Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

| By | | 559 Comments

A Day In The Life Of A Blogger

Holy cats, have we really been blogging for six years?!

Blogiversary 6

It feels like Blogiversary 5 just happened, and that it was mere months ago that it was 2007 and we were posting tiny pictures and writing a few sentences each night about whatever was going on under our roof. All of the years of this adventure have been exciting, but the last 12 months in particular have brought things we never could’ve expected when we started this site: a book that somehow landed on the best-seller list, a lighting collection that we designed right here in Richmond with a local company, a short film on Oprah (what?!), and probably the most exciting thing of all to us… a new house in a neighborhood that we’ve dreamed about living in for longer than we’ve even been blogging.

Blogviversary House

For our sixth blogiversary, we wanted to start things off with a twenty piece orchestra to serenade you while you eat your Toaster Strudel and scroll through this post, but the logistics were a little tricky. So we decided to go for the next best thing: a week of blogiversary fanfare and behind the scenes banter (just like we’ve done for the past few years here, here, here, and here). And the festivities start right now. Here are a few of the things that we have on tap for this week:

  • a day in the life post full of pictures & details about an average day for us (just keep scrolling for this one!)
  • an awesome giveaway that just happens to involve plane tickets
  • a mathy medley of pie charts and blog stats about how we spend our time, where our money comes from (and where it goes), along with a few pretty intense facts & figures (some of which even surprised us)
  • a Q&A video full of answers to tons of personal questions that you guys submitted via Facebook
  • a behind-the-scenes post about our recent Oprah stint (there’s a pretty funny story about how that day started out…) along with a clip for you guys
  • a post about a side gig that didn’t work out (you win some, ya lose some, so we thought sharing something that didn’t work would be a fun pulling-back-the-curtain moment)
  • a chance for you guys to tell us about yourselves, which John can’t wait to spin into an infographic-tastic recap for everyone

So on with the show! Some of our favorite blogiversary posts to look back on are our “Day In The Life” rundowns, since it’s fun to look back at what times were like in previous years – especially to see how our surroundings and our family has changed (click there to read the ones from 2012, 2011, 2010, & 2009).

DayInTheLifeYears2

But documenting yourself all day can make an already long day that much longer (ex: setting up the tripod to capture laundry folding), so this year we instituted an iPhone pic-only policy so that our day would be less filled with camera set-ups and more, well, like a real day in our lives. So forgive the crummy quality of some of the pics. That’s real life, yo.

6:15AM: John’s up. Today he goes for a run around the neighborhood, but some days it’s the gym (and some days it’s just staying in bed). Once back, there’s even a little bit of time to respond to a few emails before us girls wake-up.

DayInTheLife 1 6am

7:45AM: Clara’s awake and she and John start the day slow with some playing in her room (they made a Lego dragon). I’m out of the shower and getting dressed, and Burger gets out of bed, but only for a second for a potty break. Then it’s back up to bed for him.

DayInTheLife 2 7am

8:30AM: Everyone’s downstairs. Breakfast is eaten in various places, including Clara’s morning cup of yogurt while she takes in some Jake and the Neverland Pirates after some magnet-doll playing with me. I get a jump on reading, approving, and answering comments that collected overnight while John squeezes in a shower & a shave.

DayInTheLife 3 8am1

9:00AM: Running a bit behind schedule for school, I get Clara dressed quickly while John tosses her snack into her school bag. John and Clara are off just in time for the 15-20 minute drive to preschool (depending on lights). I hang back to proofread and double-check that morning’s post before it needs to go up at ten – making sure links work, all the images are in, and doing some last minute tweaks.

DayInTheLife 4 9am

9:45AM: Clara’s dropped off at preschool so John runs a couple of errands on the way home, namely stopping at the grocery store to replenish the fridge. I steal a few minutes to respond to emails before hitting publish on the post at 10.

