18 Weeks: Things I Want to Remember.

Because when wine tasting isn't an option, you go olive oil tasting instead. 

I'm in a weird place somewhere in-between "this is going way too fast, someone please slow this whole thing down so I can figure stuff out" and "okay this has gone on long enough, someone please get this baby out so I remember what it feels like to be normal again." 

• Finding out Baby Jacobs is a BOY. Opening the envelope with Chris and finding out we'll be adding a little guy to the fam was so surreal, but at the same time, I felt like, "Well of course you're a boy! Duh." This whole journey so far has been insane, but no matter how scary and confusing it gets, the further along I get I keep having more and more moments of, "Of course it's supposed to be this way. Of course this is what's supposed to happen." 

• Taking a weekend road trip. The picture above is from an olive oil tasting bar. I repeat, an olive oil tasting bar. So, that's something you need to add to your bucket list. Chris and I went to a little town about 45 minutes away for a day-trip on Saturday, and it was one of the best days we've had in a long time. There were vintage stores and flea markets and an old bookstore-turned restaurant. It was magical, and it made me so excited to think about all the adventures we'll go on once the little guy is here. 

• We started his library this week! We found a vintage bookstore on our trip, and Chris asked if I wanted to get the babe some books. Um, yes please. These are the first things we've bought for him together, and it was so sweet. 

Bambi, because of course he needs all the Disney books. The Poky Little Puppy because my little brother was obsessed with that one when we were little, so I'm hoping this kid is too. And This is my Family is a book Chris and I both had. This kid is going to have an excellent library.

18 weeks down, 22(ish) weeks to go. Baby Boy Jacobs, I can't wait to read to you. 

5 Planner Hacks: How to Get the Most Out of Your Planner.

I live and breathe by my planner. As much as I like to feel adventurous and spontaneous, I also know that if I don't write it down in my planner, I'll forget it. Twice a year, new planners and pens and notebooks grace the shelves of Target and inspire me to organize my entire life: January (New Years) and August (Back to school).

The thing is, planners can get really overwhelming really fast, and can end up getting thrown back on the shelf with several empty months left. This usually happens because A) It just became too overwhelming to use something like that every day or B) It didn't help as much as you thought it would and you feel like you're wasting your time.

Over the past three years, I've become extremely dependent on planners, and I really think they make my day so much easier and save so much time. I use one every single day. Here are the best things I've found to help get the most out of using a planner.

Write everything down. This is the most important thing! I think sometimes planners don't work because we're really just liars (or maybe just extremely optimistic) when we write in them. For example, we'll write:

• Respond to emails
• Schedule blog post
• Conference call
• Get things ready for party. 

When in reality, this is what that list means:

• Respond to emails
• All 10,000 of them. Cry a little. 
• Schedule blog post
• Figure out what the heck to actually blog about, because I have no ideas. 
• Actually write blog post.
• Take pictures for post. 
• Conference call
• Take notes during the call. 
• Send notes to everyone. 
• Scramble to respond to questions asked during call, and send emails answering them. 
• Get things ready for party. 
• Clean the whole house because I'm having people over. 
• Go to the store so they actually have something to eat. 
• Cook said things for them to eat. 
• Take a shower and try to actually look presentable. 

See? Big difference. If you look at the first list, it looks like a deceptively easy day and you can end up wasting most of the day and panicking when it's 6:00PM and you've only crossed one thing off the list and HOW could this happen if you used a planner?!

I write down every single thing I want to get done. From how many glasses of water I want to drink (not joking) to making my bed to sending specific emails. It can feel silly at first, but having exactly what you expect to get done written down in front of you helps you manage your time better. Plus, more things to mark off just makes you feel more productive. 

Write things (somewhat) in the order they need to be completed. If you need to turn something in by 8:00AM, try to write it near the top of your list. Otherwise you end up getting to it around 3:00, and that's not fun.

Use a highlighter to mark things off instead of scratching them out. I just started doing this last month, and it's so helpful for when I need to go back and see exactly when I did something. Plus, it makes your planner look neat and colorful, so it's a win-win.

Have a separate "running to-do" list. Whether it's a section in your planner or a notebook or a list on your phone, have a separate area for all the things you need to get done eventually. That way, when things pop in your head, you can write them down somewhere with all the other things you need to do, and you'll also have a list to reference when you're planning your days.

