Amazon Haul #6

Over the course of the past few months, I’ve had more than a few requests to bring back my semi-regular Amazon hauls. I realize it’s been a hot second since I’ve shared one (we’re talking well over a year!) so I figured I was more than a little overdue! Warning: This is a LONG one.

Hauls of any kind always intrigue me (grocery hauls, fashion hauls, etc.) and I suppose it’s like the grown-up version of a little kid ogling birthday presents. Ya know the whole, “Ooooh! So what did you get!?” thing except now, rather than ogling birthday presents, it’s Amazon hauls and grocery hauls I’m excited about. Life comes at you fast, my friends.

Today’s Amazon haul is filled with the randomness you’d expect from an Amazon haul and includes everything from birthday presents for the boys’ friends (so… many… birthday… parties) to beauty staples, home finds, some fashion goodies and more. Let’s dive in!

Amazon Haul

• Julep Crème Eyeshadow Stick

I’ve been buying this eyeshadow stick for two years and never question whether or not to reorder it every time I run out. It’s a beauty staple for me! I don’t use it as a typical eyeshadow but rather as a way to smudge my eyeliner and give my eyeliner a less severe look. I first apply eyeliner on my top eyelid as close to my eyelashes as possible. I then then run this eyeshadow stick directly over my eyeliner line to soften it up and make it look a little more smudgy and undone. I love it so much! I have the 04 Taupe Shimmer color.

• Birthday Gifts for the Boys’ Friends

I figured I should round this one up in one category otherwise it would take over this haul. Three kids all of whom are at prime birthday party age means we basically have a birthday party (or two) on the agenda at all times. Over the summer it got so crazy that I ordered SIX of the same gift to give over and over again (this kid-friendly digital camera — a huge hit!) but things are semi-slowing down now so I’m less overwhelmed and better able to plan ahead with slightly more individualized gifts. The boys also love sitting down at my computer with me and looking at options on Amazon so some of these gifts were selected by them.

Here’s a roundup of our latest birthday gift purchases (some of the following gifts were paired together or given with a little something else): Dinosaur Fossil Dig Kit + Bear Head Lamp (6 year old boy), Plant and Paint Your Own Flowers Kit + The Fascinating Animal Book (8 year old girl), Biggie Beads (5 year old boy), Grow and Glow Terrarium + Lego Car Kit (4 year old boy), Owl Diaries Book Set (8 year old girl)

• Stone Dish Drying Mat

When I saw Kath blog about this mat, I could not order it fast enough. Ryan loves drip-drying his water bottles and cups on a kitchen towel in our pantry and I’m not sure why it bothers me so much but it always looks so junky. Enter this drying mat! It’s made of diatomaceous earth, a super water absorber, and absorbs water from Ryan’s cups and water bottles so well. It matches our countertops and is not an eyesore so you better believe this thing quickly became one of my favorite kitchen purchases!

• Eufy Handheld Vacuum

There’s something about a handheld vacuum that calls to our boys. It’s not something I want to deny them because anytime they offer to help clean I’m all about it but sometimes their “cleaning” comes along with unexpected casualties in the form of broken items. Case in point: My Bissell handheld vacuum. I missed it so much in the months I didn’t have it so when I saw this Eufy handheld vacuum come on sale during Prime Day, I nabbed it. I’m happy to report I like it even MORE than the Bissell I previously owned mostly due to the fact that it seems to have stronger suction power. I miss the stand the Bissell came with but overall have been really happy with the Eufy. I use it all the time to vacuum out car messes, for a quick clean between couch cushions, cabinets and drawer crumbs, etc. And yes, I do still let the boys use it but they now know firsthand that it is NOT a toy.

• Visual Timer (for Quiet Time)

Soon after I published Rhett’s third birthday blog post, we decided to officially drop Rhett’s nap. I’m kind of shocked as we’ve always had kids who have napped until nearly 4 years old in our house, but he was fighting it so, so hard and never falling asleep. The first few weeks of school have been a whirlwind as we’ve been navigating new schedules but it’s my hope to begin implementing quiet time for Rhett after preschool on the days when we come home in between school pickups. One of you recommended using a visual timer for quiet time for Rhett and I LOVED the idea!! I ordered this one on Amazon because it will allow him to see time decreasing but it also has the option to NOT make a noise when the time is up which was important to me on the off chance Rhett falls asleep in his room during quiet time. I’ll report back on this one once we give it a go!

• More Melty Beads

Our boys are still 100 percent into melty beads. It’s an activity I love that they love because it’s calm entertainment (a gift when you have three boys!) and is something they gravitate toward in the mornings or after school when they need a little chill time. They’ve also taken to making melty bead creations to gift to friends which I love as it encourages them to think about their friends’ interests. (We’ll often leave one bead off of their designs before ironing and turn them into keychains and attach them to birthday gifts! I use the chains from the bulk box of PopIt Keychains I bought to attach to birthday gifts but you can also buy them in bulk by themselves.) My latest melty bead purchase included this box which they love even more than the huge tub I initially bought for them since all of the colors are organized and easier to find.

