Prime Day Deals & Favorite Things

This pressure cooker is the one I reach for most often when I’m doing my everyday cooking.

I love the flat-bottomed cooking pot with handles, the display, the lid fins, the dial/button controls.

When I’m using two pots at the same time or haven’t washed my Pro, this is the my go-to. I love the gentle pressure release, the dot matrix text underneath the progress bar, and the dial/button controls.

If you have room in your kitchen, I highly recommend having a spare pot. It’s convenient when you have leftovers in the fridge or are cooking more than one thing in the same pot

This is the spare pot for the Pro series. Make sure to buy the right version and size for your model of Instant Pot.

This pan is the workhorse of pot-in-pot cooking, where you make two items at the same time in on pot.

I always have spare sealing rings on hand, just in case they retain the smell of the last item I cooked in the pressure cooker.

These egg molds are the perfect size to pressure cook homemade egg McMuffins. They’re also the perfect size to air fry a very large and very delicious chocolate chip cookie. (Both recipes coming soon.)

I really like the high sides so it holds a lot of potatoes. The handles help you have a good grip when getting out slippery. It’s also easier to handle because it’s silicone, and it’s easier to clean than the fine mesh strainers. We’ve had ours for several years now and it has held up really well.

This is the rack we used in our pressure cooker to pressure cook our eggs in individual cups. You can also use it in air fryer/pressure cooker combos to bake on.

This is the air fryer I reach for most often. I really, really love the window and light that gives me a peek at what’s going on inside.

If you’re using the Vortex Plus, you’ll want to make sure you have a pack of these on hand for when the notification comes to change your filters.

These liners fit well in the Vortex and are lovely for making a large batch of nuggets or french fries. It's also amazing how much grease it keeps off of the basket.

Just make sure that you have the corners weighed down so they don’t burn.

I absolutely love these for the parchment liners that have a lip around the edges. These magnets help keep the liner from blowing up against the heating element.

(Note: I’m not sure when they’ll be back in stock, but it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on them.)

These liners help a lot with clean-up, and I use them as long as I have enough weight from the food to prevent them from rolling with the heat.

This gadget makes it super easy to flip your food by encasing it in a little silicone box with handles.

We like using one of these to bake our cookies on. They’re also useful for making multiple batches of freezer nuggets in a single layer at once. Midway through the cook time I’ll swap the top rack for the bottom rack to help them cook evenly.

We use this toaster oven more than we use our regular oven.

You can read our detailed review here to see how much we love it.

I tried this cleaner on a whim, and I really love both the smell and the way it cleans.

Thermapen One is always our first choice for checking the internal temperature of foods. They don't sell on Amazon, but they often will have sales during Prime Days, so its worth checking them out!

This bowl is great for mixing and serving in, but I love that it doubles as a double-boiler for making chocolate covered strawberries with sous vide mode.

We love these plastic tumblers! The waved edges make them much easier for little hands to hold on to. And the double walls helps keep things cold longer.

We love these for baking cakes. Once the cakes have cooled enough to take them out of the pan, we’ll invert them on a cooling rack and peel the parchment off, then set it back on top.

This will help the cake retain moisture as it cools, but it will make removal easy when it comes time to frost.

If you’re tired of cutting long strips of parchment to go on the sides, they come pre-made, which is nice.

These are absolutely our favorite cake pans for baking. We love these cake pans for their sharp edges and their slight ridges on the bottom. They bake up really evenly.

This brush does a good job cleaning the food off your BBQ. Once you get the hang of it, it keeps the grill clean without the health risk of the metal bristle brushes.

We love the Good Grips line, and this ladle is our favorite in our kitchen. It washes well and since it’s black it doesn’t discolor when scooping tomato-based soups and stews

It’s really nice to have the otpion to sip through a straw or to throw it back and chug, depending on the activity.

The double walled stainless steel keeps the water really cold and doesn’t take on a weird taste. The lid closing and lock feature helps me not to worry about spilling. And so far it’s held up to drops really well. 

While we found Birria sauce at Target and Kroger, we really love the flavor of the Chef Merito brand.

