Spring is finally here and Bangerang Bake Shop is celebrating with a sale!

Bangerang Bake Shop’s Original-Cupcakes-In-A-Jar are absolutely delicious! I placed an order last month (thanks to Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom‘s link to Bangerang Bake Shop on her blog) and let me tell you I was not disappointed. I was a bit skeptical. I mean how can cupcakes in a jar stay fresh and moist?! These cupcakes in a jar are YUMMY! So yummy…that yes, I had a hard time sharing with the hubby and Little Monkey! So good that I ate most of both cupcakes (The Chocolate Envy Cupcake and Tessas Treasures Cupcake) in the SAME SITTING! Yes, I had the biggest stomach ache ever, but it was worth it! The cupcakes come in these adorable jars that you can reuse and if you decide to give these cupcakes away as a gift they are already cute enough that no extra gift wrapping is necessary. Bangerang Cupcakes are so delicious that they were featured on The Today’s Show Holiday gifts with Hoda and Kathie Lee!

Enjoy 15% OFF* Everything at Bangerang Bake Shop!
Use Code: BANGERANGBUNNY at check out for 15% off your order
Sale Ends April 1, 2009 (so start hopping over there!)
*Only Available at http://www.bangerangbakeshop.com/

You bet your bunny I already placed my order! Since Easter is right around the corner, I hopped on over to order two of their three Easter cupcakes Kiss on the Chick Cupcake and Hoppy Easter Cupcake. Since these are limited time cupcakes, I promise you it won’t take long until these delicious cupcakes are gone.

My review for Busy Mom

I love pistachios – there’s something about cracking them open and popping them in your mouth that is comforting. Maybe having to crack them open is one of those great benefits to slowing me down and eating too many as I do with other things. Sunkist is the only Pistachio company that I had ever heard of. But last week I was given the opportunity to try out pistachios from Everybody’s Nuts! and Wonderful Pistachios from Paramount Farms. I tasted the Wonderful Pistachios Roasted & Salted flavor. It was delicious. This definitely gives regular pistachios a nice touch. Then I tasted Everybody’s Nuts! in the Salt & Pepper flavor (they have 3 more flavors – South of the Border, European Roast, and Roasted No Salt) and I was in love. The Salt & Pepper has a little kick to it with the garlic powder and onion powder, but I think that was the best addition to it. My father said it made it taste more like a meal and felt more filling too him. He already had me look up where he could buy more of the Everybody’s Nuts! You can buy them online by the case or you can find where they carry them in your neighborhood by using the store locator.

Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti by Sofia at Skinny Kitchen
If you have a weakness for something sweet with your coffee, you’re not the only one. When I’m enjoying my Sunday morning cup of joe in bed or having some friends over for afternoon tea, I serve my famous chocolate pistachio biscotti. Everyone always asks me for the recipe, which I take as a big compliment. So here it is, my skinny biscotti. Enjoy responsibly — the serving size is one piece, not five!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1 whole egg
3 tablespoons Earth Balance butter(or another brand with low saturated fat)
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup pistachios
1/3 cup slivered almonds
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:
Heat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Combine the flours, first two sugars, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk with a fork until mixed. Add the eggs, butter, orange juice, and vanilla extract and beat with a mixer on medium speed until dough forms, about one minute. Stir in chocolate chips, pistachios, almonds, and grated lemon zest and mix until incorporated, about 20 seconds. Transfer dough to the baking sheet and form it into a long, flat log about 12 inches long and 1 inch thick. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and remaining brown sugar.* Bake until brown and firm, about 23 to 26 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Slice loaf into 1/4 inch thick slices. Arrange biscotti on 2 baking sheets so that they lie flat on one of the freshly-cut sides. Return to oven and bake about 6 minutes. Then turn them over and bake on other side for another 6 minutes until lightly toasted. For a crunchier biscotti, bake an additional 5 minutes. Cool. Store in an airtight container or freeze for up to three weeks.

*You can also add your favorite toppings such as coconut, cocoa, nutmeg, craisins, almond extract, etcNutrition content: Per serving (1 biscotti): 65 calories, 2.5 g fat, 9 g carbohydrate, .5 g fiber, 1 g protein

My review for Busy Mom

One of the scariest things I had to adjust to as a new mom was bath time. It was not only the bath itself, but getting my son out of his tub and into his hooded towel was a quite the trick I had to learn. The CozyCare cape is great for when you give your newborn a bath, no more balancing your little one and trying to get that hooded towel wrapped around at the same time. The capes are 100% cotton terry cloth with a waterproof panel to keep those splashes from soaking through. If you have a baby/toddler that loves to splash as much as mine you will find that waterproof panel comes in handy. The cape simply slips over your head – there’s no buttons, Velcro, or strings to mess with, so mom and dad can wear the cape. This towel is also the perfect size for my toddler, too! He has finally outgrown most of his hooded towels, but he still freezes in his big boy towels. The CozyCare cape has lots of fabric to cover your little one and more. This is definitely a towel you will get your money’s worth out of! The CozyCare cap is also a great product to keep your little one warm while bathing or even after. I wrapped my son up in the towel and put his cap on after his bath – that was the first time since the summer I was spared watching his little teeth chatter. CozyCare capes, caps, and cloths each come wrapped in a beautiful sheer organza bag. CozyCare capes and caps are available to have monogrammed for an extra fee.

I would definitely recommend skipping out on those tiny hooded towels for baby shower presents and go straight for this one.

Spa Time Baby also has Natural Baby Skin Care, Bath Books, Gift sets and more.

Busy Mom readers get a discount. In order to see the discount, head over to Busy Mom.

My Hey Peanut review for Busy Mom

Have you gone shopping for a baby boy or toddler boy lately? I had never realized the lack of stylish boy’s clothing until I had my son. Every store I go into I can find plenty of cute girl’s clothing, but when it came to finding the boy’s section of clothing it is usually a tiny corner alongside of the miles of girls clothing. Like other mothers of boys, I have found that online shopping allows me to find unique, stylish clothes for my son. I still find that most online baby and toddler stores offer more products for girls. So when I came across the store Hey Peanut, I just have to share! Hey Peanut is an online children’s boutique that is just for boys. Hey Peanut was created when the store owners had their son and discovered that modern stylish clothes were lacking for boys. Hey Peanut carries sizes from 3 months – 4T. Just some of the brand names they carry are Deux Par Deux, Oeuf, Tea, and Wonderboy. Instead of having to go through multiple sites to find different brands, Hey Peanut makes it easy for you to find stylish clothing for your little boy in a one stop clothing boutique.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Netflix. I don’t know where we would be without it! Well, I am sure I would survive, but I like this way of renting movies a lot better. Especially since our local Blockbuster, still carries VHS tapes! Seriously?! My hubby didn’t get to see a lot of the really great movies of the 80s. I love showing them to him, but our local Blockbuster was making it IMPOSSIBLE to find 80s movies that weren’t on VHS tapes. One day I finally got fed up with the lack of movie selections from Blockbuster and signed up for Netflix. That was in February 2006 and we’ve loved having it ever since. I create a queue on their website and then the movies are mailed to me. Simple as that. Once I am done watching the movie, I drop it back in the mail. The next movie is mailed out within 2-3 days. Since I purchased the 3-at-one-time plan, it is divided by two dvds for me and one for the hubby because let’s face it I LOVE movies far more than he does. It really came in handy when Little Monkey came into our lives in April 2007. We live hours away from our family so we didn’t really have the option to leave him with a sitter to go to the movies. I couldn’t take him to the movies with us for 1) the movies are still too loud for me, so I can’t imagine how loud it would be for him and 2) he has always been an easily overwhelmed baby. Netflix has allowed me the opportunity to watch my favorite movies and new movies when they are released onto dvd. Little Monkey is now 20 months old and I’ve only seen 1 movie in the theater since he has been born. Not that I hold him at fault or anything, going to the movies is expensive and I hate trying to guess the right scene to go to the restroom (after drinking an extra large Cherry Coke) so that I don’t miss out on the most important scenes in the movie. I love Netflix so much that I have 450 movies in my queue. Is that a bad thing?! One of the best features we have discovered is that we can also instantly watch movies through our XBox360. It is a limited selection, but still it is nice to have that option.

My Smashies review for Busy Mom

Smashies Story: Hot on the success of his all-natural vegetable juice blends, Karsten Robbins decided to launch a line focusing on children. Armed with intimate knowledge of how to bring products to market, he quickly honed in on the key criteria that would guide him: organic & no added sugar (because he has kids, too), convenience, eco-friendliness, and taste. Karsten wanted a product made of real fruit, but with the convenience and portability that a squeezy pouch could offer. In October 2008, Karsten officially launched the Smashies line of all-natural products.

Smashies is the first organic squeezy apple sauce line in the United States. Smashies “Snappy Apple” has only three ingredients: organic apple puree, organic apple flavor, and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C.) “Snappy Apple” is the only flavor they have available right now, but they are planning to add more flavors by next summer!

