The Rockwood Files

By Gwen Rockwood, newspaper columnist and mama of 3 The day after Christmas, we packed kids, suitcases, snacks, and movies into the minivan and drove 12 hours north to Minneapolis, Minnesota to visit Tom’s parents. […]

By Gwen Rockwood, newspaper columnist and mama of 3 I really don’t want to jump on January’s fitness bandwagon. It’s so cliché, isn’t it? I’m already tired of the ads for treadmills and sports bras. […]

By Gwen Rockwood, newspaper columnist and mama of 3 We got a call last week with upsetting news. Our 22-year-old nephew Andrew was just diagnosed with leukemia. It hit us like a punch in the […]

By Gwen Rockwood, newspaper columnist and mama of 3 Dear Santa, I’m nearly exhausted this time of year so I can only imagine how worn out you must be as you gear up for your […]

By Gwen Rockwood, newspaper columnist and mama of 3 When Tom and I took our honeymoon more than a decade ago, we were mostly broke and went to a neighboring town 45 minutes away. Two […]

By Gwen Rockwood, newspaper columnist and mama of 3 I just had a very, very big birthday. And I’ll be the first to admit that it’s freaking me out. My firstborn just turned 10. As […]

By Gwen Rockwood, newspaper columnist and mama of 3 I love the week after Thanksgiving. We’re still fat and happy from an inappropriately sized meal, and it’s not close enough to Christmas to start panicking […]

By Gwen Rockwood, newspaper columnist and mama of 3 When I was growing up, our little church congregation sang a handful of favorite hymns over and over again. And the one that replays in my […]