHN: I hear Clara stirring, so I change her diaper, sit her down for breakfast, and make a quick to-do list for the day while she eats. I also grab the grocery coupons Sherry clipped.
SHERRY: I finish answering comments and spend some time playing with Clara before the morning post goes up. She’s great at playing independently, but we like to have a few focused play moments each day. I might love her play kitchen as much as she does.
SHERRY: Once Clara is dressed, John and I get back on our computers while she plays and occasionally taunts Burger with a snack.
9:00 am – 10:00 am
JOHN: I make scrambled eggs for both of us, then get Clara ready for music class. It’s a thirty-minute weekly Musikgarten class at a nearby church that she loves.
SHERRY: I proof the post that will go up at 10am. Proofing means checking that photos are centered, reading through the text at least twice, and adding links to referenced items. We still spot about two typos per post, so this step is important.
JOHN: We kiss mommy goodbye and rush off to music class.
SHERRY: I usually miss Clara’s music class because it overlaps with the morning post going live and the flood of comments that follow. One of us stays home to manage the blog while the other attends class — it’s the rhythm that works best for us right now.
10:00 am – 11:00 am
SHERRY: I publish the morning post and spend the next hour moderating and replying to comments while John and Clara enjoy music class. Clara always tells the best stories afterward, like how “the little boy was dancing so nice.” She also adores a small Noah’s Ark diorama at the church and lingers to look at it before and after class. Meanwhile, a couple hundred comments roll in and I work to answer as many as I can.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
JOHN: Since we’re already out, Clara and I stop by the grocery store to pick up essentials.
SHERRY: I take a break from comments to skim email and delete junk — seeing dozens of new messages by mid-morning can be overwhelming. Much of it is sponsor, giveaway, or book-related correspondence. I save sweet reader letters to read aloud to John later, because they always make us smile.
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
JOHN: I get home with groceries and start unloading while Clara plays with her trains. Sherry and I talk through a new project we want to start next week and list materials we’ll need. I also send a few sponsor emails and coordinate a giveaway image for an upcoming post.
SHERRY: After our project chat I answer more comments and emails, and begin drafting a post for the next day — until Clara asks for lunch. She’d been playing at her little desk with crayons and her dollhouse, so we grab a quick lunch together. Today John picked up sushi, and Clara had tomatoes, grapes, hummus, crackers, and a nibble of a California roll.
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
JOHN: After lunch, I finish a few emails while Clara runs through the room with small toys. I let Burger out to do some acorn hunting; he takes that task very seriously.
SHERRY: I proof the afternoon post, add links, catch typos, and clarify a few sections before publishing around 2pm. With a few minutes to spare, I fit in train-board time with Clara.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
SHERRY: Two o’clock is nap time for Clara, so I change her and tuck her in with our quick routine: sound machine, curtains closed, lights off, kiss, door closed. Then I return to comment moderation for the hour.
JOHN: I start editing our annual Q&A video that we’ll publish soon. Editing involves trimming long clips, finding music, adding transitions and titles — it usually takes me a few hours since there’s a lot of footage and a lot of talking.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
JOHN: While I’m in the editing zone, we have a book call to discuss the not-yet-final tour schedule, talk topics for each stop, and other launch details. Planning events and press has kept us busy even after finishing the manuscript — it’s exciting though, and the book feels like our third child.
SHERRY: The call takes the hour but we make good progress. I hop back into comments and plan to write a new post afterward.
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
JOHN: I continue editing video, then spend the last 15 minutes sizing photos for a post already written for tomorrow. Between publishing multiple posts each week and answering comments, our workflow is a constant mix of finishing, scheduling, and creating.
SHERRY: I check urgent emails from our publisher and accountant, then start the post I planned. Ten minutes in, Clara wakes from her nap, so I spend a little time with her in her room. It’s tempting to rush back to work, but those small breaks are important for staying sane.
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
SHERRY: I try to get more of that post done while Clara plays with a box of ribbon on the floor — a longtime favorite activity of hers.
JOHN: Midway through the hour I take a twenty-minute call to coordinate a complicated giveaway with a vendor. Then we pile into the car, including Burger, and head to Home Depot to pick up materials for a small bathroom project.
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
SHERRY: At Home Depot we grab what we need while Clara and Burger ride in the car-shaped cart. Since we’re out, we stop for dinner at a nearby walking mall and pick Chipotle. After eating, we take a stroll together to enjoy the fresh air and let Clara burn off energy.
JOHN: That mall is dog-friendly, so Burger can join us in stores — which Clara loves.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
JOHN: Back home, we have family time before Clara’s bedtime at 8pm. We read together, color, and talk about our day.
SHERRY: Burger is full of energy, Clara laughs and chases him, and then bedtime arrives. We brush teeth, put on pajamas, and follow the same nap routine for night: sound machine, curtains, lights off, kiss, door closed. Clara snuggles under the quilt I made and drifts off.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
JOHN: With Clara asleep, I return to video editing, post writing, and photo sizing.
SHERRY: I proof and finish posts, answer emails, and browse Reader Redesign submissions — they always inspire me to tackle a project. Usually posts take 2–3 hours total across multiple sessions because of photo editing and project time.
10:00 pm – 12:00 am
JOHN: We often work on our laptops until around midnight but try to make the evening feel relaxed by sitting together on the couch with the TV on. Some nights we do larger DIY projects in this window, but tonight we stick to editing and writing.
SHERRY: We watch a little TV — The Voice, then Parks & Rec — while I wrap up the post I’ve been working on all day. Around midnight we finally shut the laptops and get ready for bed.
12:30 am
SHERRY: John, Burger, and I climb into bed, recap the day’s highlights and tasks for tomorrow, and fall asleep quickly. That’s a typical day for us — a blend of family time, projects, and the constant push-and-pull of running a blog alongside everyday life.
Update – Many readers ask how to blog professionally, how we built our site, grew traffic, and turned blogging into a full-time job. We’ve shared details about how we started and built our blog and how it evolved into our career.