misosouper, a shopping blog

Because while you’re shopping for the baby, your big kid is prancing out the door to school.  Scary, right?  For more, check out TheFind here.

As the new school year draws near my search for the perfect lunch box goes into full swing. I was looking for a PVC-free and lead-free bag that is insulated and can accommodate a Sigg bottle and bento box lunches. Of course it has to be modern, good looking and easy for my preschooler to carry. After a thorough online search I have found the perfect lunch tote. The Stoh lunch tote by Milkdot meets all of my wish list requirements and it comes in a sweet pink/brown color combo. The Stoh also comes in blue/brown. Not to mention the fact that the Stoh lunch tote is designed by a very chic New York mom named Janet Cho who is a graphic designer and founder of Milkdot. The Stoh lunch box has modern appeal for me and I’m sure that we’ll be taking the tote on outings as well. I’m impressed by the thoughtful functionality of the Stoh lunch tote. For one it can fold flat, a plus for storage. It has ID tag which will hopefully prevent it from going missing, inside pockets to hold ice packs, a water repellent finish, outside pocket for utensils and napkins, and there is a magnetic closure to keep the handles together when carrying the tote.

In our effort to reduce our household’s contribution to the earth-choking mass that is our local landfill, we’ve moved almost entirely to reusable bags for groceries and errands.  And because I’m, um, a bit of a product junkie, I’ve tried them all:  the recycled plastic versions from Whole Foods, tacky canvas versions collected as freebies from various conferences, netted versions with handles, and versions made from salvaged curtain fabric (which I do recommend, especially for carrying small loads, like a couple of bottles of wine or a bag of fruit).

But for heavy lifting, I’ve become devoted to my Skeeda bag:  made from heavy-duty–but surprisingly lightweight!–canvas, one of these totes has enough room for several bottles, three or four cans, a loaf of bread, and a few boxes.  They also hang an extra-long strap, which is way more comfy when you’re toting a big load.  Did I mention that they fold completely flat, and hey!  they’re also really cute?

And this week, we’re giving a happy-patterned Skeeda bag away to one lucky reader.  Simply leave a comment on this post, describing one thing you do to make your world a greener place.  One winner will be chosen at random.

ETA:  Extra entries given if you a) visit Skeeda’s site, choose your favorite bag, and post here about it; b) tweet a link to this post (please leave link in this post’s comments so we can verify); c) link to this post on your blog (again, please leave a link here for verification).  Don’t forget that you need to leave a separate comment for each of these so that we have accurate numbers for the random drawing.  Thanks!

the fine print:

Comments will be closed and entries will not be accepted after 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, February 22 , 2009.  The winner will be selected on Monday, February 23, 2009, and notified by e-mail.  Results of the giveaway will be announced on Monday, February 23, 2009.  Multiple entries will not be accepted, and previous giveaway winners are not eligible.  Misosouper, a shopping blog reserves the right to disqualify entries that are incomplete, inaccurate, or considered spam.