DayInTheLife 10am 2

10:30AM: John’s home from the grocery store and I’m busy doing comments on the morning post. Once the food is put away, John takes advantage of the quiet house to focus on some computer work: backing up photos, responding to emails, and starting to select and size pictures for a post later in the week. I take some last minute photos for an upcoming post since the sun finally decided to come out and then I do some emailing about the showhouse before starting on a post for the next day.

DayInTheLife 11am2

NOON: Time to pick-up Clara at school. Since we’ve got a meeting right afterwards, we both head out. Once Clara’s picked up at 12:30, we swing by Jason’s Deli to grab a quick lunch before of our 1:30 meeting.

DayInTheLife Noon

1:00PM: Back in the car to make the 30 minute drive to our appointment, which is photographing the Massey Street of Dreams for the quadruple House Crashing post we shared last week. This is already starting to feel like one of those days where we live in the car.

2:15PM: John’s photographing the homes while I gather info from our guide, Justin. I also steal away to publish the afternoon post from my phone at one point. Justin’s 10-year-old daughter was there so Clara spent most of the time playing with her new friend, although they eventually both ended up resting since we were close to Clara’s nap time, and Justin’s daughter was under the weather (hence not being in school and tagging along with us).

DayInTheLife 2pm

3:00PM: We leave the Street of Dreams to make the 40 minute drive home. I use the car ride to catch up on the comments that built up while we were touring. Clara reads a book in the backseat and John checks in with her periodically to make sure she hasn’t fallen asleep. Can’t lose a real nap at home by letting her drift off for ten minutes in the car!

3:45PM: We’re home and Clara is down for a nap. This is usually prime project doing-time, but I have a phone interview in a few minutes related to the Super Soul Sunday clip, and a showhouse call with the builder and his team afterwards. John gets changed into work clothes so he can caulk the sunroom’s trim & nail holes while I juggle two phone calls, a few emails, and attempt to finish the post I started earlier that day.

DayInTheLife 4pm1

5:30PM: Clara’s up from her nap, so I go up there to grab her and we play in her room for a little while.

DayInTheLife 5pm

6:00PM: Family walk time! We don’t get one of these every night, but this weather is too gorgeous to skip one today. We talk about Clara’s school day, the upcoming posts we’re both writing, and what projects we each hope to get done the next day.

DayintheLife 6pm1

6:45PM: Home from our walk and time for dinner. Tonight’s a family favorite – chicken squares (update: here’s the recipe). Clara puts her mixing skills to work with me while I check in on comments again and finally finish the post I’ve been working on sporadically throughout the day. The thing about sharing 7 posts in a 5 day period is that we’re always working on finishing some that are already written, writing new ones, and answering questions for the ones that are already up.

DayInTheLife 7pm

7:30PM: Dinner is ready so we sit down to eat together. Clara gets her tomatoes and veggies down with minimal encouragement and even eats half of a chicken square. I clean up after dinner while John tackles a few emails that have built up throughout the day. Then Clara and I snuggle on the couch for a few minutes, finishing up the episode of Jake and the Neverland Pirates that she started before school.

DayInTheLife Dinner

8:15PM: Bedtime for Clara. She votes for a different mix of helpers each night, but tonight it’s Mommy on teeth brushing and PJ changing duty while Daddy is in charge of reading the story.

DayInTheLife 8pm

8:30PM: With Clara tucked in bed, it’s time to squeeze in a few more hours of productivity before we stow our laptops for the night. John finishes the post he prepped pictures for earlier in the day while I catch up on any questions that came up on Facebook or Instagram during the day along with sending some book outline stuff to our publisher (yes, we’re officially working on Book Two! Ahh!). Eventually the TV gets turned on and we’re sort of half watching as we finish up some last minute emails, comments, and miscellaneous computer work. We can’t believe other than John’s sunroom caulking, we haven’t done much DIY at all, which means tomorrow will probably be a project-heavy evening (after Clara’s all tucked into bed) to make up for it.

