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The “Every Gal’s” Gift Guide 2020: For Busy, Ambitious + Fun-Loving Women

November 25, 2020

I was helping one of my clients pull together her annual holiday gift guide and found myself sending her link after link of things I’ve bought or had my eye on lately. And then I was like, “Wait a second, why don’t I just pull all of these into one spot?!” I mean, I am by NO means an influencer, but I do think that holiday shopping is often one of the more stressful parts of the season. Sometimes it’s just HARD to think of the right thing for everyone on our list on our own… this year more than ever.

And in 2020 especially, I know a lot of people’s travel plans have adjusted, or they’re gathering for holidays in smaller groups. The stress of a regular holiday season is a bit intensified as we navigate tricky, weird times, so I figured rounding up some things that have been bringing me joy would be a good way to help you gift your nearest and dearest. (Or… just go ahead and get yourself one or two things on this list. You deserve it!)

We’re staying put in California this year since I’m 8.5 months pregnant, so we’ll be missing all of our family and just mailing gifts out this year. Which—honestly?—is sort of a relief. Your girl isn’t good at ordering ahead of time and getting gifts perfectly wrapped, so I’ll let the delivery pros be Santa this year.

(BTW, can we all just pause and acknowledge and thank the REAL heroes of this season, aka the UPS, FedEx, USPS, and other delivery drivers and workers?! They have a thankless, endless job and I am soooo, so grateful for them.)

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for your sweetest gal pals, besties, female relatives, coworkers, or clients, get some inspiration for fun home items, comfy work-from-home clothes and necessities, and practical gifts they wouldn’t think to buy themselves below!

Second + Third Trimester Update

October 30, 2020

This week I’m 31 weeks pregnant and it’s still hard to believe we’ll have a BABY in just a couple of months! We’ve been deep in the process of redoing all of the flooring in our home ourselves (long story that I’ll get to…), but now that that project’s winding down, it’s actually becoming more real that parenthood is right around the corner. AH!

While I’m technically still 60-something days out from my due date, that feels like nothin’ compared to the early months of pregnancy that dragged on and on. Around 22 or 23 weeks, I began feeling the occasional kick every few days and they’ve continued ramping up and getting stronger and more frequent. Now I feel quite a bit of movement throughout the day—and hiccups! I LOVE the hiccups! He or she gets them several times a day and they’re so, so cute.

All of the movement and kicks and rolls are probably my favorite part of pregnancy. I just stare at my stomach at night and fall asleep with my hand on my belly. I’m guessing little one is going to be a morning lover because there have been maaany mornings that a little belly party have woken me up around 5 am. Good thing I like mornings, too!

My Approach to Maternity Leave as a Freelance Writer (& My Interview on the Goal Digger Podcast!)

October 6, 2020

When I found out I was pregnant, one of the first things that crossed my mind was: How in the world am I going to figure out maternity leave as a freelance writer? I know, it should’ve been more baby blankets and bottles than worrying about work—or taking time off of work—but I love what I do SO much, and I work with several clients on a weekly basis who I didn’t want to leave hanging just because I’m experiencing a huge life change.

So, I began looking around and researching what my options were. Obviously, I create my own schedule, so that works out in my favor. But I knew immediately I wanted to give myself at least two to three months of complete flexibility and freedom to be fully present with the baby after he or she gets here.

Even though I work from home and have a ton of leniency with my schedule, I still have people to report to, deadlines, and last-minute requests from clients. So I was torn between trying to figure out a way to still be there for my clients, while also completely unplugging from work so I can soak up first-time motherhood…

No biggie.

First Trimester Update & Covid Pregnancy Experiences

July 8, 2020

What a wild, amazing few weeks it’s been! We have been so overjoyed by and thankful for the outpouring of love and excitement for our quarantine baby news! I’ve also been so heartened to hear from so many women who experienced similar fears about conception/fertility/motherhood that I had. It’s simultaneously such a personal AND collective experience as a woman to go through pregnancy. It’s different for everyone, but I also think we experience so many of the same big questions and concerns.

I wanted to take the time today to answer some of the questions I’ve been getting and just document where I’m at with pregnancy, symptoms, feelings, etc. to remember later on in the future! I’m 15 weeks + 2 days and cannot believe I’m inching closer and closer toward that halfway mark. It’s feeling more real each day (and each time I have to pee… which is a LOT!).

audskelton