11 Hello Kitty Lunch Time

It's getting to be that time of year again.  Only a few weeks left of summer vacation and then my child goes back to school.  She'll have the same schedule as last year, 3 full days a week, so there are lots of bentos in store!  Of course, being the dedicated shopper that I am, I'm always on the lookout for school items, especially lunch related.

The other day we were at the mall trying to get someone to look at my iPhone 4 at the Apple store. (Ha!  Yeah right, did you know you need an appointment at that place if you want an employee to even say hello to you?)  After we left, we passed a Sanrio store called Domkimeki Japan, and I Ella couldn't resist going in to see all the new Hello Kitty items.  I've said since last year when I picked up this lunch box from another Sanrio store that if I ever saw another (even the exact same one!) I'd snap it up, because it's the BEST lunch box/bag design ever.  Seriously.  Well, my dreams came true and I found the exact same design, except it's got a different HK motif.  It even comes with a plastic lunch container inside, like the other.  I cannot express how much I love this bag (I swear I'm not the one actually using it.)  The barrel top unzips and is the perfect size and shape for an aluminum bottle like the .3L size Sigg (and we have a Hello Kitty one, imagine that.)

The main compartment has a deep, rectangular area which is perfect for stacking bento boxes - upright, so no spillage!  It's got a zippered mesh area that's underneath the top barrel which is great for storing utensils, or even a cold pack.  Zippered side and front pouches give it plenty of storage, and lots of good insulation.  So yeah, I love it.  Like last year, I'll be removing the long strap so E can carry it with the top handle.  I think the only thing that's different besides the motif is that the side pockets have adjustable straps, which I suppose can be very useful.

These pictures are terrible, but just to show you.