DayInTheLife 9pm

10:00PM: To resist the urge to keep working, we clean up and turn the lights off downstairs, put our computers away, and head up to watch TV in bed. Our current routine is trying to catch up on old Scandal episodes on Netflix (John’s 70% into it and I’m about 120% into it thanks to his sister getting me addicted).

DayInTheLife 10pm

11:30PM: John has already fallen asleep a couple of times mid-Olivia-Pope tirade, so the TV goes off once that episode is over. With teeth brushed and contacts out, John has a second wind and reads a few pages of a book while I decompress with some Pinterest browsing on my cell phone along with some late-night texting with Katie Bower and Roo. Burger finally comes under the covers to snuggle between us, and the lights are out by midnight.

Comments

  1. Dizee says

    YEAH!!!! I have been waiting for Blogiversary 6 since Blogiversary 5!!!!!!!!!

    How did you get an i-phone picture of both your hands on the laptop? Did you use the force? Very impressive.

    Congrats! Looking forward to many more years of Blogiversaries!

    Reply

  3. Kelli Fox says

    man o man – what a full day – i’m amazed how you guys keep focused on the projects and keep everything organized! Still really enjoying your blog – happy blogiversary!

    Reply

  9. Rosie S says

    Holy Cats! I cannot imagine being that busy…you are officially relieved of ‘commenting on my comments’! :) Some days it is a chore just to get my teeth brushed and get a pop tart down…for dinner…oh so sad…. LOL But keep it up anyway, I love reading your blog!

    Reply

  11. Amanda says

    Happy Blogiversary!!! It’s always kind of neat because it coincides with my birthday :)

    This post has me googling chicken squares recipes… seems like an awesome new fall dish for me!!!

    Reply

  14. Gray says

    Yayyy for a second book! It will be so interesting to see not only the blog/family progress by the time it is published, but also how your project ideas/writing styles may have evolved from the first book!

    You Petersiks are definitely “gladiators with paint brushes and power tools” Scandal style (so addicting)!

    Reply

  15. Kristen says

    I am always in awe by how busy you two are, it sometimes sounds overwhelming to just read about! Keep up the great work, I appreciate all of what you have done for 6 long years (so impressive!). I’m a new reader to your site but you both have inspired me so much and always get me excited for when I will finally be able to purchase my first house. Reading all your posts give me so many ideas and I’m constantly saying “wow, look what they can do, maybe I can too!”

    Keep on keepin on!!

    Reply

  16. Angel says

    Happy 6th Blog-iversary!! I like to count these by how many I’ve followed, and this is my third. Thank you for being my read each morning as my youngest and I cuddle! Keep on blogging!!

    Reply

  19. Kara says

    You don’t need to reply to this because clearly you have WAY to much to do as it is, but you guys are awesome. Just downright, honest-to-goodness awesome. This is way more work than I ever imagined. love you guys.

    Reply

  20. Maddie says

    YAY! Happy sixth blogiversary! I’m excited for all of these posts, but love the day in the life ones an extra lot. You guys rock at what you do! It’s pretty amazing seeing everything you can accomplish! Thanks for letting us into your life!

    Reply

  21. Janet says

    Went to church yesterday (Sept. 22, 2013) but we taped Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday so we could watch your segment. It was a great segment and so much fun watching you guys on TV and hearing your voices. It captured what your blog is all about.

    Reply

  22. Kim says

    WOW! Blogging is not for the faint of heart! You guys are work-horses! I couldn’t help but notice that the built-ins in your dining room are PAINTED! (Or at least primed? Hard to tell.) Anyways, so exciting! Can’t wait to see that post! Happy 6 year Blogiversary!

    Reply

  24. Liz says

    Congrats on 6 years! I have been following your blog since coming across it while looking for ideas to update panelling. At that point you were living in your first house and I followed your lead, gathered the courage, and painted the dark paneling in the rental I was at the time living in!

    Thinking about this got me curious as to how other people have come to follow your blog… Not sure if you have asked this, and I thought it could be a great question to put out there during your blogiversary week!

