I've been flexing planning muscles recently. I really appreciate the process of creating mockups and database schemas. In the short term, it always seems like the planning phase time could always be used for development, but that's incorrect. You will most likely build the wrong thing and have to start revisiting what you are trying to build without a plan. The planning phase also helps you identify features that are necessary versus optional. After you have your plan you can start estimating development time and have a pretty good idea of what's really necessary. It's kind of fun if you can stick to it. At some point, there won't be much to plan. Then, the fun begins.
Pencil
When it comes to mockup tools, I use Balsamiq at my day job and Pencil in my personal time. It does a pretty damn good job as an open-source alternative. Pencil is not as slick as Balsamiq, but once you get the hang of it, it does a good enough job. Probably better than good enough in my opinion, but I haven't used much else, because I'm not willing to pay. I might consider Balsamiq in the future, but for now, this covers my current use cases.
Life
Busy as usual, trying to run a household, be a good husband to my wife, and a good father to my girls. I've also recently discovered Twitch. Remind me to write about it, okay?