• Amazon Necklaces (Colorful Beaded Necklace + Freshwater Pearl Necklace)

I had such good luck with the gold paperclip chain necklace I ordered off Amazon back in 2021 that I felt confident trying again with two more necklaces. This colorful beaded necklace made a past Things I’m Loving Friday blog post because it just feels so happy and it’s one I’ve found myself wearing on repeat all summer long. I also bought this freshwater pearl necklace and it’s beautiful!

• Lace Racerback Bra

My tolerance for uncomfortable bras plummeted as I entered my 30s and I now almost exclusively wear bralettes and bras without any kind of wiring in them. This racerback bra is one I purchased in nude last spring and it quickly became my go-to bra of summer to wear under tanks. (It works so well under the $8 Target tank I wear multiple times a week.) After wearing the nude bra so much, I figured I should order the black one, too, and love both of them.

• Belt Bag + Personalized Letter Patches

You may remember the semi-DIY gift idea I shared a while back where I put personalized letter patches on makeup bags for my girlfriends… Well, I realized the idea might be a fun one for gifts for some of the boys’ girlfriends as well! There’s a lululemon lookalike crossbody bag on Amazon a million and one influencers have highlighted over the years and while I personally found it way too small to be ideal for mom life, I thought it might be great for a little girl to put little treasures in! Yesterday I made this little belt bag for one of the boys’ friends and customized it with the first letter in her name and a rainbow patch I had from this set of letters and love the way it turned out. We’re pairing it with the first set of Owl Diaries books for an upcoming birthday party gift!

• Children’s Retro-Inspired Athletic Socks

If you read Friday’s blog post, you knew this one was coming! For the longest time I’ve been on the struggle bus when it comes to finding cute athletic socks for the boys. I am picky about the length and so many crew-style socks seem to reach their knees or upper calves. Thankfully a couple of weeks ago I found a few winners and love the semi-retro look and the fact that they don’t hit too high on the leg. For Chase and Ryder, I ordered the black and gray versions of these Cotton Day socks and for Rhett I ordered these organic cotton socks in a variety of colors.

• BURTON SNACK BAG (x2 — One for Kid Snacks + One for Ryan’s Toiletries)

This is another TILF mention! When we went on our first family camping trip earlier this summer, the clear Burton snack bag I’ve been using for the boys’ snacks for years was destroyed by squirrels when we stepped away from our campsite. That thing was crazy durable and perfect for storing lots of snacks and I was determined to replace it with the same thing. Well, after scouring the internet, I came up empty handed but stumbled upon something similar from the same brand. Apparently the bag I previously loved was discontinued years ago but I decided to give this updated version a shot.

I’m happy to say I LOVE it and honestly like it even more than the older version. It’s made with the same clear durable material (we had no issues with rips or tears for years until the squirrel got to our old bag) but it also has a separate compartment on the bottom of the bag which I like for separating bars or pouches from other snack options. It holds a ton which is crucial for me since I like to have a lot of snacks on hand at all times for our kids. I actually ordered a second one for Ryan to use for his toiletries when we travel after I noticed him using a gallon-size plastic bag during our Florida travels. He’s been using it during his business travels over the course of the past month and said he’s a big fan as well.

• Puracy Natural Dish Soap

This was just another re-order of our go-to dish soap. After initially discovering Puracy through their natural stain remover (another favorite I’ve been ordering for years), I branched out and ordered dish soap by the same brand and haven’t looked back. We pour this dish soap refill into one of the glass bottles we keep by our kitchen sink and it works great.

• Mini Karaoke Machine

I saw this mini karaoke machine on a Lighting Deal a week or so ago and took advantage of the savings and ordered it for Ryder for Christmas. He’s always listening to music and singing his heart out and I think this will be a huge hit with him! And yes, yes I am already over here thinking about the holidays.

• REUZEL Hair Cream

REUZEL hair cream is the stuff we use in the boys’ hair almost every single day. We used to use a paste by the same brand but after Ryan ordered this cream we haven’t looked back because it easily squeezes out and helps style their hair in a way that still has their hair looking soft versus crunchy, greasy or too slick. I even keep one in my car for quick hair touchups in case we forget to do their hair at home.

• Meat Chopper/Masher Kitchen Tool

This is another past TILF mention and it’s just the handiest little thing! I had this meat chopping tool on my radar for a while after seeing a bunch of food bloggers share it but never added it to my cart because it seemed like just another thing. Well, it is apparently just another thing that’s very, very handy because I’ve been using it constantly and now fully understand the hype. It perfectly mashes ground beef, chicken or turkey and I’ve used it to mash sweet potatoes and butternut squash as well. It’s been a welcomed addition to my arsenal of handy little kitchen tools.

• Mini Lizard Toys (for Chase’s Classmates)

When Lucky, our leopard gecko, got to go on a field trip to Chase’s school, I thought his classmates might love selecting a little lizard toy to bring home with them to remind them of the day Chase’s favorite reptile came to visit. Amazon to the rescue! The small lizards were a huge hit in his class and thankfully didn’t cause mayhem among his classmates. I admittedly worried that not bringing the same lizard toy for everyone might cause fights over the “best” ones but thankfully second graders have come a long compared to preschoolers. Ha!

Questions of the Day

Any awesome Amazon wins you’ve added to your cart recently?