Back to School Bento Stash

Starting with the sweets, this is my stash of cookies, crackers and dried fruit to squeeze into my bento lunches. I have not tried most of these products so this is not an endorsement of any one brand. I simply shopped for tiny snacks and treats to fill small spaces in my boxes. I focused on low fat, 0 trans-fat and organic options if I could find them. Of course I will also use small fruit and veggies but some days just call for a little sweet.

My Decadant Bento Souvenir

My favorite shop at Disney World  was the Japanese gift shop in Epcot. Unfortunately for me, the rest of  the family was exhausted when we walked inside. My husband is a very big roller coaster fan and he had already run the group ragged for hours. I did snag this cute bento bag the minute I saw the display of Shinzi Katoh designs. There were no boxes or accessories but I was a happy camper. The lovely sales clerk was a little concerned since she was afraid that I was purchasing the bag as a purse. She made sure to point out that it was insulated inside and wasn't really a purse. I was tickled pink and reassured her that it was exactly what I was looking for to pack bento.

The Daytrippers and Me

On my 50th birthday last month I promised myself that this decade I will travel overseas with my husband. We have been married for 22 years and are in the process of raising 4 wonderful children. The last three decades have been all about the children as you can imagine. They are now in high school and college. It's our turn to have some fun. First step in the plan was to procure passports. I traveled several times before getting married but my passport had expired. My dear husband has never left the U.S. except for one brief day in Mexico on our honeymoon. He has never applied for a passport. The first step in our journey has begun, we have applied for passports and they have arrived. Now the planning begins.

When I first saw this collection at Borders the little girls reminded me of that promise. If money were no object I would have bought the whole collection which included carry on style bags but... did I mention we have four kids. Instead I bought this cute bundle of lunch accessories. I will try to be good and save them for a "Back to School" reward in August since I am a teacher. Only time will tell if I can hold out that long.