Does anyone have no rhyme or reason for what they purchase on the Amazon Prime Day/Early Access Sales?! Can we be best friends?! It is kind of like the philosophy with Target, I let Prime Day tell me, what I need.
You are about to see how long I have been sitting on this post just based on my outfits and a certain cameo Christmas tree.
Every sale I promise myself that I am going to have a plan and an idea of what to get and every sale I end up with things that I love, but I have no clue why in that moment I felt it was a dire purchase other than it being a strange sale price of 54% off. If you follow JessicaMadisonHome or JuliannaClaire for lack of better terms, you will be screwed.
I love Jessica Madison’s clothing style, but living in Florida makes the clothing she tends to suggest irrelevant (think cozy Fall goodness that will collect dust in my Florida closet for years to come). However, her home decor and organizational tools that she has suggested have become some of my favorite things. THIS outdoor set that we purchased from Walmart was a game-changer and has faced all the environmental odds. Because she lives somewhere with all seasons I knew it must hold up well, so it already checked all the boxes including being aesthetically pleasing, comfy and you can unzip the cushions and throw them in the wash. I like some good outdoor furniture that you do not need to cover. See how it was styled and the rug purchased below.
Julianna Claire’s Amazon suggestions are on another level, if you are a big Amazon person and are not following her on the ‘Gram, you are doing something wrong and I am judging you.
Here is the first-day haul. I ordered so much that most of it was delivered in two hours and I have never been so excited to receive randomness as fast as I did.
Let me start with the one thing I didn’t know I needed, but is my absolute favorite purchase of everything. If you have kids who are lovers of THESE Magnatiles and if not, I know they are expensive, but they are the BEST investment and will pay for themselves a hundred times over (you can get amazing deals on them at Target and Amazon if you wait for either deal days or holidays). Hands down they are the MOST played with thing in our house and both kids will play with each other and them for hours. What I am not a fan of is how expensive these tiles are and the packaging they come in. It is a pretty slim cardboard box and the plastic holder that contains the different-sized magnatiles are REALLY annoying honestly, it has sharp plastic edges. Basically, we are constantly one day away from an artery being severed. I hate the packing box and a big reason why we have not added other magnatile designs (zoo, dinosaurs, glow in the dark, etc.) is that I hate this box more than anything. Fast forward to the Early Access Sale whereupon I decided to look for “Magnatile Storage” just to see suggestions and lo and behold, look what I found.
THIS Magnatile Storage box was EVERYTHING I didn’t know I needed. It was part of the sale and even if it wasn’t I have never scooped up anything so fast in my life. It is absolute perfection, easy for my toddlers to open and they can push/or it is light enough for my older one to pick up and put back. It also makes the cleanup so much easier (you just drop them in or make a game of tossing them in from a foot away). Plus, a nice bonus is that the sides unclip and the box becomes a magnatile play mat it just accordions and clips back up, so it is easy for parents as well as my three-year-old who can do it without issue. I cannot say enough good things. The major benefit for storage sake is that it is small enough to store, yet big enough to add to your magnatile collection.
During the Early Access Sale, Target will have competing prices and sales (we ended up with a new larger television) and one major part of the sale was $25 off of $100 so we ended up getting the Commodore THESE dinosaur Magnatiles for Christmas and EV THIS new ILY Disney doll (she loves these). It pays to compare shops between these two places to get the most bang for your buck.
There is a mama on YouTube Angela Braniff (another online treasure) who suggested through the hashtag (#primeday) and on my reels, THIS toddler microscope. FULL DISCLAIMER: I had to order another one. It sounded like it was broken, which it wasn’t (all the ‘tools’ were loose in the box and not in the cardboard holder), but EVERYTHING was out of the holder and there was a black mark on the microscope. The box and the holder also looked like it had been repackaged. I ordered another one ‘just to see’ if it was a fluke (#itwas). However, I love it for the kiddos. Both the kids loooove Ada Twist Scientist and have her dress-up scientist outfit and her lab kit (as in they each have their own). The Bullseye Playground at Target this year released a bunch of fun scientist stuff for kids like beakers, test tubes, etc. so I thought that the microscope was a good addition to everything else. Because it is a toddler microscope, it is very durable and great for little inquisitive hands. I am excited for EV and the Commodore to get leaves and such (no bugs unless with Sean and then have at it) and examine it through the lens for the Science class that they have in homeschool.
Some random home stuff included THIS expandable sink strainer. I will say that expandable over the sink or not, this is small. but I just needed an extra strainer. It is compact so great for storage and great for quick things like a can of chickpeas if I am roasting them or just something easy like fruit. Update: I use this one more than the expensive one that I have.