When we’re making a dessert where it’s important for the vanilla-bean flavor to shine through, this paste is our go-to. We use it at a 1:1 ratio, and it always takes our dishes to the next level.

(Plus it’s the only vanilla I’ve tried where you don’t get the bitter alcohol taste when you lick the spoon.)

We’d be remiss if we didn’t include this on our list. We published it in 2017, and it’s still a go-to for many of our meals. The cooking techniques we developed for the cookbook are still our starting point for the recipes we develop today.

There’s a reason it has 4.6 out of 5 stars.

And, of course, our cookbook devoted entirely to desserts. This one has chapters on cakes, lava cakes, pies, and so much more.

I wrote this one when I was pregnant with my youngest, so it has a special place in my heart. Make everything from your baby's first purees to toddler lunches and smash cakes.

This book is really fun to read with little ones. It’s interactive (like you tip the book to "pour" the batter. Even better, it's surprisingly helpful at teaching cooking basics (like mixing the wet ingredients before the dry ones).

Plus it has counting and dancing and silliness.

Another interactive recipe book that teaches little ones how to throw together a taco.

We love everything in this series, but this one is particularly close to our hearts since my little guy is dyspraxic. Sometimes clumsiness is more than just a quirk, and this book is a helpful tool for explaining how it feels to other people.

We love Emily from Emily's Wonder Lab, and it has been so much fun to have vetted science experiments with clear instructions that my kids and I can do together.

We love all of the Elephant & Piggie books at our house, but this one holds a particularly special place in my heart; for my birthday a few years back, my family threw me exactly the kind of party that Piggie was invited to. It was an unforgettable day.

This book is an absolute delight to read for the first time. Everyone from grown-ups to the littlest were laughing with tears and holding their tummies. It was silly in the best way.

My kids love every book in this series (If I built a car, if I built a house, If I built a school.) However, this one is probably the one they reach for most often.

Each of my kids has one of these for reading at night. We’ve loved that they’re fairly durable, easy to use, and no blue light at all, so it doesn't keep them up when it's time for bed.

This was my very favorite book series as a kid, and they still hold a place close to my heart today.

This is one we’ve read to our older kids. I love the character growth that occurs in the series. My kids love the magical creatures and situations.

We used 3M velcro strips to mount these on either side of our TV and it has been so fun for dance parties and movies in the evenings. I also like that these lights can do a gentle, warm white evening light.

We also got these lights and put them above our cabinets to further enhance our dance parties. 

We bought this in 2020, and it has been going strong for four years now. When it's wildfire season, it really helps to keep the smells (and particulates) out of our home.

We love the larger Blue Air so much that we bought these smaller ones for each of our kids’ bedrooms. (It’s particularly nice in babies and teens' rooms where smells can be particularly strong.)

Barbara has this one in her home, and she really likes that it can sense when she’s cooking and it will kick on a higher mode.

My mom and grandma both kept violets in their home, but I’ve always had bad luck with them because of their finicky watering needs. This pot has a clay inner pot that slowly absorbs water, so all I have to do is remember to put water in the outer pot every week or two. 

We needed to use this in the middle of the night a few days after we purchased it. After we were done, we were kicking ourselves for not buying one as soon as we had kids.

Not the most pleasant subject, but these are definitely a must-have at home and in the car. I didn't realize you could just buy them outside the hospital, so I thought I'd share so now you'd know too.

This spray has worked on every type of stain we've come across. However, it's been gentle on our carpets and upholstery.

My friend recommended this one to me. I really love that there is a lot of drying space but it folds down into a small compact area. There are even little slots to slide washcloths or other little items.

I don't know how many times I’ve been saved by these little sheets multiple times when I'm something new starts to bleed in the washing machine. I don’t know how they work, but they’re a magnet for colors.

This one is a quiet humidifier that can pack a lot of moisture into a room. It’s easy to clean and doesn’t turn pink nearly as quickly as our previous ones. We almost never use the smart feature, but it's nice to have if you're interested in that.

This is my husband's favorite purchase from last Prime Day. Ever since we've installed it, he's had fun controlling it from his phone. It has a lot of recommendations for managing watering your lawn and can adjust based on the wind and weather. 