I had my 20 month old toddler test this product out. This product is recommended for ages 5-12 and adults, too. I can see why they would have a recommendation age. Toddlers would need help with getting the cap off of the product and the cap is small enough to be a choking hazard. We didn’t have any problems with the cap since I opened the Smashies for my son and I placed the cap out of his reach. He really enjoyed squeezing the applesauce up to eat. I even snuck a few squeezes out of the pouch. It had a tart apple taste – not bad for having no sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

What I liked best about this product is that the packaging is made to be convenient when out and about the town. The squeezy pouch makes it fun to eat. No added sugar or high fructose corn syrup is another big selling point for us.

Smashies is available to purchase at Smashies.com for $9.99 plus shipping and coming soon to natural food stores and Whole Food stores. If you can’t find it at your local natural food stores, try talking to the store manager about carrying Smashies.

My See Kai Run review for Busy Mom

See Kai Run is a family-owned and operated business located outside of Seattle, Washington. The idea was born when owner Cause Haun was on a quest for the perfect first pair of shoes for her son, Kai. Unable to find shoes in fun, cutting edge styles that still promoted the healthy development of little feet, she created her own line of shoes along with her husband that satisfied all of these needs.

See Kai Run fits children from 6 months to 3 years old. Smaller fits newborns to 18 months old. See Kai Run and Smaller meet the American Podiatric Medical Association’s rigorous standards for foot health and functionality and have been awarded the APMA’s prestigious Seal of Acceptance.

As the mother of a toddler boy, I know that it is hard to find stylish shoes that are comfortable and cute for my son. I was given the Dominic Boots to review.

The minute I opened the box I was in love. The boot’s upper is made out of butter-soft sheepskin leather that is soft and durable. The bottom soles are made out of flexible rubber soles. You can bend the boots in half easily to feel the flexibility, but they are also sturdy. These boots are so adorable. They look like men’s boots in a smaller version. The quality and detail are all still there. These Dominic boots were easy for my toddler to walk and run in. I am still amazed at the flexibility of the shoe, yet not at all lacking the strength needed for a toddler shoe that will likely get a run for it’s money from a toddler. We’ve been through several boots because I didn’t like that they were so stiff on my son’s feet making him walk around like Frankenstein. I would definitely recommend See Kai Run shoes. See Kai Run has quality shoes that maintain a hip, stylish look.

You can buy these shoes at See Kai Run online or you can use the store finder to find the nearest store that carries their shoes.

See Kai Run is having a sale on shoes and free shipping until January 15, 2009.

I reviewed this collection for Busy Mom If you like what you see be sure to check out this link for the coupon code for these products.

Searching for a stylish, yet functional diaper bag after having her first son led designer Hedvig Bourbon to take matters into her own hands. Each product is hand sewn with love and you can tell with the clean and precise stitching.

Lucas Diaper Bag: This Diaper Bag does a great job of looking like your every day tote, but made with mom and baby in mind. It has unique straps are designed to hook around the handles of all strollers. For a quick change to carrying tote, there is a leather shoulder strap included that hooks into the stroller’s hanging straps. There are two deep pockets in the front of bag for storage and one large pocket in the back of the bag that holds a changing pad. Inside the diaper bag there is a pocket for your cell phone, a deep zipper pocket, a cleverly placed clip for your key-ring clip (because there is nothing worse than having to dig around your bottomless pit of a diaper bag for your keys), and two deep pockets for diapers, wipes and bottle.

Amelie Stroller liner: Looking for something to protect your stroller from getting dirty. Why did I not know about this product? I have yet to figure out how to take apart my stroller to wash the seat cushion from the fruit snacks and crackers that have been matted into the cracks of the seat cushion. The front of the Amelie Stroller liner is 100% cotton terry velour with cotton canvas for the back lining. Canvas ties keep the stroller liner in place. There are multiple bounded harness openings. It is reversible and designed to fit the harness of most strollers.

Judabee Pouch: The Judabee pouch is a necessary item for those nights out on the town when all you need are diapers and wipes, but you don’t want to carry a bulky diaper bag with you. Simple and fashionable need not be understated. With a solid color fabric on the outside, the Judabee pouch opens up to a decorative interior fabric with two pockets for diapers and wipes. The wrist bracelet is made with the decorative interior fabric. The Judabee pouch uses metal magnetic snap enclosures.

Santo Clutch: The Santo clutch is so pretty that you almost don’t want to use it for it’s main purpose of changing a diaper on it. The Santo clutch has similar features of the Judabee pouch with two pockets for diapers and wipes and wrist bracelet for carrying. The Santo clutch takes the Judabee pouch one step higher with the being able to fold out into a changing pad.