Is this true? Please don't scare me!

This is not a bento post, but if it's true, it's important enough to blog about to warn mothers with young children about potential dangers.

My ten year old and my husband share the same shampoo. They have been using Johnson's Baby shampoo for the last 10 years.

I picked this article up from "thedailygreen.com" and I'm not sure how true it is. This time, I've copied and pasted the entire report in this post. I don't want to get UPSET again if these links get broken for some reason or other!

Can anyone verify this article or is there a way I can verify how much TRUTH is in it???

I don't want to react by throwing away all the related products immediately, although if it is true, that will be the first thing which I will do!

Mothers with young children please read this and take note that it just not affects shampoo but also the bubble baths, sunblock lotion, baby wash and a whole list of other stuff.

3.12.2009 10:17 AM

Shampoos and Other Children's Bath Products Have Toxic Ingredients That Aren't on the Label

Nonprofit group's tests find formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane in children's shampoos, bubble baths and baby lotions. See complete list of brands that had one or both chemicals.

Photo: Istock

By Dan Shapley

Buzz up!

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics today will reveal which brands of children's shampoos, bubble baths and baby lotions tested positive for formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, two chemicals that have been linked to serious health problems, including cancer.

You won't find these chemicals on ingredient lists, though you might find marketing claims like "gentle" and "cure" on the suspect products, according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition of nonprofit health and environmental organizations.

Of 48 products tested, 67% had 1,4-dioxane. Of 28 products tested, 82% had formaldehyde. See below for a list of brands that did and did not have the chemicals.

Not waiting for the full report, the cosmetics industry attacked the group in a press release, calling the allegations "patently false and a shameful and cynical attempt by an activist group to incite and prey upon parental worries and concerns in order to push a political, legislative and legal agenda." The Personal Care Products Council questioned the scientific integrity of the report, and said that levels of the chemicals found were extremely low, within regulatory limits and safe for use. It defended the use of formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing compounds as a safe preservative.

True, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is pushing a political, legislative and legal agenda, and the $250 billion global cosmetics industry has come to show concern about publicity over the group's reports.

The Campaign has previously exposed high levels of phthalates, formaldehyde and toluene in nail polish, leading to the phase-out of the use of those chemicals by several major brands; exposed the presence of lead in many lipsticks (see 11 lead-free lipsticks). The campaign supports both the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database of chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products, and state and federal proposals to regulate the use and disclosure of certain suspect chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products.

Brands That Tested Positive For 1,4 Dioxane

*According to The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

• Baby Magic "Soft Baby Scent" Baby Lotion (Ascendia Brands, Inc)
• CVS Baby Shampoo (CVS/Pharmacy)
• Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• L'Oreal Kids Extra Gentle 2-in-1 Fast Dry Shampoo – Burst of Cool Melon (L’Oreal USA)
• Suave Kids 2-in-1 Shampoo – Wild Watermelon (Unilever)
• American Girl Hopes and Dreams Glistening Shower and Bath Wash (Bath & Body Works)
• American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
• American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
• American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
• American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Sunny Orange (Bath & Body Works)
• Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• 
  
• Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• CVS Kids Body Wash – Blueberry Blast (CVS/Pharmacy)
• Equate Tearless Baby Wash (Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.)
• Gentle Naturals Eczema Baby Wash (Del Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)
• Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash (Gerber Products Company)
• Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash (Kimberly-Clark)
• Johnson’s Moisture Care Baby Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• Johnson’s Oatmeal Baby Wash – Vanilla (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• Mustela Baby Shampoo (Laboratories Expanscience)
• Mustela Dermo-Cleansing Gel for Hair and Body Newborn/Baby (Laboratories Expanscience)
• Night-time Bath Baby Wash (Target Corporation)
• Barbie Berry Sweet Bubble Bath (Water-Jel Technologies)
• Dora the Explorer Bubble Bath (MZB Personal Care)
• Hot Wheels Berry Blast Bubble Bath (Water-Jel Technologies)
• Mustela Multi-Sensory Bubble Bath (Laboratories Expanscience)
• Sesame Street Bubble Bath – Orange Mango Tango (The Village Company)
• Tinker Bell Scented Bubble Bath (Goldie LLC)
• Soft & Beautiful Just for Me! No-Lye Conditioning Creme Relaxer, Children’s Super (Alberto-Culver Company)
• Pampers Kandoo Foaming Handsoap – Magic Melon (Procter & Gamble)
• No-Ad Sun Pals SPF 45 UVA/UVB Sun Protection (Solar Cosmetics Labs Inc.)

