Before I had a child, I usually saw my name in print once a week. Now that I have a child, I see my name in print once a year. Here's this year's contribution so far, an article in the March 2008 issue of "Interior Design" that reviews a new bookstore in Brussels called "Cook & Book":  http://www.interiordesign.net/id_article/CA6544542/id. More »

My son is no longer a cute blob: he's a toddler with a 'tude. An attitude, that is. Over the past few weeks, he has mastered the floor fit, and lapses into it with high melodrama regardless of location or audience. The more public the space and the larger the crowd, the more vociferous his wailing. Naturally, the floor fits result from events which, in the eyes of a 22-month-old, are tragic. Floor Fit ...More »

I fell ill in bed last week when the Eliot Spitzer scandal broke. I've been riveted by its every detail, and question why. I'm more interested in Spitzer's wife, Silda, than I am in the arrogant sleazeball himself. Why stand by your man not once but twice as he announces to the world his regret for his behavior and, then, eventually, his resignation? Two articles have caught my eye over the past few days for ...More »

A friend once told me that if you choose to be a freelance writer from home you'll be more productive in a pair of shoes than in slippers. I'm wearing my ballerina flats right now with the hope that I'll feel that I'm writing from an office cubicle as opposed to our guest bedroom. "When do you find time to write?" they ask me. I don't, lately, but I know I must because I feel ...More »

It has taken some time for my husband and me to realize that weekends are no longer for us. Wanting to do something for ourselves is a faint memory of our past life: Saturdays and Sundays are exclusively overseen by our 19-month-old Boss, Mr. Big Eyes. We love him so much we want to devour him like a delicious carbonara. But, sometimes, often on Saturdays and Sundays, he challenges our patience in between hair-tugs, shrieks ...More »

A couple of months ago, I became a Belgian driver. After almost ten years of living in Europe, I finally received an official driver's license.Growing up, my brother and I counted the days until we could apply for a driver's license. So desperate was my brother to motor around on four wheels that he learned how to drive a tractor when he was ten. It didn't matter that we had a lawnmower. He liked the ...More »

Yesterday I dropped my cellphone in the toilet. A friend of mine told me that these sorts of things only happen to moms. They must happen to dads, too, because my husband did the same thing a month ago. As I've been waiting for its resurrection, I've actually loved not having it in my life. It's one less thing for me to forget when I leave the house. One less thing to charge. One less ...More »

As one of our New Year's resolutions, my husband and I have decided to go to the movies once a week. It's an ambitious resolution but we have two friends who are in on it, too. It's kind of like going to the gym with friends but more fun: you only go if you have someone else relying on you to go. The last time we all went together,  I chose the film: American Gangster. In ...More »

Brussels is an international village. Dinner parties here sometimes feel like informal, mini-UN summits. This week, we were invited to dinner at a dear friend's house who is half-Austrian and half-French. The dinner guests consisted of an Indian, a Portugese, an Italian, an El-Salvadorian, a Belgian, and two Americans (one from the East Coast and one from the West Coast). Dining out in Brussels, whether it's at a restaurant or someone's home, always guarantees learning ...More »

Belgians don't cut corners, Italians seem to do nothing but cut corners, and Americans are somewhere in between. As I drive around Brussels and try to dodge the driving customs of 26 countries, I have to tune into a Jazz radio station (89.10FM) to calm my nerves. Lately, I can't get enough of Tony DeSare's version of Prince's "Kiss." Fortunately, it was playing when I recently parallel-parked in a compromising position with one tire on ...More »