If you can't find a planner that works for you, make your own. Seriously! Everyone is different, and every season is different. If the planner you bought doesn't cut it for what you need, there are plenty of free printable to-do lists online. Put them in a binder and you've got a planner! Or, it can be something as simple as a notebook with the date written at the top of each page. Whatever works for you, use it.

The Swing Forward Camp.

Two very important things about me:

1. Fall is my very favorite thing in the world.

2. I start celebrating fall on September 1st.

Now, I realize that a lot of people don't like this and that you may think I'm rushing summer to be over, but hear me out: I live in Florida. If I waited for Summer to be over, I wouldn't get to celebrate fall until it was time for Christmas. Two months is simply just not enough time to squeeze all of my favorite things about my favorite season into. So, September 1st it is. Side note: When I still lived at home, one time my mom and I tried to sneak the fall decorations out on August 1st instead, but my dad threatened to kick us both out of the house, so we decided September would just have to work. 

I love this quote, because to me, August really is a hinge year. I'm sentimental over summer but so excited that fall is almost here. Pool days and sunshine are still around, but pumpkin spice lattes are right on the horizon.

August makes me nostalgic. Another summer is in the books, memories and vacations and popsicles and bikinis. It will be a year before the carefree attitude of summer is back around, and I miss it already.

But fall is hovering, with it's excitement and desserts just waiting to be baked and pumpkin flavored coffee and carmel apples and oversized sweaters. And I can't wait. I can't wait to go to Hobby Lobby and buy more glittery pumpkins and candy corn string lights. I can't wait to bake entirely too many desserts, but hey, I'm eating for two this fall, so bring on the pumpkin. I can't wait for everything that fall is--cooler weather and warm drinks and excitement about what the rest of the year holds.

So me, I'm in the swing forward camp. And for the next three weeks, I'll be over here soaking up the last of summer and anxiously awaiting my first pumpkin dessert of the season.

Which camp are you in?

It's A.....

First of all, let's just take a moment to talk about how hard it is to be home alone with the test results in an envelope for NINE HOURS and not even peek. I deserve a medal, but I will settle for ice cream. 

I spent all day trying to figure out if I knew what the baby was. From the beginning, I've felt like it was a boy, but at the same time, I have no idea what either "feels" like. Plus. I was so sure that it's a boy, that it made me think that meant it was going to be a girl. I'm weird, I know. 

Anyway, the second Chris got home he was bombarded with demands of opening the envelope immediately. He said he needed a glass of water first, I said this was no time to think of silly things like hydration. 

Sometimes you're just too excited to look at the camera, am I right? 

Little baby Jacobs is a BOY! Chris and I are both beyond thrilled, and it's so exciting to finally be able to call him him and he and think about him in terms of an actual person--and, of course, the types of clothes I will buy him and what his nursery will look like. 

My adventure loving heart is so excited to add a little boy to the tribe. Bring on the messy and exploring and learning things that I have zero idea about. Life is good.

17 Weeks: Things I Want to Remember.

Seventeen weeks already! It's hard for me to wrap my head around this because I really feel like I just spent $98 on pregnancy tests yesterday. But time is funny like that, and it never does ask you how fast or slow you would like it to move. 

• Chris came home yesterday and sang "Jesus Loves Me" to the baby. He then proceeded to ask the baby if it was Catholic (We're not Catholic), but that's neither here nor there. It was a sweet moment while it lasted. 

• Getting to hear the heartbeat again! This is the third time I've heard it and it still give me butterflies. And by butterflies, I mean an incredibly weird feeling of realizing that something is literally living inside of you, followed by extreme relief that everything sounds good. 

• This is the week we find out the gender! In fact, as I am typing this, I have the baby's gender in an envelope and am just waiting on Chris to get home so we can open it together. I repeat, I HAVE THE BABY'S GENDER IN AN ENVELOPE AND AM EXPECTED TO NOT OPEN IT FOR NINE HOURS. SEND HELP. Also...final guesses, people! What do we think this little babe is?!

17 weeks down, 23(ish) to go. This. Is. Happening.

Little baby Jacobs, 

I can't wait to find out if you're a boy or a girl. I can't wait to start being able to picture you as the person you're going to be. Today will be the last day I have to refer to you as "it" or "they" or "the baby" or any of those other awkward terms. 

