As we mentioned yesterday, it’s Blogiversary Week — we can’t believe we’ve been doing this for half a decade. To celebrate, we recorded an average day in our lives so you can see what each of us — including Clara and Burger — might be doing throughout the day. Here’s a typical day:
6:00 am – 7:30 am
JOHN: The house is still asleep, so I slip out for a five-mile run along the river. I’m back by 7:30 and no one even knows I was gone.
7:30 am – 8:00 am
SHERRY: I usually wake around 7:45. The house is quiet, so I know Clara is still asleep and John is probably out running. Burger stays in bed, but I head straight to the office and find John already at his desk, squeezing in a few minutes of work before shower time and before Clara wakes.
SHERRY: I answer blog comments and check my planner, which helps me keep track of post ideas, appointments, book promo tasks, and deadlines. Today I notice I owe a short blurb to a magazine by 2pm, so I dive in and get it done right away so I don’t feel rushed later.
8:00 am – 9:00 am
JOHN: I hear Clara stirring, so I go in, say good morning, change her diaper, and sit her down for breakfast. While she eats yogurt, I make a quick list of things I need to do and grab the coupons Sherry clipped for grocery shopping later.
SHERRY: I continue responding to comments and Facebook questions, then play with Clara for a bit. Once the post goes live around 10am I usually don’t get much uninterrupted time with her, so we connect for a while. She plays independently well, but we like to have real interaction several times a day. I might love her play kitchen even more than she does.
SHERRY: After getting Clara dressed, John and I hop back on our computers while she plays and teases Burger with a snack.
9:00 am – 10:00 am
JOHN: I scramble eggs for us to eat quickly before driving Clara to music class. It’s a thirty-minute weekly class at a local church called Musikgarten, and she loves it.
SHERRY: I proofread the post that’s scheduled for 10am. Proofing means previewing the post, checking photo alignment, reading it through at least twice, and adding links for referenced items. We still average a couple typos per post, so this step matters.
JOHN: Clara and I give mommy a kiss and hurry out to music class.
SHERRY: I usually miss the music class because it coincides with the post going live and the flurry of comments I need to approve and respond to. We tried letting the comments pile up while attending class, but it just created confusion and repetitive questions. It works better for one of us to handle the online stuff while the other goes to class for now. Fingers crossed her next semester will be later so we can both go.
10:00 am – 11:00 am
SHERRY: I publish the morning post and moderate comments while John and Clara enjoy music class. I always look forward to hearing what Clara did, like when she said, “the little boy was dancing so nice — I think it was wonderful.” She also loves staring at the little Noah’s Ark diorama in the church. Meanwhile, over two hundred comments roll in and I spend the hour answering and keeping up with them.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
JOHN: Since we’re already out, Clara and I stop at the grocery store to pick up essentials.
SHERRY: I take a break from comments to skim email. By mid-morning the inbox can balloon with sponsor and giveaway messages, book-related items like tour planning and fact-check requests, and sweet reader letters that we save and read aloud to each other.
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
JOHN: I return with groceries and unload while Clara plays with her trains. Sherry and I chat about a new project we want to start next week, make a short plan, and I send sponsor emails and coordinate an upcoming giveaway, double-checking the images we’ll use.
SHERRY: I answer more comments and email, and begin writing the next day’s post when Clara asks for lunch. She’d been playing at her little desk and with her dollhouse, but lunch time calls.
SHERRY: We eat together at the dining table — sometimes it’s soup, deli sandwiches, or hummus and flatbread. Today John picked up sushi from the store, so we dig into that while Clara has tomatoes, grapes, hummus, crackers, and a tiny bite of a California roll.
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
JOHN: After lunch I finish up emails while Clara runs in and out playing with books and small animals. She often plays independently and only occasionally needs help. Burger heads outside for early afternoon acorn hunting — a job he takes very seriously.
SHERRY: I proof the afternoon post and add links, correct typos, and clarify anything that’s unclear. The post usually goes live between 2:00 and 2:30pm. With a few minutes left, I squeeze in train-board time with Clara before publishing.
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 and closed curtains, then return to answer comments for the next hour.
JOHN: I start editing a video we filmed yesterday for our annual Q&A. Editing includes trimming clips, finding music, adding transitions, and typing titles and captions. It’s our longest video each year and often takes several hours to polish.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
JOHN: While I’m deep in editing, we have a book planning call at three to finalize the tour schedule, topics for each stop, and other launch logistics. We thought things would calm down after sending in the manuscript, but planning events and press keeps us busy. The book feels like our third kid, after Clara and Burger.
SHERRY: The call lasts the hour and we make solid progress. I pop back into comments with plans to write a post once I wrap up a few quick responses.
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
JOHN: I continue video editing and spend a bit of time sizing photos for a post scheduled for tomorrow. With eight posts in five days, we’re always balancing writing, editing, and answering questions for posts that are live.
SHERRY: I deal with a few urgent emails from our publisher and accountant, then start writing a post. Ten minutes in, Clara wakes up, so I go spend time with her in her room. It’s tempting to rush back to the post, but those small breaks from our laptops are good for everyone.
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
SHERRY: Back in the office I try to write while Clara plays with a box of spare ribbon behind me — a favorite activity she’s had since before she turned one.
JOHN: I take a short call to coordinate a complex giveaway, then we all pile into the car to head to Home Depot. Clara loves Home Depot and even recognizes the logo when she hears it on the radio. We need materials for a small bathroom project, so I sketch what we’ll need and we tape off an area at home before heading out.
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
SHERRY: At Home Depot we pick up supplies while Clara and Burger enjoy the car-shaped cart. Since we’re out, we grab dinner at Chipotle and then stroll around the nearby mall to enjoy the fresh air. We try to eat out sparingly, choosing places with fresh options, and most nights we cook at home.
JOHN: Walking the mall is nice because Clara enjoys it and many spots are dog-friendly, so Burger can come along into some stores.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
JOHN: Back home we unload the car and enjoy family hour before Clara’s bedtime. We read, scribble with crayons, and talk about our day.
SHERRY: Burger often gets a burst of evening energy and races around the sofa while Clara laughs and chases him. At 8pm we begin the bedtime routine: brush teeth, pajamas, sound machine, curtains closed, lights off, kiss, door closed. Clara’s snug under the quilt I made her and usually drifts off quickly.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
JOHN: Once Clara’s asleep, we do a lot of our work. Tonight I return to video editing, photo sizing, and writing.
SHERRY: I finalize posts, proof the next morning’s content, answer emails, and review Reader Redesign submissions. Those inspire us to tackle new projects around the house.
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 do DIY projects in the evening, but tonight is for editing and writing.
SHERRY: I finish the post I’ve been working on throughout the day. A typical post takes 2–3 hours total across multiple sessions because of photo editing and layout work. By midnight we put the laptops away and prepare for bed.
12:30 am
SHERRY: John, Burger, and I climb into bed, recap highlights and tasks for tomorrow, and fall asleep curled up together. Zzzzzz.
P.S. If you want to see how our days have changed, check out similar day-in-the-life posts from previous years in our archives.