Brands That Tested Positive for Formaldehyde

*According to The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

• American Girl Hopes and Dreams Shimmer Body Lotion (Bath & Body Works)
• Baby Magic “Soft Baby Scent” Baby Lotion (Ascendia Brands, Inc)
• Baby Magic “Soft Baby Scent” Baby Lotion (Ascendia Brands, Inc)
• Baby Magic “Soft Baby Scent” Baby Lotion (Ascendia Brands, Inc)
• Tinker Bell Body Lotion (Goldie LLC)
• CVS Baby Shampoo (CVS/Pharmacy)
• Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• L’Oreal Kids Extra Gentle 2-in-1 Fast Dry Shampoo – Burst of Cool Melon (L’Oreal USA)
• American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
• American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
• American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
• CVS Kids Body Wash – Blueberry Blast (CVS/Pharmacy)
• Equate Tearless Baby Wash (Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.)
• Gentle Naturals Eczema Baby Wash (Del Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)
• Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash (Gerber Products Company)
• Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash (Kimberly-Clark)
• Barbie Berry Sweet Bubble Bath (Water-Jel Technologies)
• Dora the Explorer Bubble Bath (MZB Personal Care)
• Sesame Street Bubble Bath – Orange Mango Tango (The Village Company)
• Tinker Bell Scented Bubble Bath (Goldie LLC)
• Hot Wheels Berry Blast Bubble Bath (Water-Jel Technologies)
• Mustela Multi-Sensory Bubble Bath (Laboratories Expanscience)
• Huggies Soft Skin – Shea Butter (Kimberly-Clark Global Sales Inc)
• Pampers Kandoo Foaming Handsoap – Magic Melon (Procter & Gamble)

Brands That Had Neither 1,4-Dioxane Nor Formaldehyde

Note that several brands were tested for only one of the two chemicals; consult the The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report (look below for complete report) to see those brands that tested clean for the one chemical tested.

• Dark & Lovely Kids Beautiful Beginnings No-Mistake Nourishing No-Lye Children’s Relaxer System, Fine Hair Types (SoftSheen-Carson, owned by L’Oreal USA)