We have a small fairy garden in our backyard, and this is definitely the centerpiece. The solar-powered light makes the cottage turn on at night, which adds to the magic.

We have this right by our garage door so when we come inside there are specific places the shoes should go. The mesh is strong and holds the shoes well, and it does a great job preventing the kids from leaving shoes all over the house.

This is absolutely my favorite computer monitor. It is large enough to have two windows open side-by-side, color accurate, doesn’t flicker, and is absolutely reliable.

We use these for our family's library cards and rec center passes. It’s nice to keep them organized, and we can just temporarily detach the ones we need without worrying about unthreading it. 

This is my favorite drugstore mascara. I have tried it in the Blackest Black and Cosmic black shades, and both of them stay on really well. I don’t get little flakes, I don’t get clumping, and it doesn’t irritate my sensitive eyes.

This is Barbara's preferred mascara. She loves the way it glides on without clumping.

I love how skinny this gel pencil is. It auto sharpens, and because its so thin it’s easy to correct without making my eyeliner too thick. 

I love clear lipliner! Line just outside your normal lipline to keep your lipstick from feathering or bleeding.

These little microdart stickers really help with cystic zits when they show up. 

I really feel like this primer makes a big difference in how my eyeshadow applies. I like the anti-aging formula better because I think it helps prevent creasing better.

My skin is sensitive. To a ridiculous level—if it doesn’t give me acne it gives me hives. I got this one on a special deal and stock up on it when it goes on sale. I absolutely love that I don’t have a sunscreen sheen or stickiness to my skin when I’m wearing it. And it surprisingly holds up well in the water.

This is the version I use on my kids or when the other one isn't on a deal. It works nearly as well and is much less expensive.

Like I said, I have really sensitive skin. Even though it's not what it's advertised for, this aloe is the only one I’ll use on my face because it doesn’t irritate it. 

I am amazed at how well just these cloths and water work for removing everyday make-up. Lipstick, eye make-up, it doesn’t matter. It just washes right off.

I’ve tried a couple types of these, and I prefer this one because of the elastic holder rather than the button holder. My hair falls beneath my shoulder blades, and this towel is just the right length.

I love these putting these in after I’ve showered but before I’m ready to blow dry. They absorb a ton of water and my hair dries really quickly.

I was talking with my hair stylist about her favorite products, and she highly recommended this really light-weight blow dryer if you have thick, heavy hair that takes a long time to dry.

I got this on Prime Day last year, and I’ve really liked the different heat settings and blowing speeds.

I've basically thrown out all the other elastics in my drawer. These gentle ones hold my fine hair comfortably without headaches.

When I'm pulling my hair up on top of my head or wrapping around a bun, I generally reach for these scrunchies. They're gentle but hold well.

I really like the two rows of teeth on this teasing comb. I’ve had good luck with it teasing my hair without permanently tangling it, and it’s easy to brush through at the end of the day.

When my neck and shoulders are achy, this is my go-to.

These were recommended by my neurologist. Doesn’t fix the migraines (for me, I needed injectables to make a dent in those), but I feel like it helps when taken regularly.

Again, with migraines, sometimes I just need a little help bringing the volume of the world down. These help me hear my kids clearly when they’re talking to me, but it drowns out much of the chaos and noise from other things.

Best of all, it doesn't magnify the sound of my own voice inside my head.

I’m super pear-shaped with a bit of a mom tummy. This dress works really well for my frame. I’m 5’6” and it’s the perfect length to wear with flats.

I don’t wear heels often, but when I do, these are the ones I reach for over and over again. The heel is wider so it’s easier to walk in, and it has some comfortable cushioning under the heel. I’ve never gotten blisters from this model.

These make a huge difference when playing outside in the summer.

These are the cushion-iest socks I’ve ever experienced. I bought them as a gift for my husband, and I’ve been jealous ever since.

Again, works with my mom tummy, and I love the undershorts to help prevent chafing.  Plus three amazing phone pockets: two on the sides and a hidden one on the undershorts.

These leggings have a slight compression WITH POCKETS you can actually fit a phone in.

