Newsletter

Chantal Lamers

Chantal Lamers is a home and lifestyle writer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Find her tips on shopping secondhand, homesteading (and chicken wrangling) in the suburbs on Instagram.
18 Gifts for 8-Year-Olds They’ll Really Love
Cool gifts to get them excited and keep them engaged!
Chantal Lamers
Nov 6, 2023
We Asked 3 Professional Organizers (and Parents) to Share Their Summer Vacation Packing Tips
What kind of packer are you?
Chantal Lamers
Jul 18, 2023
We Asked 3 Professional Chefs (Who Are Also Parents!) to Share Their Best Strategies and Tools for Cooking with Kids — Here’s What They Said
Our kids need this crinkle cutting tool ASAP.
Chantal Lamers
May 18, 2023
There Was No Where For My Kids to Put Their Backpacks In Our Small Entryway — Then I Found the Perfect Solution
No space for a bench, console, or cabinet in the entryway? Shaker peg racks are the answer.
Chantal Lamers
Mar 28, 2023
The 9 Products I Keep In My “Cold and Flu Kit” to Help My Kids Feel Better
They’re not a cure, but they help ease those exhausting symptoms.
Chantal Lamers
Mar 22, 2023
This $11 Book Light is the Secret to Keeping the Peace Between My Children
When one wants to read and the other wants to sleep.
Chantal Lamers
Mar 17, 2023
10 Awesome Ways to Use Wallpaper in a Kid’s Bedroom — Other Than On the Wall!
A little inspiration for wallpapering everything from closets to cubbies to dollhouses and dresser drawers.
Chantal Lamers
Dec 1, 2022
10 Bold Patterned Wallpapers for Kids’ Rooms
Your child will be off to fantasy land!
Chantal Lamers
Nov 2, 2022
12 Great Ways to Use IKEA for Toy Storage
There's a reason IKEA is the smartest choice for organizing a kid's room.
Chantal Lamers
Aug 3, 2022
11 Very Cool Upholstered Beds and Headboards for Kids
It's time to get cozy.
Chantal Lamers
Jul 29, 2022
10 Stylish Toy Storage Bins, Baskets, and Bags that Will Grow with Your Kids
Including one shaped like a house!
Chantal Lamers
Jul 22, 2022
We Live in a Small House and My Kids Share a Room — Here are 10 Ways I Organize All Their Toys and Belongings
Smart strategies for storing all the things.
Chantal Lamers
Jul 17, 2022
This 2,500-Square-Foot NYC Home Is Filled With Playful Wallpaper and Serene Colors
Here's how a family home manages to have minimal design AND lots of kid-friendly play spaces.
Chantal Lamers
Dec 4, 2021
Your Complete Guide to the Best Holiday Family Photos Ever
We tapped the pros (who happen to parents themselves) for their very best tips, from choosing a photographer, finding a location, and what to do with your lovely photos afterwards.
Chantal Lamers
Oct 26, 2021
My Easy and Fun Plan for a Very Memorable At-Home Campout
This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. Join us over on Instagram for more! Let’s face it: After spending much of last summer cooped up inside of our homes, we’re all itching for some serious adventure in the coming months. That said, if 2021 is anything like last year, the highways could be jammed up with all kinds of road-trippers.
Chantal Lamers
Jun 23, 2021
Is the Family Car a Disaster? Try These Tips Before Your Next Road Trip.
This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. About five years ago, I was interviewing a woman for a magazine story when we veered off-topic to her family’s new-to-them Westfalia. She mentioned how life-changing the shift to the camper van had been.
Chantal Lamers
May 26, 2021
13 Brilliant Transformations and Tips from Families Working and Learning at Home
This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. When the world shut down last year, parents and kids were faced with all kinds of challenges, and everyone learned (very quickly) that the idyllic place to work, study, and Zoom goes beyond buying the perfect desk. Some families are still fine tuning their spaces to this day.
Chantal Lamers
Apr 7, 2021
I Bought a Flock of Chickens During the Pandemic — and It’s Been Amazing for My Kids
Shortly after shelter-in-place began last year, so did the wild pandemic shopping. (Remember that phase?) Everything from used bicycles and basketball hoops were swooped up from second-hand neighborhood sites and new recreational equipment was back ordered for weeks and months. Meanwhile, people were adopting cats and dogs in record numbers. A video went viral of shelter volunteers in Florida celebrating the first time they’d adopted out every single pet.
Chantal Lamers
Feb 24, 2021