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

Toxic Tub: Product Test Results

Below are the results for all the products tested for formaldehyde and/or 1,4-dioxane for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report, "No More Toxic Tub." The company that distributes the product is shown in parentheses next to the product name. ND means that the impurity was not detected (though see "Why 'No Detect' Doesn't Mean No Problem" below the chart). A blank space means that the product was not tested for the relevant contaminant. Product Name 1,4-dioxane (ppm) Formaldehyde (ppm) Lotion American Girl Hopes and Dreams Shimmer Body Lotion (Bath & Body Works) ND* 310 Baby Magic “Soft Baby Scent” Baby Lotion (Ascendia Brands, Inc) ND* 570 Baby Magic “Soft Baby Scent” Baby Lotion (Ascendia Brands, Inc) 0.92 610 Baby Magic “Soft Baby Scent” Baby Lotion (Ascendia Brands, Inc) ND* 330 Johnson’s Bedtime Lotion Natural Calm Essences (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies) ND* Mustela Baby Body Lotion (Laboratories Expanscience) ND* Tinker Bell Body Lotion (Goldie LLC) ND* 220 Shampoo CVS Baby Shampoo (CVS/Pharmacy) 0.92 350 Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies) ND* 200 Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies) 1.1 210 L’Oreal Kids Extra Gentle 2-in-1 Fast Dry Shampoo – Burst of Cool Melon (L’Oreal USA) 0.95 260 Suave Kids 2-in-1 Shampoo – Wild Watermelon (Unilever) 0.69 ND* Liquid Shower Soap American Girl Hopes and Dreams Glistening Shower and Bath Wash (Bath & Body Works) 14 American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works) 6.3 210 American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works) 5.7 220 American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works) 18 150 American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Sunny Orange (Bath & Body Works) 35 ND* Bath Wash Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies) 1.4 Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies) 1.7 Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies) 4.6 CVS Kids Body Wash – Blueberry Blast (CVS/Pharmacy) 0.75 54 Equate Tearless Baby Wash (Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) 0.63 290 Gentle Naturals Eczema Baby Wash (Del Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) 6.4 Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash (Gerber Products Company) 2.8 400 Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash (Kimberly-Clark) 3.2 410 Johnson’s Moisture Care Baby Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies) 3.9 Johnson’s Oatmeal Baby Wash – Vanilla (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies) 4.2 Mustela Baby Shampoo (Laboratories Expanscience) 2.8 Mustela Dermo-Cleansing Gel for Hair and Body Newborn/Baby (Laboratories Expanscience) 3.9 Night-time Bath Baby Wash (Target Corporation) 3.6 Bubble Bath Barbie Berry Sweet Bubble Bath (Water-Jel Technologies) 0.65 440 Dora the Explorer Bubble Bath (MZB Personal Care) 1.5 130 Hot Wheels Berry Blast Bubble Bath (Water-Jel Technologies) 2.8 100 Mustela Multi-Sensory Bubble Bath (Laboratories Expanscience) 1.7 ND* Sesame Street Bubble Bath – Orange Mango Tango (The Village Company) 2.8 340 Tinker Bell Scented Bubble Bath (Goldie LLC) 11 420 Baby Wipes Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wipes (Kimberly-Clark) ND* Huggies Soft Skin – Shea Butter (Kimberly-Clark Global Sales Inc) ND* 100 Kirkland Signature Premium Unscented Baby Wipes (Costco Wholesale Corporation) ND* Pampers Baby Fresh (Procter & Gamble) ND* Pampers Calming – Lavender (Procter & Gamble) ND* Hair Relaxer Dark & Lovely Kids Beautiful Beginnings No-Mistake Nourishing No-Lye Creme Relaxer, Normal to Course Hair (SoftSheen-Carson, owned by L’Oreal USA) ND* Dark & Lovely Kids Beautiful Beginnings No-Mistake Nourishing No-Lye Children’s Relaxer System, Fine Hair Types (SoftSheen-Carson, owned by L’Oreal USA) ND* ND* Soft & Beautiful Just for Me! No-Lye Conditioning Creme Relaxer, Children’s Super (Alberto-Culver Company) 0.27 ND* Hand Soap Pampers Kandoo Foaming Handsoap – Magic Melon (Procter & Gamble) 0.49 310 Sun Block Banana Boat Kids UVA & UVB Sunblock Lotion SPF 30 (Sun Pharmaceuticals Corp.) ND* No-Ad Sun Pals SPF 45 UVA/UVB Sun Protection (Solar Cosmetics Labs Inc.) 0.46 Toothpaste Colgate Kids 2-in-1 Toothpaste and Mouthwash – Strawberry (Colgate-Palmolive Company) ND* *ND means the chemical was not detected in the product; however, this does not mean the product is necessarily free of other potentially harmful ingredients. Many of these products contain numerous other chemicals with health concerns. Why “No Detect” Doesn’t Mean No Problem Some products tested for this report did not contain formaldehyde or 1,4-dioxane. However, that does not mean the products are safe. There is no guarantee that other samples of the same product are not contaminated. Also, there are no legal requirements for children’s products to be made with the safest ingredients possible. As a result, it is common to find chemicals of concern in brands marketed to children. Here is an example of a product that did not contain formaldehyde or 1,4-dioxane, yet contains other harmful ingredients: Dark & Lovely Kids Beautiful Beginnings No-Mistake Nourishing No-Lye Creme Relaxer for Fine Hair (by SoftSheen-Carson, owned by L’Oreal USA): Contains at least 55 different ingredients. 98% of those ingredients have no or inadequate safety data. Contains ingredients that are associated with health conditions, including: Methylparaben: On the European Union’s Banned and Restricted List and recognized as having links to cancer, neurotoxicity and skin irritation. Fragrance: Ingredients not required to be listed on product, but can contain harmful chemicals. Triethanolamine: Strong evidence of skin, immune and respiratory toxicity.

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Another article here:
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/parentsguide/summary.php?nothanks=1

Bento 192

I went to Jusco @ 1U yesterday to buy some fish balls from the Japanese fish section - their quality there are the best. Mind you, I only purchase this occasionally because their prices have been escalating and it's getting a little pricey to buy them on a regular basis.

