Gigi Harrell

Surprise, Surprise, They Do Listen

Do kids ever listen?Â I ask them to pick up their toys.Â Nothing.Â I ask them to brush their teeth.Â Zip. I ask them to eat their broccoli.Â Zilch. Â The truth is kids listen all the time.Â They may not obey, but the definitely listen.Â In fact, they listen to it all â the good, the bad and the ugly. Â How do I know this?Â I know this, because my girls give me su…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Pack Mule Moms

Next time you are out look around and find a mom with young children.Â How much stuff is she carrying?Â Does she seem to resemble a pack mule?Â It seems every mom I know is loaded down with more stuff than a Sherpa on an Everest expedition.Â In my purse and diaper bag along are more than 50 items.Â Scary as that number sounds, that only covers the bare ânecessitiesâ of a m…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Olympic Dreams

Today marks the start of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. All eyes (or at least both of mine) will be set on Beijing and the more than 10,000 athletes competing for gold. I love the watching the Olympics. As a girl and a gymnast, my heroes were Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton. I dreamed of following in their back flips to gold around my neck. As the years went by, my days as gymnast drifted…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Terrible Twos Truths

My baby is two, crossing that milestone officially last Sunday. I could easily run out of energy and money hosting childhood birthday parties before the girls run out of childhood years. Therefore, I skipped having a party this year and am saving up for when she will really want one. If there is truth in MTVâs show My Super Sweet 16, I better start saving big. Instead, we celebrated with …

Posted 1 yr. ago.

How Did Our Mothers Survive?

One day last week it was raining.Â One of those days, where the playground is too soggy, and the kids are bouncing off the walls.Â One of those days, that defines why being a mom is the worldâs toughest job.Â For their sanity and mine, I packed them in the car, drove to one of the local inflatables play places, happily forked over the entrance price, and let them jump off all that en…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Too Many Choices

For those of you into acronyms, I am currently a SAHM (stay at home mom).Â This is a recent development in my life.Â After the arrival of Sarah, I returned part-time to my pre-baby, corporate America job.Â The agreement and my paycheck were based on three days a week.Â By the time she turned one, part-time had morphed into over 40 hours a week and at least one business trip a month (bu…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Trips Vs. Vacations

My husband, Scott, and I just returned from our first vacation in five years.Â Yes, we have traveled during the past five years.Â We have visited family, the beach, and even the mountains.Â All those voyages were only trips; None were vacations.Â What is the difference, you ask?Â A wise traveler with children older than mine explained it to me.Â You take trips as a family and vac…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Are Flag Socks Patriotic?

Today our nation turns 232, if you use my count. Iâm counting from date we declared our independence. If you skip the Revolutionary War and Articles of the Confederacy stages, we turned 220 two weeks ago. Either way, July 4 is a day to celebrate.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Does the Tooth Fairy Travel to Slumber Parties?

About two months ago, Sarah went to her first sleep over. This was a huge event for both of us. Excited to exuberance, she discussed it with everyone and anyone for the entire week. Concerned about the outcome, I spent that same time trying to downplay the whole thing. I didnât want her to feel bad if a midnight pick up was needed. But more so, I didnât want to admit that my four-ye…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Tales from RDU

School is wrapping up, the temperatures are in the nineties and summer travel is underway. To honor the season, I wanted to share some tales of travel â more specifically travels by air with children. I have never had a root canal, but I am guessing it is about as much fun as flying with young children. Yes, there are those families that tell me their kids are great at the airport, but in …

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.