    Anyhoo~ wishing your family continued success!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Liz! We love hearing how people find us (and when). It’s amazing to hear from people who followed us in our first house since that feels like such early days for us!

      xo
      s

  25. Michele from IL says

    In that first picture of John & Clara, I did a double-take as I thought Clara was sporting a ponytail! Love the pic of “Burger Butt” slipping back inside the door. And love, love, LOVE the pic of Sherry and Clara when Clara woke up from her nap. That was the best part of my day when my kids were little. :)

    Reply

  27. Kelsey says

    I love these little peeks into your daily routine. Sometimes I catch myself thinking (with a bit of jealousy!) that you have all day to work on DIY, but I know that isn’t healthy or even possible, especially with all the work that comes with the blog. It sounds like you do a great job of juggling all your responsibilities. Can I just say, though, you guys go to bed late! Be sure to take care of yourselves so you don’t burn out! <3

    Reply

  28. Kelli says

    I agree with the other Kelli…I check in with other blogs, but yours is the only one I love to read every morning! (..and I don’t have to wait, since I am on PST!) Thank you for letting us all be a part of your day! Happy 6th! Oh, and if you think Scandal is addicting, try House of Cards on Netflix!

    Reply

  29. Erin says

    You guys are crazy focused. I wish I had that kind of momentum (and lack of rush hour commute dead time) in my day.

    Do you ever wake up just wanting to lay around? And if you do, do you every indulge?

    Also, good call on Scandal. Just finished the second season on Netflix. Crazy good guilty pleasure!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think we’re just bad at laying around. We will plan to give ourselves a certain Sunday off of something, but our minds are just so immersed in “I can just size a few photos while that water boils or while that laundry runs” that I’m afraid we’re not very good at just lounging without laptops. Although on vacation or family trips (like a long weekend over Labor Day) we’ll really try to unplug! I think we come back revived when we do!

      xo
      s

  30. Geertrude says

    Happy Blogiversary! I really admire your blog and the work that you do behind the scenes. I’ve learned a lot from posts like this and from just reading your blog. Maybe that will help me to stick to blogging this time (I’ve been starting and quitting and starting again since 2001).

    Reply

  31. Vanessa says

    Loved the Oprah short yesterday! It was such a nice representation of you guys. On a totally other note, I noticed in a lot of your “day in the life” pics that you guys sit a lot on your couch while working on your computer. Be careful doing that for too long. I sat that same way for years doing work from home and I ended up totally messing up my back. I now have 2 herniated discs and went thru a year of terrible back pain and all the docs told me it had to do with the fact that I spent a lot of time sitting on my couch. Make sure you get up every once in a while and stretch that back out! Sorry, didn’t mean to be a Debbie downer….just a concerned fan making sure my favorite young bloggers are able to “house love” it up for a long time to come!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Vanessa! We can’t wait to get moving on our home office so that there’s a desk/chair for both of us again! I loved working in our last house’s office so the sofa is definitely a sad second to that!

      xo
      s

  32. Sarah says

    I feel like I could easily stand in for any of you, on any given day. Burger included. So if a Petersik happens to find him-or-herself in need of a sick/ snow/ mental health day, just call me up. I will happily build a Lego dragon/ be a Lego dragon/ make a chicken square/ not eat a chicken square/ have you brush my teeth/ brush your teeth/ pee and go back to bed/ watch Olivia Pope rapid fire soliloquies while in bed. Anything that helps.

    Congratulations! What an amazing, every day adventure for you all.

    Reply

  33. Brandy says

    8:01pm is one of the things I miss most about my kiddos growing up. Thanks for sharing your day, I’m sure it was tedious even using only iPhone pics. From the amount of comments you’ve received so far, (and it’s only 8:21 am pst here), I can tell I’m not the only one who enjoys these types of posts!

