OPINION | Gwen Rockwood: Start the new year by putting your closet on a crash diet
If you're not ready to plunge into the traditional New Year's "get in shape" resolution, I've got an idea for how to wade into it (or any big project you've be…
If you're not ready to plunge into the traditional New Year's "get in shape" resolution, I've got an idea for how to wade into it (or any big project you've be…
During the weeks before Thanksgiving, I was high on anticipation -- counting down the days until our two sons were scheduled to come home from college for the …
My 78-year-old mother has a thing for boxes and has for many years. In her mind, throwing away or recycling a sturdy box of any decent size is like throwing ou…
Here's the answer to almost any problem you're having today. It's only three words long and makes you smell good: Take a shower.
I watch for great quotes the way kids hunt Easter eggs, eagerly peering around every corner in case a good one is nestled nearby. It's one of my favorite parts…
For those of us who have kids or pets -- or God help us -- both, there is one thing we know for sure. Illnesses, accidents and other misfortunes happen on the …
For the second time in our lives, Tom and I have a high school senior in the house. The first time it happened was two years ago, and it was weird. But that wa…
When Tom and I were young and dating, we'd sometimes notice an older couple sitting in a restaurant in total silence. We wondered if perhaps they were mad at e…
Last week I did something that took no effort at all. I turned 49. As special occasions go, you can't beat a birthday. No one expects you to plan for it. No on…
Last weekend, a friend needed to borrow a piece of equipment, and I knew exactly where it was. I retrieved it from the closet but then realized it had a cord -…
I love it when something old becomes new again. And lucky for me and my fellow letter lovers, word games are not only new again, they're cool. Even my teenager…
If you watched the Super Bowl a few weeks ago, you may have noticed that most of the car commercials were for a specific type of car -- electric. Electric cars…
Something uncomfortable happened after Christmas. It has taken me several weeks to admit it because I already know how it'll make me sound -- shallow, silly, v…
Whether you're 40-something or only 4, we all want our own way. Toddlers are especially insistent about getting their own way, which is why you'll often see on…
The sky is blue, the snow has melted, and the covid home tests are once again negative. Hallelujah! My family and I have thankfully recovered from the virus, j…
Part of me felt like a failure. For nearly two years straight, I tried to make sure it didn't get us.
Since our oldest son turned 20 last month, I've technically completed what's often called the terrible teens for at least one of our three kids. For the record…
There's good news here at home. Those two gaping holes in the side of our house have been plugged with new living room windows, just in time for January's cold…
Do you remember the Where's Waldo books popular in the late '80s? I had one when I was 14 and found it fun but maddening at the same time. Just in case you wer…
To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the whole New Year's shtick. A million years ago when I was single, I dreaded New Year's Eve because there was far too much…
Earlier this week my kids beat me at poker. No money changed hands, other than those colored plastic chips. But the bragging rights will last a while, at least…
When I woke up this morning, I had one thought circling in my head: "My kid is 20. He's 20! I am the mother of a human who is 20. How did this happen? Wasn't I…
Christmas used to be simpler. I'm not talking about way back when people roasted chestnuts and used flip phones. I'm talking about a dozen years ago when our t…
This morning I took the dogs out and noticed a distinct change from yesterday. The leaves, which had been falling in an occasional sprinkle, have now ramped up…
To celebrate Thanksgiving 2021, here are 21 things the pandemic has made me more thankful for this year:
This column isn't about beer goggles, but let's start there. Just in case you've never worn them or heard the term, here's a quick definition. "Beer goggles" r…
One day last week, I took my mother Christmas shopping because news anchors say all the stores may run out of everything any day now. Supply chains are apparen…
I'll admit I still don't understand people who "love to be scared." I try to wrap my head around it because my three teenagers feel that way about movies. The …
I'm never going to be an expert. I've accepted it. The three things I spend the most time doing -- being a wife, a mom and a writer -- are just too vast for me…
I'm writing today's column on a laptop wedged between my belly button and the steering wheel. It's not the first and won't be the last time my office goes mobi…
I got a late start today. I'd blame the alarm app on my phone, but that one went off on time. It's the hairy alarm clock who slept through his job.
"Ah, there you are." Last night's thunderstorm brought rumbles of his arrival. I went to sleep hoping for the long-awaited return. Like a sweetheart coming hom…
When I was a kid, our family had this old Zenith television that got glitchy on occasion. It would sometimes roll the picture or show nothing but black-and-whi…
I'm writing today's column on a Tuesday that feels like Monday. We just finished a glorious Labor Day weekend with plenty of one of my favorite things -- sleep.
There's one piece of furniture I adore and will probably never own. Every time I spot one in the background of a television show, my heart swells, and I get a …
It's hard to write with all the chomping in the room. Goldendoodles are not known for their table manners or, in this case, floor manners. Mac is lying next to…
Every family vacation wraps up with experiences sorted into categories -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. Our crew ended the summer break with a trip to a gor…
As most parents know, one of the requirements of the job is to drive. Especially as kids get older and have more activities, the driving demands go way up.
I know I shouldn't be surprised. I should've known this was coming. But I honestly didn't expect it. I thought I was special. And now I know, I'm not. Because …
If you're like me, you take your smartphone with you almost as instinctively as you take your next breath. And I don't mean you take it to work or on errands. …
Last week, our two teenage boys came home after their first day of work at a new summer job. My mouth fell open as they breezed past me because I'd never seen …
There are two times in a woman's life when she needs an epidural to block the certain agony coming her way. The first is the day she gives birth to her sweet b…
Sometimes you get subtle reminders you're not as young as you used to be -- like when you notice the small but insistent ache in your knees while climbing the …
The carpet cleaners are coming today. It'll be expensive and leave us with damp carpet longer than we expect. But it must be done. Otherwise, we'd have to burn…
Finally, technology has caught up with one of my biggest irritations -- losing things. It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it sends my frustratio…
Judging by the throngs of people surging into airports and tourist spots, summer vacation is alive and well once again. The country is finally unfurling from i…
A few months ago, one of my fellow mom friends was accused by her teenage daughter of using "aggressive punctuation" in text messages. Since we're both writers…
Tis the season for teenagers and summer jobs. Two of my three offspring are pounding the digital pavement this week as they apply online for various jobs aroun…
One Sunday night, on the eve of another week of school, my 14-year-old daughter remembered Monday would bring more math -- geometry homework and tests, to be s…