This has ended up being my husband’s favorite wallet. Initially he was skeptical about the curved edge, but in reality he says it makes it easier to fit in his pocket.

Luna and I love that this hair dryer can blow fairly hard without getting too loud. It doesn’t freak Luna out nearly as much as when I'd use my personal hair dryer on low.

I keep one of these on Luna's leash at all times so that I can easily wrap her leash around a tree without taking it off from her collar. She's a bitsy dog, but they come in higher strength for bigger dogs.

We love that this hooks into the latch system and keeps Luna contained in her seat in the car. We use it in conjunction with her harness.

This is the only harness I’ve found that doesn’t dig into Luna’s armpits and cause rubbing. It takes a time or two to remember how to attach it, but once you’ve got it down it goes on and off like a flash. Plus it has two places to attach the leash.

Honestly, these little balls are super fun for days at the lake. We’ve spent lots of time throwing them back and fort seeing how many skips we could get.

These bike lights are really fun in the summer and make me feel more comfortable with my kids biking in the evening, after the heat a died down. Each kid has a set in their favorite color.

We only got them this year, so I can’t speak to their longevity over time. But we have been having so much funu with them this summer from sunset onward. They are surprisingly bright and seem fairly durable.

I love this card game. I played it in college and recently rediscovered it after a trip with a favorite college roommate. However, it also comes in handy for any game where you’re mixing several decks of playing cards together.

As a bonus, all the decks look identical on the face of the cards, but the different shades on the back make it easy to sort back out after playing.

This has been a life-saver for playing Go Fish or Crazy 8s with little hands. It helps them organize their cards and feel a little more independent.

So far, this is the only party game the extended family has found we’ve found where everyone 5+ can play and no one bickers. It's amazing!

This is absolutely the best play food I’ve found. It is strong and durable, really hard to dent or smash, and really realistic looking. I’ve spent a lot of time at my kids’ “restaurants” eating these, and they’ve held up really well.

My son almost always has a fidget in his hands, and this one is his absolute favorite. According to him, they glide better and last longer than any other snake fidget we’ve tried. (And we’ve tried a zillion different kinds.)

We’re in our Star Wars era, and these are the best budget lightsabers we’ve found. We’re on our second package, and it took *a lot* of pretend battles before we needed to replace a single color.

I really love that the sound is optional, so the battles aren't quite as noisy.

This little clip is compatible with the retractable sabers above as well as the toy lightsabers sold at Disneyland. It makes it much easier to carry the saber hands-free.

My middle son saved his allowance and chose to get a super durable lightsaber. He picked this one because it fits his height and it has a piece that can turn it into a "Darth Maul" saber or he can battle with two separate sabers.

It won't hold up against major smashing action, but it's a lot more durable than the retractable sabers above.

We've been using this planner for two years now. I really like the perforated edge between the meal plan and shopping list. It even organizes the shopping list into categories, which makes it much easier to only circle the store once.

I’m really particular about writing pens. These are by far my favorite because they write well without skipping, they feel nice to hold in your hand, and it doesn’t smudge or smear when I’m writing quickly.

I keep a bunch of the plastic ones on-hand for everyday use (aka for my kids to steal). But they both write equally well.

This is the phone charger that everyone in the house looks for first. It charges really quickly, is relatively lightweight, and has a built-in cable so you don't have to dig to find one that works.

These are my favorite for road trips with kids. They can hold a few coloring books, word searches, maps, and they have a special container at the bottom to hold pens and pencils.

Everyone gets their own and it cuts down on the fighting quite a bit.

The kids and I had a blast playing this at the park with my dad. It took a bit of practice to keep it in the air, and we ran the kids ragged chasing after each landing.

If you know a paper airplane lover, this is definitely something to consider.

These packing cubes made my life so much easier on our last vacation. I just packed everything for each day in one cube, so I’d just get it out and everyone could get dressed and ready.

The smaller cubes were for swimsuits and PJs. They're a permanent part of my travel packing now.

This stretchy travel clothesline is perfect for days at the lake or for drying swimsuits in a hotel. It comes with clips that don’t rip through clothes, and it stretches to fit the space you have available.