Semi Crunchy, Always Extra

Today I had an amazing day all around. I woke up early for a shower alone, without a kiddo to entertain. Win. Went to meet mommy friends for coffee and Sidecar donuts. Win. Win. Win! A few of us took the kiddos to the park afterward to let them run that toddler energy out; James fell asleep in the car leaving the park. Win, WIN. Zzzzzzzz…

With hesitation, I took him to DAISO Japan. I sleep transferred him into the stroller and then back into the car seat. Win. Famished from all the bargain store shopping, I called in an a curbside pickup order to East Borough, our local hipster-but-done-well Vietnamese sandwich shop. He slept through all this and all the way home. Biggest mommy win of all time!!! Not all days are like this. I’d be a liar and/or you’d hate me for it, but when the winning days happen, it’s awesome. 

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What is DAISO? It’s a cuter, Japanese version of the 99 cent store in the states. Almost everything comes with a cute $1.50 price tag. 

 
12 items from DAISO for a total of $18 equal ultimate lunchtime versatility. 

A while back, I scored some stainless steel snack boxes from DAISO and today, I thought I’d see if I’d get lucky again. Like the dollar store, selection will always vary between visits and locations. Sadly, no stainless steel today, but I scored everything pictured in this post. I also found some heavy glass food storage containers (think Pyrex) with BPA free plastic lids for mommy and daddy meal prep. Another post on that later… I love being able to reheat foods in glass rather than plastic!

  

What’s in today’s haul?

• 2 Insulated bento-sized lunch bags
• 2 snap top lunch boxes
• 2 bento sectioning insert set
• 2 icepacks
• 2 sandwich boxes
• 1 set of two snack boxes 
• 1 set of three mini snack boxes

What I love – The ice packs are a perfect fit along with the bento box inside of the insulated bag with room for utensils on the side. 

The snack and sandwich boxes can be used to create endless lunchbag combinations, not to mention all the other options they had. 

See my sheepdog aka child checking out all the combinations. BONUS – the bento inserts are fun practice for stacking, pulling out and putting away skills!

 
These bento lunch bags will come in handy for days out when we’re running around between errands and park play dates. They’ll also be ideal for day trips to the San Diego Zoo or Disneyland. I can’t wait to use them!

Mamas, what do you pack in your toddler’s lunchbox? Drop me a comment with your favorite snacks and meals. I’m always looking for new ideas!