I recently bought THIS steam mop and it is 100% life-changing. I never knew there was so much that you could steam. I use it on our porcelain ‘wood’ tile floors, the grout in our bathroom shower, and our couch. It is the one thing I have recently purchased that I didn’t know was vital in cleaning our house. All this to say that I wanted a grout cleaner just for quick in-between touch-ups and that wouldn’t require me to dismantle the steam mop and I ended up buying THIS one. It was really inexpensive during the sale (I would definitely hold out since a lot of content creators talk about it and the price fluctuates quite frequently) and I like that it is handheld and about the size of an electric toothbrush. The reviews were excellent and I am looking forward to seeing how it holds up to the steam mop grout attachment which is already pretty darn satisfying in and of itself (#adulting).
Speaking of steam (gotta love a good segue) I have been on a good search for a travel steamer FOREVER…is it just me or does it seem like every time a travel steamer is released and promoted that it is being recalled months later for spurting and scalding of the skin. Not only a big no-no among adults but even more so with toddlers. I end up purchasing THIS travel steamer. I love that it folds over like a travel hair dryer and again the reviews were really really good. I wouldn’t say it is incredible, but it does its job and it is a perfect size to throw in our overnight bag, so until something more compact and steams more thoroughly comes along, I am good with this.
In keeping with the random and my purchasing decisions, I bought THESE airtag keychains and THIS credit card one. I recently had my bag stolen and even though I didn’t have a wallet (it had my license and one credit card for emergencies), I thought this was really clever just to slide into one of the slots in the future.
Also for travel, I bought THIS makeup organizer. I know I know I have been touting being a minimalist and everything, but I also bring A LOT of mini bags and now with the gray blending in my hair I need a special shampoo and so forth (I am not sure why all of this required explaining) and having one bag that can store and organize everything while still being slim and compact will always have me sold. I like that it can be wiped down and there are A LOT of good-sized pockets, looks very luxe, came in a lot of great colors and I would be able to just hang it in the bathroom or in the closet. I have bought several makeup bags since and all have been returned as this is the BEST one. It holds EVERYTHING I could possibly need, zips up really slim (therefore taking up barely any room in my suitcase) and the hanger on the bag is extremely durable considering all that I have put in it and then hang in the resort bathroom.
Pay no mind to the white string that is on the bag that I tried to wipe off my screen about a dozen times (cue facepalm emoji).
The thermometer came off of another blogger that I have been following for YEARS (veronikasblushing). We needed a new one, I like how easy it was and so much better than some of the other digital ones we had. I honestly was just using the old-school one we were given when we went home with the kids from the hospital when they were born. They work great, but having something quick where I do not have to worry about if the kids are moving around when I am trying to keep it under their armpit has been a nice addition.
I guess you could consider it both a travel and a home item, but we purchased THIS set of safe plugs. If you know me, I am one of those people that tries to refrain from posting when we are out of the house. I happened to be having this conversation with our neighbor who is on house and package watch when we are out of town and he asked why we didn’t have safe plugs that turn on our lights when we are out of town. Cue deer in headlights look. I just stopped and stared at him blinking for a bit wondering why I hadn’t thought of that. Again, these plugs had great reviews and the moment I posted them I had a friend reach out and tell me to get the outdoor Christmas lights version as they will turn your Christmas lights on when the sun sets.
The ensemble I am wearing just goes to show you how long I have been sitting on this post.
I like to call the next section, everything I didn’t need, but purchased anyway. Some of the things pictured we discussed. The other things were THESE black paper bag pants. I wouldn’t say they are fantastic, but they are cute and don’t get overly wrinkled. Since I am not longer in a traditional office and no longer have a lot of my ‘work wear’ I like having a simple pair of pants that I can throw on to run to the office if I have to or even to dinner (paper bag are my favorite style pants regardless). I love a good guitar strap that I can interchange on purses and THIS one was no different. It is an excellent quality, I love the olive and gold leopard combination and I feel that it is thick enough that when it sits on my shoulder it is comfortable and will be equally cute as a crossbody.
Other randomness included THIS silver ‘MAMA’ necklace. I absolutely love it. It is simple and it sits perfectly on the neck. I also loved that you could purchase multiple lengths since I have a small thin neck and long necklaces are not that flattering. For reference, I normally get a 14″ chain. The silver things pictured below it are actually necklace layering extenders. I wear multiple dainty chains (I normally only wear Alex Woo) and I have always loved stacking them and wanted an opportunity to change mine out. Because my necklace lengths are normally all the same, THESE necklace layering extenders are a great way to wear more than one and enjoy them, plus it keeps them from getting tangled. The picture also shows the air tag credit card holders as well as a mouse which is totally not interesting, but I do love the mint color.
I did get THIS JVN blow-drying milk that EVERYONE was talking about on the interwebs and honestly, it is just okay. It works okay, the price was okay for whose product it is, but honestly, I use a HASK spray that has since been discontinued (I have got to scour Amazon for it), but for a fraction of the cost. Plus, the JVN is in a glass bottle, super fancy (I suppose), but I despise traveling with glass more than anything. Of everything, this is the thing that if I didn’t need (and it does work) and also could have passed on without a second thought.