I blanched some French beans, then I knotted, twisted and curled them and then, skewered the fish balls and French beans together for easy eating.

There is a little silicon cup full of schimeiji mushrooms stir fried with cherry tomatoes, garlic and a dash of oyster sauce.


For a treat, there is a silicon cup full of yellow raisins. The rest of the box is filled with sliced home made bread. #2 is very passionate about eating plain breads. She's fine if it's a sandwich with filling or otherwise. Much as I love bread, I really haven't learnt to eat bread on it's own.

This is the last bento for this week. School breaks for a week and so Bento posts will be intermittently posted if it's packed, otherwise, please come back and visit for some random posts!!

Bread day!

No bento today. #2 still recovering from her flu.

I baked bread today and I'm getting so used to eating home made bread that I can't eat store bought bread anymore. I don't know if that's good or bad, not yet anyway!

The recipe was for 1.5 kilos of flour. I wanted to save time and electricity so I baked them in various shapes to fit one tray all at the same time. It came out pretty well.

Bento 191

My "Nasi Ulam" is a hot favorite with #2. She loves it, so I packed it for her again today for school. She had a couple of mouth full for breakfast!

Anyone who know my daughter, knows that she doesn't like rice. She's selective at eating rice, sushi, onigiri and nasi ulam is fine. "No plain white rice please" is her standing order.

Perhaps I shall try brown rice? *idea*

The left box has some mini bok choi blanched in hot water and topped with some garlic oil and shoyu. There are three pieces of lychee from the can.



The right box contains the awesome nasi ulam packed with herbs, fish and dried prawns. There are four half's of some simmered shitake mushrooms from my freezer stash. Took me less than 10 minutes! Yahoo!!!

Bento 190

Today I made two bentos at mid-morning because #2 and #3 are on sick leave. Both are down with a flu.

Yesterday was a holiday and I made "Nasi Ulam". I think every one has a different recipe for Nasi Ulam. I basically used turmeric leaves, shallots, cekur leaves, turmeric root, torch ginger, dried prawns, fried fish, salted fish, pepper, salt and cooked rice. I dropped the kerisik and sambal belachan.

There was an apple pie in the box next to the Nasi Ulam. Both boxes are basically the same except that one has pineapple and the other had corn nibblets instead.


I had the box with the pineapple. Next to it was some onion alfalfa topped with some tuna mayo from the weekend. There was corn nibblets and sweet snap peas to complete the box.


This is #2's box because she can't have pineapple while she's not well.

I'm UPSET!!!

WARNING: This is a very long and word-y article. It is a personal opinion which I need to rant about. Read at your own risk!


Sorry folks, no bento today because it's a public holiday here in Malaysia.

So? Why should I be UPSET?

I'll share with you why I'm UPSET.

Nutrition standards and health issues pertaining to our children are important where ever we are. Be it in the USA, Malaysia or Timbuktu. Global news on these issues play a large influencing factor on decisions made by mothers like me, in the course of feeding, clothing and educating our children.

It doesn't matter to me where this news is coming from or who it's directed to because some how and some where I find that there will be some familiarity to our home ground problems.

We may not have "school lunch programs" in most Malaysian schools, but our canteens doesn't serve any healthier foods either.

My ten year old goes to school with a regular supply of tuna sandwiches, sushi, spaghetti, various cookies, apples, oranges, cinnamon bananas and an occasional butter and Marmite sandwich. She is picky and difficult to please. She spends her 15 minute break with her best friend who comes with a constant flow of Nutella sandwiches with a rare and occasional change in menu.

#3's best friend constantly looks over her shoulder to see what is in her 'bento box'. I dread to call hers a 'bento box' because most days, it's only a fruit and a main meal. Nevertheless, #3's best friend is always ready to barter her Nutella sandwiches for anything from #3's box.

#3 is not much of a Nutella fan but she has a BIG heart! She shares some of her food when ever she can. And since #3 has also shared her break time stories with me, I tend to pack a little more for her to share because I was also told that some days her best friend would buy fries, ice-cream and canned drinks to share with her. *shakes head in disapproval*

Last year, on July 10th, 2008, I posted an article about "More reasons to Bento". I made references to an article published by the UK based Press Association on "primary school children eating healthy meals".

