Gigi Harrell

Have You Been Boo'd?

It's Halloween. Have you been Boo"d? Is this crazy chain letter/gift thing sweeping through your neighborhood faster than a lice epidemic in a small school? Boos have been surprising folks in my neighborhood for four years now. Kind of like a horror movie series, the first one was good, the second all right, but every sequel thereafter just slips down a little further.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Fall Planting

The time to start turning up the dirt and readying the garden for 2009 is already upon me again.Â On the green thumb scale, I put myself at a seven.Â Better Homes and Gardens has never asked to take pictures, but I have yet to receive a complaint letter from our homeownersâ association either.Â Most of the plants I place in the ground survive and some even treat me to flowers and col…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

What's For Dinner?

What's for dinner? I ask myself this every evening. It isn't the cooking part that baffles me; it's the getting the kids to eat it part that's the problem. I try the feed them what we're eating approach. No success. My husband and I finish the meal satiated, but my kids leave the table starving. My kids wonât even look at sushi or spicy sauces or anything that isnât part nugget.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

What Is Safe?

If you read any mom's job description, keeping her kids safe would fall at the top of the list. I (try to) teach my girls not to play with fire, to look both ways before crossing the street and to not mix plaid with stripes. While these safety precautions are obvious, many are not. Are non-organic vegetable toxic? Will a plastic cup made with bisphenol A (BPA) make my children sick? Are the nit…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Troubled Times

October is Halloween, a month full of spooks and scares. This year it isnât the ghosts and goblins that have me worried, it is the financial crisis. I donât want to read the news to find out another bank has disappeared. I donât want to read about foreclosure auctions and know another family has lost their home. I certainly donât want to read my brokerage statements to see …

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Bye Bye Baby

Life is full of milestones and accomplishments. While birthdays and holidays provide a great opportunity to acknowledge those events, I find that the big changes are often more subtle. They sneak up on me over months and years. Then one random Wednesday, I look up and realize that life is truly different.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

The Quintessential Family Vacation

We have decided to make the voyage. It is a voyage that all families eventually make. It is a voyage that encompasses all things commercial. It is the voyage that pretty much inspired National Lampoonâs Vacation. It is the family voyage to Walt Disney World.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

What Am I Going to Be When I Grow Up?

For the past three years, I have worked part-time in real estate. I've owned and managed several rental properties. I am the Jill of all trades in this business enterprise from advertising to evictions from painting to plumbing. Although I have learned a myriad of new skills the time has come to exit stage left. Our rental properties are sold. That means it is once again time for me to figure…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

I Sold My Soul to the Warehouse Store

Pick your poison, Sam's, BJ's, or Costco, they are all the same. They sucker you in with milk at $2.99/gallon and the next thing you know you've bought so much stuff that you have to strap your kids to the roof just to fit everything in the car.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

The Mini Date

Next week, Scott and I will celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. In our years together, we have shared an amazing number of wonderful memories. We have shared plenty of silly, embarrassing,,and painful ones as well. If you ask either of us what is the most important thing we have done as a couple, we would answer without hesitation. Having Sarah and Jaley is by far the most important thing…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

about this blog

Gigi Harrell

Gigi is a TriangleMom2Mom featured blogger, appearing every Friday.

She's a mom of two daughters, ages 4 and 1½. Gigi’s path to a career in writing took the scenic route. She graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in Industrial Engineering and a husband-to-be. After a few years of work and lots of play in California, they returned to their roots in the South. They landed in North Carolina where she graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with an MBA. She worked in marketing for a large multinational company, but career priorities changed with the arrival of her girls. She stepped off the corporate track to start her own business. She now works full-time as a mom and part-time running her business and writing freelance. Gigi lives in Cary with her husband and two daughters balancing the havoc and harmony of everyday life.