However, that cannot be said for the next items. Two faves that I didn’t need until I had them in my possession is THIS USB candle lighter. I love that you can charge it and light candles or whatever and do not have to worry about it losing lighter fluid. I find myself lighting more candles just to use them. It is really a satisfying tool lol. If you have an opportunity to grab one, it is an awesome stocking stuffer or an additional present if you are gifting candles or something of the like. We also ended up purchasing another air fort (HERE). It was a little pricey even with the Prime Day price, but it is much bigger than the one we had, it was super cute and the kids were over the moon they had a play house. My kids are petite so at certain junctures both EV and the Commodore can stand in it. It is particularly wonderful if you cannot stand putting play forts together with tent connectors as it is a pain in the patootie or they end up breaking. Yes, having a box fan can be slightly annoying (I am in the market for a quieter one if you know of any), but I absolutely love this for the kids, and who doesn’t love a playhouse that can fit in a really small storage bag at the end of their play and can just be thrown into the linen or coat closet (we actually hang ours on the inside door handle of our coat closet)?
You would think it would stop there…
Soooooo then Black Friday happened and in pure Dana fashion, we went off the rails with purchases (again…this is never a one-and-done scenario). However, I will say a lot of what we got is stuff that we had randomly talked about throughout the year, that wasn’t needed imminently, but once on sale, it made sense to get it for the cost.
Once we got new outdoor furniture, I was dying for an outdoor rug to bring it all together and THIS one really fit the bill. For anyone that has been in the market for one and has researched them, you know that the larger ones can be VERY expensive and if you live in Florida there is a ton of rain at any given time. Because of this, I was worried about spending the money and then having to replace it on the regular because of the rain and the rug getting moldy or destroyed. I like that this one can be scrubbed down with dish soap, rinsed off (with a hose), and fit the area perfectly. For $40 it was a no-brainer.
It looks quite good and now I am currently trying to talk myself out of the armchairs for the other side ;).
When we purchased the below gingerbread arch inflatable (HERE) I knew I wanted new lights, so we got THESE icycle ones at a deep discount. They are super cute and I absolutely love the warm white versus the colored ones we have been using for years. Because of the discount, we bought more than we thought we would need just in case and we did end up returning some of the boxes. Again, not something 100% necessary, but as we have changed our holiday decor it was something we talked about doing, and with the price it made it worth making the purchase. Now rather than running to Target the day after Christmas in hopes of scooping up last-minute lights for the next year (which if you ever tried to do is insanely stressful) we already have them and I can indulge in a leisurely coffee-filled morning instead.
We have season pass tickets to the Dolphins and we tailgate before the game. Sean has been wanting to have another tv of sorts to watch the other games on while we tailgate, so we purchased THIS. We haven’t even taken it out of the box, to test it out yet, but it was an amazing deal for $70, and the fact that it was a 17-inch screen was a bonus. Tailgating while watching the other games on our phones has proved quite the task and it is 100% a #firstworldproblems, but Sean’s one indulgence that he truly enjoys (besides us of course) is football, so it was nice finding something fun for him. Since we are on the electronics side of things, we did get THIS extra projector. The reviews were excellent and it was a steal for $35. Even if we use it to travel (I have seen a lot of people use theirs in their hotel room (we have the coveted travel Hearth and Hand screen that clips to curtains) it was worth it to get a second one. Both Sean and I ended up buying THESE electric toothbrushes (luckily I thought last minute to get two different colors lol) and THIS Oster electric wine opener. Getting a new wine opener broke my heart as I have a beautiful one (also sentimental) that Sean got me for our first Anniversary when he took me to see the Goo Goo Dolls (my favorite band ever), a bottle of wine, and bought me a Brookstone (old school) wine opener. Seventeen years later and it is finally starting to go and a new one was becoming more imperative so here we are….
Living in Florida, sitting on the sun, and basically sleeping next to an individual is practically like sleeping next to a furnace means that we have a quilt on the bed rather than a comforter. I have been wanting a solid one for a while (we have a lot of things going on in our bedroom). Again, something that was not imminent to purchase, but the deals were good and it made sense for the moment, so we purchased THIS one. I haven’t even taken it out of the rolled bag yet, that is how bad we did not need it and lastly were THESE washing machine cleaning tabs because…why not…who doesn’t love a good clean washing machine. Is this a thing?!
I gotta say, I love buying things with no plan that at a point we know we want to purchase or it is just something we are getting because we are seeing it and recognizing it would be something nice or fun to have and then getting said things delivered having forgotten what I ordered because I had no rhyme or reason is just icing on the cake! Does that even make sense?
Is anyone else like this?! Just me…wanna form a club?