The article was very informative and provided some positives on how the new UK Government rules require greater use of fresh ingredients cooked from scratch albeit escalating food prices.

In another related article, it also reported that Secondary school children found it cheaper to buy 'junk food' to eat and thus being able to use 'excess' pocket money for drinks and candies.

I found the articles very 'real' and thus further affirmed that bento packing on my part was the best decision I've made by far. In the early days, many mornings I've hated to wake up that extra 45 minutes and get myself into a frenzied mood of packing bentos for my girls. When I read of articles in relation to the poor standards of food served in schools, I feel re-energized and purpose driven for the sake of my children.

So, why am I UPSET?

Here is why!! When I made reference to my blog post "More reasons to Bento", I found that all the links has been broken. I searched UK Press Association for the said articles, there was ZERO results. I Google-d some 'quoted remarks', there was no inkling of the article. It was as though the article has vanished.

I hate making assumptions and speculations about my opinions, so I leave you to make your own conclusions why the few related articles has dissapeared!

On October 29, 2007, I posted another blog post on "Healthy, Friendly Japan - Lifestyle, Star Online". I am happy to note that the links are still intact. Even the movie link is intact.

Only last week, I came across another article which I found an inspiration. It's a link I found on the Aidan Bento Society blog - 'Bento Days' catching on with schools, kids'.

I thrive on these articles to keep me enthusiastic about bento packing. I blog to share this 'goodness' with people who want to, and can do more for their kids eating habits. Granted, there are some who want to, but cannot for very valid reasons.

For whatever the reasons behind the positives or negatives, I am inspired to be an inspiration to others even if only a few. I am just happy to post a daily bento or two and be the blog with something new to read or with a new picture to look at. I do what I do for the betterment of my children's healthy eating habits and in that course, if someone is inspired to follow suite, it's a plus point.

But... I am human too, and I need to be inspired and affirmed occasionally. I need to know that I am doing right. I need to be reminded that bento packing is really not about going on a frenzy to pick up 'every new bento accessory' even if it costs only RM5. (approximately equivalent to USD1.50/=!!).

I need 'reality checks' to remind me that it's what goes into the box and into my children's stomachs and not the container or accessory that's getting digested! I need to admit my 'addiction' and remedy it. Hahaha! I sound like a "BENTO AA" (Addict Anonymous)

I am aware that part of bento packing is about the 'kawaii' and 'cutesy' display of a balanced meal in a box. In my pursuit of the perfect box, it has taken me over one year and maybe over fifty boxes and a limitless (some useless at this point) amount of accessories to find it! I am sure that many people are in my shoes and share my experience. I guess I can say that I have 'grown' as a bento packer and matured to realize what is necessary and what is a novelty.

Please don't get me wrong, I am not against buying all those 'kawaii and cutesy' bento accessories. I've been there and lived that, but in the light of the economic slowdown and being the practical person that I am, I feel that this indulgence for me is unnecessary.

My inspiration comes from the regularly updated bento blogs or ones with awesome links on their blog roll. My inspiration comes from the bento pictures which I gawk on the bento sites which I regularly and quietly lurk.

My inspiration and self 'reality checks' are also from the far and few in between bento and related articles in the electronic media.

Today, I added a new widget for thedailygreen.com on my side bar. In the news feed, I saw an article entitled "School Lunch Nutrition Standards Haven't Been Updated In 30 Years".

Please spend a little time watching the video clip in the above link. It is shocking at what is being shared. I am saddened by the 'politics' involved in the food industry which in turn affects the 'School Lunch programs'. I am saddened by the politics and policies which are 'manipulated' from one hand to the other which helps to increase a rising problem with obesity and serious health diseases in children. I am saddened by all this because it is not only happening in the US but I also see familiarity in the home ground.

The hot favorites sold in our local school canteens are: "Nasi Lemak", fries, ice-cream, can-drinks, packets of junk food, sweets and the list goes on. I, for one, counter this problem by packing home cooked food from home. But what about the other kids who feed on the above menu daily?



Disclaimer: I do not have any affiliations with "thedailygreen.com" or any other names mentioned above. Opinions expressed are my own.