Girl or boy, you're going to be an incredible human being. I truly cannot wait to get to know you. But for now, I can't wait to find out if we're going shopping for tutus or camo. Xoxo

Any Day is a Good Day to Celebrate a Fresh Start.

Sometimes, I miss January.

Not really January, exactly, since it's kind of the buzzkill of all months. But I miss the motivation and enthusiasm for change that comes in January.

In January, I wake up excited to tackle my to-do list. I'm motivated to examine every area of my life and see how I can make it better and what needs an overhaul. In January, the idea of cleaning the house excites me, because it's a resolution and I'm going to tackle it head-on. In January, waking up and spending the day making binders and lists and meal plans and writing out goals seems like the perfect thing.

But it's August. And my dishes and laundry are slowly overtaking my house. I have no idea what's for dinner, and I'm days behind on my to-do list. Work is piling up, and oh yeah, I'm having a baby.

And it's August.

So the idea of spending my time writing out goals and resolutions and decluttering the house and making meal plans just doesn't seem as enticing, you know?

Sometimes, you have to have New Years in August.  

You have to reclaim your days, even though it's not January and there isn't a Christmas tree in your living room. You have to decide what you want to change and then change it, even though it's 95 degrees outside and not the crisp winter weather that usually accompanies change.

Here's to the inspiration, motivation, and enthusiasm that January 1st so often brings. And here's to having that, and maybe more, on August 5th.

Here's to reclaiming your days and overhauling your life whenever it's needed, no matter what the calendar says. Because any day is a good day to celebrate a fresh start.

Spending Your August: A To-Do List for Adventuring Through the Month.

Happy August! Let me just be redundant for a second and ask HOW is it already August?! We're quickly approaching my favorite part of the year!

There are 31 days in August, and you get to decide how to spend them. Of course, I have some suggestions.

1. Go see Paper Towns!

2. Pick one area of your house and make it perfect. We get so caught up with all we want in our perfect dream house that we can get overwhelmed with how expensive everything is. But that doesn't mean you can't change anything! Pick one area--the bathroom or your desk or the kitchen--and make it perfect. Organize and buy pretty things and hang pictures and just make it perfect.

3. Make a coke float. Or an ice cream sundae, or something you haven't had in awhile.

4. Click here and remember how much you miss Friday Night Lights. And then give them all your money because you definitely need all of these things.

5. Remove one stressful thing from your life. Whether it be a messy drawer or a toxic friendship, get rid of it.

6. Write your significant other a love note, just because.

7. Go to Party City and buy whatever decorations/props are in the clearance section, and throw a dinner party based on those. Cinco de Mayo in August? Why not!

8. Make a playlist of all your favorite songs from high school.

9. Get a planner! If summer is the season of laid back, fall is the season of getting organized. Even if you're not going back to school, you need a planner. I have this one and this one and they are magical.

10. Order something you've never tried at your favorite restaurant. 

11. Watch the Pretty Little Liars finale and find out who A is. Except JK, because they're never going to answer this.

12. Work on viewing Mondays differently. 

13. Forgive someone. Whether it's a grudge you've been holding for years or just someone who cut you off in traffic, forgiving someone and letting it go just feels good.

14. Give yourself a break and just eat cereal for dinner. 

15. Reread a favorite book. 

16. Start a wanderlust Pinterest board. Plan your dream vacation!

17. Go see a morning movie. Safe yourself some money!

18. Make lemonade. 

19. Spend an hour dreaming. Whether it's looking at job openings or new towns or just spending an hour working on a project, dream a little bit.

20. Invest in a good self-tanner. Fall is coming and so is your pasty white skin.

21. Make dinner with only what you already have. 

22. Get rid of five things you don't need.

23. Every time you go to Target, browse the dollar section for potential Christmas gifts. Seriously--I got so many good gifts for $3 and under last year! Start looking now!

24. Spend an afternoon by the pool. Enjoy the remaining warm weather.

25. Go on a fro-yo date. Because eating a bow full of gummy bears and captain crunch is only bad if it's on top of ice cream. Yogurt is totally healthy.

26. Buy some new lipstick. 

27. Listen to Serial. 

28. Get a crockpot. Mine has been saving my life this month.

29. Go school supply shopping. The fact that you're not going back to school is not important.

30. Buy fresh flowers at the grocery store. Just because.

31. Get a new journal. Changing seasons (we all know I start celebrating fall in September, because duh) deserve new journals.

How will you be spending your August?