    Reply

  36. Amy says

    I had so much fun reading your ‘day in the life.’ I think I’ll include one on our family blog. My husband has a “regular” job as a librarian, but my job is a big mix and our days are packed as well. My day job is homeschooling! I just started in June. Our kids are 6, 4, and 3. Boy, I’m loving it! I thought it was going to be so much work…and it is. But it’s so rewarding and full of fulfilling moments- just like you guys experience, too, I’m sure. I’m also the horn player who’s commented a few times, so I’m often running off to teach lessons or play gigs- the most recent was a Sound of Music production. So our days are full as well, but we wouldn’t change a thing. (Oh, and we’re also in the middle of a bit of house reno. due to my husband…um…messing with some pipes and flooding the place ;) Don’t know why I yammered on like that, but thanks so much for being such a kind and sharing family : )

    Reply

  37. ashley jensen says

    I have a plane ticket with Richmond written all over it!! Eeek! Be there on Monday!!! Happy Blogiversary guys! I really love seeing the “dark” photos take in their homes since you get an idea of what it really feels like instead of all the bright “pretty” magazine type pictures. As much as I love the pretty pictures there is just something about the realness of the dark crappy photos! Ha!

    Reply

  38. Rachel says

    I did have to laugh when you said you lived all day in the car. We live in a tiny farming town in WA and everything is so far away. Lowe’s and Home Depot are over 30 miles away. Target and fabric/craft stores are over 80. Projects just take a while out here. It is amazing, no matter where you live, how travel eats into your time.

    Reply

  39. Lisa Becker says

    I didn’t realize it until today, but you started blogging on the day my son was born!!! I actually discovered your blog while I was on maternity leave in some kind of sleep-deprived stupor… and you’ve been keeping me going ever since. So happy blog-day to you, and happy 6th birthday to my (not-so-little) guy! :-)

    Reply

  44. Christy Niebaum says

    Huzzah! Book numero dos! Congrats and best of luck on that fantastic voyage.

    I’ve been hooked on Scandal since it debuted. Totally have a girl crush on Olivia. Stoked for the season three premiere next Thursday!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      She is really pretty isn’t she?! Although John is constantly distracted by her hair. He’s such a guy. Saying things like “wait so does she curl her hair to make that swoop thing everyday?! Isn’t she too busy for that?!” – MEN!

      xo
      s

  46. Lesley K says

    I know this is 2 peeps, but this soooo goes to show yah that stay at home moms and dads work their freakin tails off!! Hats off to you both! and hey! if you only get to one post a day, so be it! take that afternoon nap with Ms Clara =)

    Reply

  47. Colene E says

    Girl… I am OBSESSED with Scandal. I’m almost finished with the 2nd season on Netflix, and I am super excited for the new season to start in a couple of weeks! I hope you’re LOVING it!!! :)

    Reply

  48. Gretchen Brown says

    Seesh!! I think you did more in that one day than I do all week! Thanks for sharing – you’re an inspiration in many more ways than just DIY and design! :)

    And happy blogaversary!

    Reply

  49. Natalie says

    Okay is Scandal not the BEST show?! My hubby and I are totally addicted, although I think he doesn’t like to admit it. He cracks me up at the end of the show when the “Shondaland” graphic comes up he always whispers “SHONDAAA” super dramatically like he’s making fun of it (and not waiting desperately for the next week’s preview)!

    Reply

  50. Allison says

    Hey Guys! Love the day in the life post. And very jealous of a 330 – 530 nap, and she still goes to bed at 830! I had a question….I remember at some point in the life of your blog that you said Sherry does not drive (or have her license?) Is that still the case? Does John do all the driving?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Isn’t that funny? She’s just a late napper! A bunch of our friends have kids who do 1-3 but she’s all about late afternoon and then goes down for bed again a few hours later. It’s nice because we can still spend some time with her after school and she’s up in time for a walk if we can squeeze one in so we can’t complain! As for driving, I do have a license but John does most of the driving. I do drive occasionally (like on long trips or to go grab something quickly like an errand to Home Depot) but John’s the one who likes to do it most of the time.

      xo
      s

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *