Citrus Lane Subscription Box Review

I first got hooked on Citrus Lane when I saw an offer to receive a first box for $5.00.  I can't quite remember how I came across this deal but I think it had to do with something that I ordered somewhere for baby.  Obviously I couldn't pass up the deal, $5 for a box of goodies for my baby is a GOOD DEAL.  That is like paying for three organic baby food pouches.  You know your a mom when you justify purchasing things by calculating what you might be able to buy baby-wise instead.  "Go to a movie?! No way, that's like a whole box of diapers, I will just wait until it comes out on DVD."  Anyways... $5 is like one specialty drink at Caribou Coffee, I was fine giving that up for one day... just one day!

So what is Citrus Lane?  It is a subscription box full of baby goodies!  Straight from their website and company founder, here is what she had to say about their company:

"I like to think of our monthly boxes as care packages to help moms and dads on their parenting journeys. Every product we include has been recommended and reviewed by our advisory board and our community. No marketing gimmicks, no paid placements -- just real recommendations from real parents for products that solve real problems."

I received my first box in October.  I was delighted going through it with my baby boy, he pulls everything out of there and thoroughly inspects it all with his hands and mouth (of course everything goes into the mouth at this point).  This "December" box is our third box.  In our first two boxes we got bath toys, a cute onesie, wooden toy car, amazing bib, partitioned plate, books, food pouches and other small items.  I have really enjoyed the boxes and have been introduced to new and different brands that I had never heard of before.  After receiving your box you can go to Citrus Lane's website to find and purchase other products by the brands you love, usually with a promo code provided by Citrus Lane.  After your first discounted box, the price usually increases, you can decide it you'd like to continue your subscription or simply put it on hold for a month or two.  You can save more money by signing up for 3, 6, or 12 month subscriptions, but if you opt for a single month subscription that would be $29.  Either way, I know they are always sending out offers or promo codes via email after you signup.  If you'd like to sign up for your first Citrus Lane box, you can do so by clicking this link. This is a referral link.  You can check out my box and review below if you just want to see what this box is all about!

Here are a few current promo codes or deals that I found searching the internets:

*Note: I did not verify that all of the codes are valid

Groupon - Has multiple offers for a limited time only
CITRUS20 - $20 off a 3, 6, or 12 month subscription

SAVEHALF - 50% off your first box

TAKE40 - 40% off your first box

FIRST25 - 25% off your first box

First and foremost, the box itself is super cute and compact, like a shoebox.  This box will easily be re-used for wrapping holiday gifts, especially with the festive snowflakes.  Baby boy couldn't wait to dig in and check out what this month's box had in store.

Here is the contents of the box.

There is a graphic listing and description of each product that is included in your box.  For the first three products, they provided me with a promo code if I want to go to that specific brand's website to purchase more of their products.

Scrappy Dog from Under the Nile - It is super cute, super soft, and baby boy enjoys carrying Scrappy around as he walks through the house. This pup is available on Under the Nile's website for $14.00.

Counting Stackers from Hape - These are great.  Bright colors, easy for little clumsy hands to grasp, and keep baby busy! As he gets older it will be great for counting and sorting colors.  This toy is available on Hape Toys' website for $9.99.

"Little Pea" from Chronicle Books - Such a cute little book.  Hopefully this will encourage baby boy to eat more peas!  This book is (will be) available on Chronicle Books website for $7.99 (but not until Feb 2015, I was lucky enough to get it early!).

Super Blends from Love Child Organics - YUM-O! Our baby boy LOVES fruit blends, note the tug-of-war above between him and I for the goods.  These pouches do have more sugar content than I would like, but it is an enjoyable treat for the little guy.  The sugar content comes directly from the fruits, there are no added artificial preservatives, sugars, sodium or fillers.

Strawberries, Peaches, + Bananas - We will try this one tonight, but what caught my eye is that there is quinoa in there and plenty of Vitamin C to boost that immune system, especially during these winter months with plenty of viruses floating around.  You can buy a 12-Pack of the pouches on Amazon for only $19.99!

Blackberries, Raspberries, Pears, + Bananas - Baby boy had half of this pouch last night for dessert and LOVED it, devoured it, I couldn't feed it to him quick enough.  I knew he was going to love this one when I taste-tested it before him.  He loves anything yogurt-based. Again, you can buy a 12-Pack of the pouches on Amazon for only $19.99.

Overall, we enjoyed this month's Citrus Lane box.  It had the perfect balance and quantity of products, introduced us to some new brands (and tastes!), and provided us with more discounts and shopping options this holiday season!  I also received a discount card to share with a friend, they can receive their first Citrus Lane box for only $10!  I have a couple new mommy friends that will really enjoy it!

Holiday Gift Guide: One-Year-Old Edition

I know this post might be just a bit late, but I think I would have benefited from a list like this before I had kids.  I found this out when my parents, other family, and friends were asking me, "What does Carter want for Christmas?".  I immediately thought, "Yeah, what does he want?"  So, for all you late shoppers out there (don't worry your not alone), here is a list of gift ideas for one-year-olds, boys and girls alike! These items are in no particular order.

International Playthings Earlyears Stack 'n Nest Cups - $6.99 - These are a great gift at a low cost and can keep baby busy! The bright colors, the stacking, and the shapes on the bottom of each cup make these a great learning gift.  And they are fun in the bathtub too!

Jumbo Letter Fridge Magnets - $14.99 - Magnets are fun!

Leapfrog Fridge Phonics - $14.99 - Again, magnets are fun.  This item is magnetic, electronic, interactive and educational.  It sounds out the letter that baby puts onto the leapfrog bus magnet, uses the letter in a word and sentence.  The magnetic bus also plays two songs, "Wheels On The Bus" and "ABC's"

Books - Books with flaps, books with sounds, or quiet books!  Prices range from $5.99-$80.00

Wooden Puzzles - You can get this bundle of three for $24.99, usually a single wooden puzzle by Melissa and Doug will be around $9.99

Soft Building Blocks - $14.99-$21.99 - My little guy loves these blocks.  He keeps entertained by stacking, knocking over, chewing, putting into the box, dumping out of the box, clapping them together, and so on.

Radio Flyer 4-in-1 Trike - $55.00 - This is perfect because the trike can grow with your child and you don't have to suffer by bending over to help push your child along.

V-Tech Sit To Stand Train - $39.99 (but pssst! You can get a 20% off coupon by signing up for BuyBuy Baby's email list AND free shipping!)

Music/Activity Table - $44.99 - My little guy loves dancing at his activity table.

Eating & Drinking Supplies - Including sippy cups, plates, utensils, and full-coverage bibs - Prices range from $4.50-$17.00

    

                                 

Aden & Anais Muslin Dream Blanket - $49.99 Now that baby is old enough to sleep with a blanket in their crib, this one is perfect.  It is lightweight, soft, and warm.

Socks & Shoes - $9.99 & $50.00  The socks with the grippers on the bottom are perfect for your little one that is practicing walking as well as the light weight shoes.

Clothes - $10.00-$20.00 - Old Navy is always having a sale and has great, stylish, and affordable selections for baby.

And there you have it!  Everything that your or someone else's little one-year-old would want or need for the holidays!  Happy Shopping!

Thanks Teach! - Appreciation Gift Idea

Our baby boy, Carter, has been going to daycare since he was just under three months old.  The women that have been taking care of him really deserve a HUGE round of applause and a nice little gift to let them know that we really appreciate them and their hard work.  It amazes me how well these women juggle nine older infants between the ages of 9-16 months, the children are each their own unique ball of energy and emotion, on different schedules, and the teachers are able to cater to them individually and nurture their personalities.  Every week the teachers are sending home some pictures and artwork that Carter has created with his hands or feet, it's very special to have something to take home with us when we have to spend the workdays away from him.

Next Tuesday is Teacher Appreciation Day at Carter's daycare and I really want to express to the ladies how much Carter's Father and I value the extra care and effort they put forth on a daily basis.  I quizzed my teacher friends on what they REALLY want for teacher appreciation day and I put together these special gifts based on their feedback.  Because our little guy has three teachers, I budgeted $100 for the gifts, I ended up spending JUST under that amount, but in all seriousness, no amount of money can really tell them how much we appreciate them!  The gift can be adjusted to fit really any budget amount, either way, I've gotten the teacher approval that any and all of the items in this gift are tops and deserve a gold star or smiley face sticker.

Contents:
1. Small Gift Bag from Target - $0.75
2. Tissue Paper - $0.00 (I save any and all tissue paper I get from gifts, shipments, etc., so I had plenty on hand and only used ONE piece per gift bag)
3. Any Color Construction Paper - $0.00 (I had this on-hand from past art projects)
4. Printed Message - $0.00 (I got the FREE printable artwork from Place of My Taste Blog and added a short personalized message from our baby boy, I just printed it on our color printer on plain white paper, cut it out and created a frame out of the construction paper)
5. Ribbon - $0.00 (You can use any kind of ribbon, I had this ribbon from past projects, but holiday curling ribbon would work well also)
6. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Small Basil Scented Candle - $5.99 
7. Lindt's Lindor Truffles - $3.33 (there was a sale at Target, buy three flavors for $10, I mixed three flavors and distributed them between the gift bags)
8. Starbucks Gift Card - $5.00 (this is enough money for a specialty drink or a couple coffees)
9. Target Gift Card - $15.00 
10. EOS Everyday Hand Lotion - $1.99 (Teachers are constantly washing their hands, especially those taking care of infants, this lotion is perfect for your purse, smells divine, and most importantly MOISTURIZES your hands)
*Total Cost Per Gift - $32.06

Strutting In My Mom Jeans

I know, its been a LONG minute since I last posted.  I swear I have started a dozen draft posts, all of which remain unfinished, story of my life, now on to better things...

My little guy is 10 months already!  The thought makes me want to celebrate, cry, and rewind time all at once!  Motherhood is not something you can ever be 100% prepared for.  Taking on this role and title has been the best thing to ever happen to me, but no matter how much I prepared, there is without a doubt more "unknowns" about motherhood than "knowns", if that makes sense.  And there is NO ADVICE that anyone can give you that is guaranteed to work for you, and the overflow of information can be very overwhelming as it comes from EVERY direction.  It is important to remember that this journey that is motherhood is uniquely your own, it will never be the same as someone else's, that is what makes it so beautiful and so scary all at the same time!  Here is a short list of the "unknowns" that I have encountered in the first 10 months as Mom to my little boy.  I look forward to looking back on these as time continues to fly by:

1. The Worrying Is Constant - All I do is worry! When my little guy is not with me or is simply sleeping in his crib in the next room, I worry like crazy.  I try to keep my mind and body occupied with other things like catching up on bills, mail, laundry, cleaning, etc., but my mind always finds its way to worrying.  It could be the smallest thing like "did I forget to clean his ears after his bath today?" or a bigger thing like "did I make sure his car seat clicked and give it two more extra tugs to make sure it was safe?".  This constant worrying is my new normal.  I am sure once this first year passes I might worry less, but I've learned it is just what happens and I need to find new ways to occupy my mind to keep it from going to the negative.

2. Washing Bottles Sucks - Why are there so many pieces!?!?  When I registered for bottles before I gave birth, I chose Dr. Brown's bottles.  My mom friends all recommended them.  Now they may have recommended them, but baby boy did NOT like them.  And ultimately it is his decision, right?  We made a few trips to Target & Babies R Us to get various bottles to try out on our little man with different nipples.  And wouldn't you know it, he decided that the fifth bottle we tried was the winner.  Playtex VentAire Wide Bottle with a NaturaLatch slow flow nipple.  I know, how picky, he must get it from his Dad.  This bottle has 5 different parts and me, being the OCD personality that I am, has to scrub and sanitize every single part after every use!  Now I know many other people have this problem because I know that Dr. Brown's has many small parts as well, but UGH, it really is time consuming when you calculate all the time that is put into bottle washing each week.  I spend about 30 minutes per night washing these bottles, that's 3 1/2 hours per week!  I could really use that extra time in my sleep schedule.

3. Moisturizing Is A Must - I blame the bottle washing above and constant hand washing for majority of my dry skin.  My hands, at one point, got so dry that my knuckles were bleeding, even the knuckles on my fingers!  I also got really lazy after showers and would skip the 5 minutes of moisturizing I would normally do and opted to guzzle down a cup of coffee before baby boy awoke instead.  It really helps to buy a few bottles of lotion and keep it all over the house.  I now keep bottles of lotion right outside my shower door, on the dining room table, and next to the kitchen sink.

4. So Much Stuff! - My husband and I recently admitted to each other that we "might" have a bit of a hoarding problem.  I try to justify the problem by saying, "but remember that one time when we kept that receipt from 2009 and were able to get a full refund in 2012 because we still had proof of our purchase?" or "I might wear that neon green shirt when I go for that night time run that I said I would go on for the past 4 years".  I understand that some things should be kept, some shouldn't, and some should only be kept for a short period of time, but we just haven't gotten around to tossing out the things that really SHOULD go.  Having a baby does help you get more motivated to get rid of things because you start to see what really matters and what doesn't.  But now those things that we are getting rid of are being replaced by tons of baby stuff (some necessary, some not) and an enormous amount of pictures and videos of baby.  We recently had to purchase a 500 GB external hard drive for our computer so that we could unload all of our pictures and videos from our cell phones.  The important thing is that we have short term goals on getting rid of the clutter, I just hope we can keep on track.

5. Baby Will Get Sick - I know that it is a reality that children get sick.  We are lucky and blessed that our little guy has been relatively healthy and happy.  He started day care at around 3 months old.  Since he has started daycare, he has been sick with the flu, croup, and pink-eye.  Prior to that we had doctor visits for jaundice, GERD, and eczema.  What a trooper our little guy has been and we are so blessed that he has been able to kick a couple viruses.  We've learned that you can't keep your little one from getting sick, but you can learn to recognize when your baby is "out of sorts" and be prepared for spontaneous doctor visits, minimal sleep, and lots of extra snuggles.

6. Baby Will Get Boo Boos - My baby boy has a big noggin'.  As he has become more mobile, he seems to be using his big noggin' as a mode of discovery.  He crawls up to most things and just loves to lead with his head first instead of reaching out with his hand to feel.  He has "discovered" a book shelf and baby gate with his noggin, and many things at daycare as well.  We've had to put some cool packs on a couple bumps and bruises, but nothing seems to deter him from continuing his method of discovery :)  I have learned just to keep a few cool packs in the fridge and every cushion from our couch is now used as a buffer.  

7. You don't need all of those clothes - There are plenty of mommas that dress their kids in the cutest little outfits every day that have matching socks, shoes, hoodies, headbands, etc. You go ladies (or men)!  I am not one of those mommas.  My baby boy is a little wiggle worm and has been from the get-go, getting him dressed is like me trying to fit into my high school jeans, the struggle is REAL.  He also manages to get pretty messy.  There are so many clothes that I have packed away that weren't even touched.  The main staples for him have been fleece/cotton pants with stretchy waistbands, long-sleeve onesies, thicker socks with the grippers on the bottom, one fleece jacket, one winter hat, a couple pairs of shoes, and fleece zipper SLEEPERS.  If I could get away with keeping him in a fleece sleeper everyday, I would.  Unfortunately, the other parents at daycare dress their kids in normal clothes, I don't want him to be the odd one out.  I just might try it one day, though, maybe we will start a trend

8. Your way is not the only way - I blame a lot of my behavior in the first four months of my son's life on HORMONES.  Although I am sure that my raging hormones had a lot to do with the "my way or the highway" attitude I had, I know that a lot of first-time mothers just want things done the same way, their way!  Sometimes my anxiety would really get the best of me when I would watch my husband, mother, brother, etc. do something with my baby differently than I did.  I was always hovering or being an eagle-eye from across the room.  I would say "he doesn't like that" or "he likes it better when..." or "maybe you should try this..".  When my hormones chilled out, I chilled out.  It is important for each person in your baby's life to formulate a relationship with them on their own terms.  There will be plenty of things that I do differently than my husband, all that matters is that it works for us individually, and the relationship that we build with our son will be built around those defining qualities.  So I have learned to sit back and let those around my son build their unique relationship with him by doing what is natural.  It is very interesting to see how the way my husband calms our boy is so different from the way I calm our boy, but if we were to try each others techniques, it wouldn't work.  It is important to remember that if someone is having trouble soothing, feeding, or dressing your child, they will ask you if they need help or want advice.  So sit back and enjoy watching your baby make friends and build relationships.

9. Do you smell poop? - It is always lingering, that poop smell! It is funny how sniffing your baby's backside in public becomes acceptable and your new norm.  Of course once you get your little one changed and all clean there is that lingering smell.  You'll be diving into your salad at a restaurant and BOOM, it hits you, there is a dollop of poo on your wrist (how on earth did it get there?!) and sometimes your little one isn't even there and you smell it.  Just don't start smelling random people's backsides and try to refrain from blurting out "Do you smell poop?!" at a dinner party, sometimes it is just better to leave things unsaid.

10. Dressing Up Takes On A Whole New Meaning and Time - Prior to baby, it could take me anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours to get ready, it really just depended on what I was getting ready for and how lazy I was that particular day.  Dressing up and getting ready now is a race for me, can I beat my 15 minute record from the previous day and spend more time playing this morning?  Being able to fully dry my hair is a huge accomplishment these days.  My husband is already at work when I wake up to take my speed shower before baby wakes up.  Sometimes he is already awake and just plays in his pack n' play while I rush through the shower.  Gone are the days when I would wear makeup.  I have to say that I really don't mind it.  My skin is clearer, my hair isn't as damaged from the heat from the blow dryer or curling iron, I don't change in and out of five different outfits anymore, it really is nice to sport my new "Mom Uniform".  This uniform consists of dark jeans (yoga pants on the weekends), a sweater, scarf, cute flat boots, a ponytail and if I am feeling really fancy some eye shadow and mascara.  Have you ever tried to pick up a wiggly baby in high heels? Not fun.

I really could go on and on here.  I would love to see how my list differs from another parent's list.  What comes to your mind?     

The Ultimate Labor Playlist

 

I listen to music ALL THE TIME.  I listen to it while I'm cooking, cleaning, driving, working, exercising, you get the point.  While I was pregnant, my husband and I decided to go to a few of the labor & birth classes, and I also attended weekly prenatal yoga classes.  They talked about relaxation techniques, massages, managing pain, etc.  When I thought about the hours and hours that would soon be my labor, I immediately thought, I need to make a playlist!  Music is therapeutic for me and it also helps trigger memories (whether they be happy, sad, or scary memories).  How often do you hear a song and you say, "Hey!  This song reminds me of that one time..."  Over the second half of my pregnancy I continued to add songs as I became inspired by them, relaxed by them, motivated by them, and moved by them.  As my due date neared, I added my portable iphone speakers into my hospital bag, along with a bottle of Lavender-Vanilla Linen Spray.  Although I did yoga throughout my pregnancy, practicing breathing and relaxation techniques, I knew I needed something else that could potentially take my mind off of pain, if even for a moment. 

I listened to the music on shuffle/repeat throughout the evening and following morning of my labor, while simultaneously having my husband spray my blankets/sheets with the spray.  It really was a nice distraction from the pain I was experiencing during my contractions and entire labor.  Hopefully my playlist can be a nice distraction and/or relaxation aide for other expecting mommies.  I still listen to this playlist on the regular and it always brings me back to the labor room and the day I was blessed with my baby boy's arrival.  I sometimes strap baby boy into his ergobaby carrier to dance and sway to the music of the playlist, I like to think that he remembers that joyous day too :) 

Tessa's Labor Playlist
1. "Amber" by 311 (brought me to a very "zen" place)
2. "Arms of a Woman" by Amos Lee (love Amos Lee's voice, this was a song that I imagined my baby boy singing to me)
3. "Beautiful Boy" by Ben Harper (having a baby boy, great lyrics)
4. "Beautiful Flower" by India Arie (made me feel like a beautiful flower when I was really a hot mess, very empowering song)
5. "Bluebird" by Sara Bareilles (although the lyrics don't really relate, she has a very calming tone in this song, love the piano)
6. "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon (I know, very odd song choice, I listened to this song during one of my intense nesting surges, it was just too awesome and always makes me smile)
7. "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones (no explanation needed here)
8. "Duet" by Rachael Yamagata (calming song)
9. "Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova (pictured my baby making his way into the World, beautiful song)
10. "Flower" by Amos Lee (I felt like my heart was a blooming flower, so beautiful and full with love for my baby)
11. "Forever" by Ben Harper (this seems like a great song for a wedding, but I was moved by the thought of forever with my baby and husband, and how gentle the song is)
12. "Halo" by Beyoncé (this song is very moving in any capacity)
13. "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" by Van Morrison (I was raised on Van Morrison's music, I wanted my baby boy to listen also!)
14. "Heavenly Day" by Patty Griffin (it really is heavenly)
15. "Light of Love" by Jai-Jagdeesh (beautiful lyrics, empowering, moving)
16. "In My Life" by Jake Shimabukuro (no lyrics, just a wonderful instrumental)
17. "Ready for Love" India Arie (so ready to love my little baby)
18. "Reasons to Love You" by Meiko (such a calming voice)
19. "On The Nature of Daylight" by Max Richter (calming instrumental, I feel like it almost captures the beauty and pain of laboring)
20. "This Woman's Work" by Maxwell (most people see this as a "romantic" song, but I felt like it really focused on the strength and fight in a woman, and channeling that strength through the tough times)
21. "Wonderful World" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (I pictured myself dancing with my baby-I actually sing this song to him now, he loves it)
22. "I Am" by Christina Aguilera (love love love this song and it's lyrics, I felt like it represented my personal relationship with pregnancy, labor, birth, being a Mother, the words just spoke to me "I am a lioness!")
23. "You Were Born" by Cloud Cult (just as the lyrics say)
24. "Cosmic Love" by Florence + The Machine (I feel like the sound and melody represent the varying intensity of contractions)
25. "Blackbird" by The Beatles (it's the Beatles, enough said)

Chocolate-Caramel Butterfinger Cake

I received a phone call from my little sister the other day.  Her name is Lorna and she is a wonderful mommy to four kids, three of them being actual children, and the fourth being her man-child husband, Casey :)  Of course I say that in the most loving way possible!

Lorna has a unique way of asking for things, just like my Mother (I'm sure that is where she got it from).  Instead of straight up asking a question or asking for something, she makes suggestions.  This time around her "suggestion" went like this.. "So, I thought that I would call you and let you know it would be great if we could work together on a surprise cake for Casey's birthday over Memorial Day Weekend."  I smiled on the other end of the line, knowing exactly what she meant, and replied "So, just to clarify, your asking me to bake a cake for your husband's birthday?"  To which she swiftly and excitedly replied, "YEP!" with a giggle.

In the past 10 years, I don't think I have ever said "no" to my sister.  Now, prior to that is a different story, there were a number of instances where I would say "NO, you can't wear my clothes!" or "NO, you can't drive my car!" or "NO, get out of my room!".  Both my sister and mom know now that if they ask me to do something, of course I am going to deliver.  So, this situation is no different, I would LOVE to make a cake for her husband's birthday for a plethora of reasons, most notably a) Everyone deserves a surprise cake on their birthday, b) I enjoy baking and decorating cakes, c) I can't say no to my sister, and d) I get to eat some delicious cake, too!  After discussing what his favorite cake flavor and candy flavor are, we decided that a chocolate cake featuring Butterfingers would be a winner.  Perfect!  I have the most yummy recipe in my messy cook book cupboard, now just to find it...

Found it!  You know a recipe is a good one when you pull out the piece of paper you printed off from the internet and it is smeared with sticky chocolate and caramel.  This recipe comes from allrecipes.com and is straight from the makers of Butterfinger.  Only adjustment I made was I used cool whip topping instead of whipping up my own because I prepared this at my cabin and didn't have my mixer along.

Another funny story to this cake making madness, I sent my husband to the grocery store for the ingredients, he came back with "Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk".  I had to inform him that he got the wrong thing and failed to read what I had specifically listed out for him as "Nestle Carnation Sweetened Condensed Milk".  His response, "No! I swear that was the only kind of canned milk they had! You need to be more specific!" (but he pronounces specific like Pacific Ocean).  I don't know how I could have been more "Pacific" than that, next time I will have to text him pictures!

Gather Your Ingredients:
*1 box of chocolate cake mix & ingredients - Any brand you prefer, I used Pillsbury Chocolate cake because that is what the hubby brought back from the store
*1 (14oz) can of NESTLE CARNATION Sweetened Condensed Milk
*Bag of Nestle Butterfinger Bites
*1 jar or bottle of caramel ice cream sundae topping - You don't use the entire thing, so if you have some in your cupboard, no need to go out and get another bottle
*2 containers of Cool Whip - you can whip up your own topping if you'd like with 1 pint of whipping cream
*NOTE: Make this cake 1-2 days in advance of consumption for optimum taste

Get to baking!

1. Preheat your oven to the temp indicated on the box's directions (in my case 350 degrees) and mix your chocolate cake ingredients.

2. Bake your cake for the time indicated on the box's directions (in my case it was 30 minutes) and remove to cool completely.  In order to let the cake cool completely, I took a break and attended our Lake Association's Annual Meeting, where I enjoyed a delicious Bloody Mary at 8:45am, and we talked about fishing, weed harvesting, and lake studies. My brother and I own the cabin together and he guilted me into attending on our behalf, he was quite disappointed to find out later that the meeting was at a bar with bloody's and breakfast.  Oh the joys of owning a cabin :)

3. Chop up the Butterfinger Bites, I used about 3/4 of the bag and snacked on the remainder!

4. Poke holes in your cake one inch deep and one inch apart with the end of a wooden mixing spoon or other utensil that would be similar in width. If you would like your cake to be more saturated, poke more holes closer together, every 1/2" to 3/4" apart.

5. Pour the Nestle Carnation Sweetened Condensed Milk over the entire cake.  Make sure it is covered evenly.

6. Sprinkle half of the chopped Butterfinger over the top of the condensed milk and drizzle Caramel Sauce over the top of the Butterfinger.

7. Spread the two containers of Cool Whip over the top of the cake.  I know it seems like a lot of Cool Whip, but it is great with the chocolate cake.

 

8. Sprinkle the remaining half of the chopped Butterfinger and drizzle Caramel Sauce over the top of the Cool Whip topping.  What is great about this cake is that the topping can be as messy as you want it to be, no need to be perfect when decorating.

9. Keep refrigerated over night before serving.  I actually made this cake in the morning, refrigerated it, and then served it that same night.  Although everyone thought it was delicious and almost ate the entire cake that night, when the leftovers were consumed the following day everyone thought it tasted better after sitting overnight. The extra time in the fridge allows the condensed milk and caramel sauce to better saturate the chocolate cake.

I hope you all enjoyed Memorial Day Weekend, hope you got to spend some quality time with family and/or friends while honoring those military personnel who have died protecting and fighting for our country.  Be thankful for everyone in your life and the time you have with them.