Bento 189

Lent is a time for Corporal works of Mercy. Every year, for the last three years, our neighborhood Catholic community and a group of youth from our local parish will visit the Infant Jesus Convent in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

There are about 27 retired nuns at the Convent and their average age is about 76 years old. Seventeen of them have passed on since the first time we visited them. We were told that three were hospitalized when we visited the convent today.

We went to the convent armed with a variety of food and the team of youth presented a hilarious ice-breaker. We had praise and worship, a mime and a dance. Beyond all that, it was wonderful to fellowship with the retired nuns and seeing the youth helping to get food for the immobilized nuns and having long conversations, which was very heart-warming.

I wasn't about to make any bento today because it's Sunday but because we had to rush off to Cheras after Sunday School, I decided to prepare some quick bento.

This was for #3. It's basically spaghetti Alio Oglio, some Tuna croissant and some cut oranges. The salad was a filler and will definitely not be eaten!



These belong to #1 and #2. It's basically the same as above.


An overview shot of all the three bentos.



This is #3's box packed and ready to go.



These are #1 and #2's bentos packed and ready to go too!

Bento gear updates

I went to the 100 Yen store in SS2 yesterday to see if there were any new stock. Sad to say the stock level is deplorable. The only thing worth my trip was the purchase of these three lovely single layer 'natural series' boxes.

I got all the three colors. They are 480ml and is as large capacity as the 2 tier bento boxes. Best of all, they are made in Japan.


Remember I blogged about the punchers at Daiso here? Two days later, when I went back, they were all gone.

They have a whole new container of stuff in over this week end and have replenished stock for the punchers. They are still in the same spot - the middle aisle near the stationery section. This time they have about eight to ten varieties. Happy hunting!



This Onigiri box came in Daiso's new container. The bento strap is sold separately. I love the way the colors match. It's 145 x 100 x 90H and comes with a separator.



This is how it looks open. This design come is three colors, beige, brown and maroon.




These tiny spatulas are just amazing. It gets into the bottom of hard to reach spaces in jam bottles, peanut butter containers, Marmite bottles and Campbell soup cans!

Emily, one has your name on it!

Notice the lovely handkerchief?


Somebody!! Please tell me to stop this bento frenzy!!!!
Aggghhhhh......!



Note: I have no commercial affiliations with Daiso or 100 Yen stores.

Bento 188

Last night at dinner, #2 was mumbling under her breath. She sounded like she was rambling about something. My husband asked her what was she 'chanting'.

She giggled and responded that she was trying to memorize some moral values for her exam. The astonishing fact about this is all high school students need to memorize these moral values throughout Form 4 and Form 5. There are 36 of them.

They have to be replicated word for word or else it is considered wrong. For the life of me, I cannot understand the logic behind this! If you're Malaysian and your child is in high school you'll understand this absurdity, otherwise you won't, it's okay. Just ranting a little.

I made an interesting discovery at the wet market yesterday. I was going to make steamboat for dinner and had discovered noodle konyaku. I used one last night and another one this morning. Initially, I wanted to simmer the noodle konyaku in some sauce because the konyaku takes the flavor of anything that it's cooked in.

Then, I had a bright idea, I just boiled it in water and just dripped some sesame seed dressing on it. It was just too good to be true. It's fragrant and crunchy texture was delicious.

I put three frozen strawberries into the box. I've seen some bento packers put frozen strawberries into their boxes and wanted to attempt and see if it'll still be edible. I'll have to wait for the outcome after school.




Today's bento box has #2's favorite vegetables - the ladies fingers. Ahem... a mackerel sandwich stuffed with onion alfalfa and some butter head salad on buttered bread. The mackerel in oil is from a can.

Bento 187

I baked bread yesterday. The recipe is called "Quick Wholewheat bread". It was quick alright, but the bread turned out very dense, mind you it's heavy not hard.

Either I have some very wonderful children who are great fans of my cooking or the bread was 'really' edible! LOL!!! Admittedly, the taste was acceptable, I just found it heavy and difficult to imagine making a sandwich with it. #1 ate it by dipping into fish curry which I cooked yesterday and she just went mmmmm..... mmmmmm..... so goooood.....! *mum gives a confused look* Well, one man's "bread" is another man's poison!

This morning's bento had some fried "meehoon" a.k.a. Rice vermicelli from my freezer stock. Then I skewered some kyuri and home made fish cake and plopped two cherry tomatoes into the box. *note to self: Need to find some alternative 'red' colored food!!*



The salad in this box is basically onion alfalfa and some butter head tossed in a half and half mix of Thousand Island dressing and natural flavored yogurt. Aha! See that little 'heavy' bun in the orange silicon cup? That's been the main topic of discussion.



*edit*
#2 came back from school and over lunch she quipped "the bun was sooo niiiccceeee". LOL!!! *Happiness*

Bento 186

There is a slab of "tenggiri" a.k.a Spanish Mackerel, fried and sliced into half with the center bone removed. I had to work very fast this morning to cool down the fish so the fan was on high speed all the time.

I blanched some sugar snap peas in salted water and added two cherry tomatoes for color. All the strawberries has been frozen for smoothies.




There is a little corner silicon cup of honey roasted cashew nuts and some store-bought, famous Malaysian dessert called "Onde-Onde" (pronounced ON-DAY, ON-DAY). It's a traditional Malay snack made out of glutinous rice flour and rolled in fresh grated coconut.

It is chewy like mochi and has a piece of gula Melaka a.k.a. Palm sugar in it's centre. I love to pop one of these into my mouth and experience it burst and feel the flow of the gula Melaka on my tongue. There is a mix flavour of sweet and salty in the chewy and crunchy (coconut) texture. Yummy!!

In the larger corner silicon cup on the right side is some home made tatare sauce which I made specially to accompany any fish dish. Click the link for the recipe which I use. I had to top the corner silicon cup with a cling wrap to avoid spillage.

I have not bought mayonnaise or tatare sauce in ages. It's easy to make and much tastier. The only store bought mayo you can find in my fridge is the Japanese Kewpie Mayo. I have a recipe which I have not tried out for Japanese Mayo. Maybe one of these days......

Bento 185

Hubs bought a bag of 'lala clams' for miso soup on his last trip to the fish monger. I kept it in the freezer until last night when I decided to use it to make Spaghetti with Clams.

De-shelling them was a little 'nightmare'. I had to first boil them in water with ginger and spring onions to rid the 'fishy' smell. Then, I had to remove the clams from the shell. After all that, I had to wash out the sediments and broken bits of the shell. Finally I put the clams back into salted boiling water for a final round of cooking.

The preparation process for this recipe is quite simple actually. I just tossed some chopped garlic in olive oil and salt, added the clams and turn off the fire. Added some chopped Italian parsley, cooked spaghetti, pepper and salt, gave it a good mix and viola, it's done!

I prepared this last night so there was no hassle this morning. I only had to skin the Kiwi and chop up the vegetables. I am now using Yogurt to replace half the usual amount of dressing which I normally use.

This morning, I used half sesame seed dressing and half Yogurt. The dressing was mildly flavored with sesame seed and had a tangy taste to it. It was a good mix of flavors.

"Girls day out" @ 100 Yen, Tmn Desa

Emily, our "Bento Ranger" dropped a comment on my blog to inform me that some new stock arrived at the 100 Yen store in Taman Desa.

I was trilled and disappointed at the same time. Trilled because I wanted to see the new items which she and Sharon had ordered from the last time they were there. Disappointed because I didn't know the way to get there.

I exchanged SMS-es with Emily and finally called Sharon and we decided to meet in the afternoon.

I've seen these water bottles on the Ichiban Kan site and been on my 'wanted list' for a long time. Finally, my 'natural' lunch box set is COMPLETE!


These rice moulds were new. I already bought the heart shape one on my last trip. This time they had the bird, elephant and fish rice moulds.


The Thomas train cutlery is for my God son. The baran (which I hardly use anymore) is simply for collection until I find a suitable time to use them.

Emily tells me that there will be more stock coming in another two days time. It's advisable to come over the weekend so that more things be available. I just hope the bento accessories are not cleaned out of their shelves before that, but really, there isn't very much new stuff and to make a trip all the way for a couple of things would be a waste of time unless you live around the area.

It was different for us, we had a whale of a time chatting over our 'mango snow ice' and trying out some red bean 'dodol' type of dessert. We even had Nougat (the hard ones from Australia) compliments of the staff there! I felt like a "VIP", thanks to Emily and Sharon! LOL!!! We even made friends with a complete stranger who seem to have visited each of our blogs. What a day out for me!

It's so amazing that bento-ing can actually be such a common subject that you can just make friends by looking at what a stranger is buying. "Aw" our new friend had some bento accessory in her hands and Emily asked if she was a blogger. The rest was history.

Bento 184

This morning, I skewered some button mushrooms and zucchini, laid them on a Butterhead lettuce. There is a homemade Ciabatta sandwich loaded with Butterhead lettuce, tuna mayo and alfalfa onion sprouts. There were two strawberries for fruits.

#2' first term exams begins today. When I came downstairs, I noticed a big jug of what seemed like left over juice on the table. She's been into making smoothies lately. When I saw her, I asked if she had a smoothie this morning (6a.m.). She responded positively, I asked if it were a little too early to have such a COLD breakfast! A quick rebuttal came back "I need the Energy mum!" I just hope her stomach can take all that mixture of fruits so early in the morning.

Now, I have frozen bananas, watermelon, mangoes, strawberries in my freezer for 'instant smoothies'. She makes her own smoothies with some juice and some milk and operates my blender herself. I'd probably have been given a cup of smoothie too if it weren't that early in the morning.


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The rest of this post is a record I'd like to keep for myself. It is a personal expressed opinion. Please do not continue reading if you are sensitive to Religious beliefs or the like of it. Thank you.


My eldest daughter was recapping her Saturday 'exercise' with a group of friends. They met at Kiara Park at Taman Tun and after completing their regular trail, they were off to IKEA for their RM1 breakfast!

IKEA offers 'mee siam' and free flow of coffee for RM1 before 9a.m. Obviously there were lots of other tantalizing dishes like fried chicken, pasta, kueh, etc. While #1 was ordering her RM1 breakfast, her eyes feasted on the deliciously looking fried chicken and was about to pick it up when she realized that it was LENT. Ouch! Some of her friends also suddenly came to realization that it was Lent and refrained from the tempting meat array all laid in front of them. Some had no qualms about adding meat to their base meals.

It's interesting to note that different people have different perspective towards Lent. Actually there is no hard and fast rule and there is really no requirement to abstain from meat during Lent except for when it's called for. It's up to the individual, the type of sacrifice he or she is ready to do.

#1's friends had an interesting conversation about their family practices. Some will skip one meal during the beginning of Lent with no abstinence until the last week. Some will abstain from all forms of meat, seafood and even eggs. Some don't abstain at all, and continue with their regular eating habits. Some, like in my family abstain from meats but continue to eat seafood and eggs.

My personal opinion of all these practices is not about showing how "HOLY" we are, it is about the period of Lent where we keep reminding ourselves, albeit we often forget that we need to make a conscious effort to change from within.

Even as an adult, most of the time, I find it a challenge to stay conscious of my faults. Similarly, to many people's opinion of Valentines day - "it is everyday that you should show your loved ones that you love them and not only on Valentines day" - this is an ideal. NOT a reality, that's why we have Valentines day!

Just the same, the 40 days of Lent reminds us to be conscious of our actions and words in hope that after the 40 days some good habit has formed and some bad habits dropped.

It doesn't make one more holy than the other by any form of public declaration of fast or abstinence but it does make a difference for the individual to stand up and be counted to be a believer because of the choice made by that individual to live in the faith.

"Girls day out" @ Daiso!

I met Emily at Daiso this morning. We were there for about 45 minutes browsing through all their bento stuff with a fine tooth comb! We were like 'inspectors' looking for new stuff. I bought some soup ladles which I needed and a some non-bento related stuff.

I was telling Emily that the bento accessories get snapped up very fast. I was there in the morning last Monday to get some stuff and in the evening, my daughter wanted to get something and convinced me to go there for a second time. When I went to Daiso that same evening, some of the new stuff like the corner silicon cups, the new onigiri moulds and shaped moulds were ALL GONE!

Look at what I found today! Craft punchers which you can use for cutting nori to decorate your bento. They are hanging near the middle aisle of the stationery section.


I also got this pretty bag to contain all my stuff bought from Daiso.


Look what Emily got me! *Sequels with happiness* Thank you, thank you, thank you!!



Emily reminds me that new stock is expected to arrive at the 100 Yen store in Taman Desa early March. Look out for updates in Emily's blog.


Note: I do not have any commercial affiliations with Daiso or 100 Yen stores.