School is Back!

We are officially full-swing into the 2017-18 school year.

We went from having nothing on the calendar to being triple-booked three times a week. And I'm not even exaggerating!

How does that happen? How do we go from having literally nothing to do to having 10 things to do in the span of a week?! Zero to eighty in five seconds.

I am not complaining though! I live for routine. My kids maybe don't live for it, but man, do they function better when they are in one.

Thanks to routine life and staying busy, Tess is FINALLY sleeping better! The girl is getting a fantastic nap in the afternoon and then going to bed at 7 pm and hasn't been waking up until six. And even if she does wake up a little before six, she sits and chats in her bed, rather than wailing like a lunatic!

It. Is. The. Best!

So an update on school...

If you don't follow my InstaStories on Instagram, you didn't see last week's story on the madness of drop off and pickup at the kids school. I'm coming to terms with it... the madness... and that maybe this is the best way to do things in the city. A parent of a new girl in Sloane's class was talking to me one morning at drop-off and they moved to the neighborhood just to attend this school - they moved like 10 blocks south. I asked if this 'arrangement' was normal since they came from a setting very similar. His answer? Yep.

So basically I'm the out-of-towner who needs to shut her pie hole and adjust.

But for the record, I still think there has to be a better way to perform these tasks... ;)

Reece has really seemed to enjoy school. On the second morning of school, he did ask if he could just go to school the next week. But since, he hasn't fought having to go! After the first day, I asked if he had gotten in trouble (because I had seen him sitting in timeout at recess that afternoon -- FYI: our apartment is directly across from the school so I can see everything!) and he said yes, because was talking too much. So... besides sitting in timeout for not following rules on the playground (which I later found out was really not that big of a deal, but at the moment, I was kind of freaking out), he was asked to remember the class rules and take turns talking.

Who does that kid belong to?! :)

His assistant teacher is named Mrs. Michelle. And that is also the name of the former principal at his preschool he attended in Bentonville. And at In His Image, he saw quite a lot of Ms. Michele. So much that he named her Ms. Michele Office. So he made sure to tell me that Mrs. Michelle is not who you see if you are bad like Ms. Michele Office.

Annnnd I laughed for awhile!

Sloane is doing well... so I think. She doesn't say much... and trying to get her to tell you two things she did that day besides swing at the playground and eat lunch is like pulling teeth! There are a few things that she finally has mentioned to me that have happened at school that I had to get straightened out (nothing major), but in the end, it sucks being the new kid. Especially when you are the new kid and not Reece - carefree and doesn't know that he's the new kid.

I feel for her and say prayers that she will start to remember kids names in her class ("Mom, that girl is in my class!" "Cool! What's her name?" "Ummm.... I don't know!"), and make a few buddies so she can relax a little. WhenI drop her off in the morning, she waits in a line with her other class mates and she's always at the end... slowly walking in and always looking for me. I give a big wave with a big smile on my face, she sees me, waves and smiles and goes in.

Can I just say that my kids are better than me in so many ways? There is no way I could have been "the new kid". There was a point in my life when we almost moved from Sedan for my dad to take a new job and in the end, my parents kept us where we were. And praise the Lord because there is a really good chance that I would have become a hermit!

But on to week two we go with a lot of new activities starting this week including Catechism tomorrow (both Sloane and Reece will go - this should be interesting...) and Sloane starts a dance class on Thursday that includes ballet, jazz and tap - I'm fairly certain I will ask to participate as well!

We are full-throttle into the school year... and that's the way I like it!

XXOO,
Allyson

Life Lately...

Hello out there!

It is I, keeper of the blog. Absent for four months because well... life.

I'd like to start off by saying that by no means did I want to go four months without blogging. I truly love it! I'd also like to say that the last four months may have been the most chaotic of my life! So blogging/Two Dots/LipSense was pushed to the back-burners because... life.

Most of you that read this follow me on social media so you know the gist of what has been going on in the Clark household since March. But to recap:

• Matt took a new position with Coleman in January and started traveling back and forth from Bentonville to Chicago during the week. 
• Sold our house in White Oak Trails in Bentonville.
• Moved into a two-bedroom apartment in Rogers, drove the kids back and forth for school. 
• House-hunted for MONTHS with zero luck!
• Grew accustomed to 2 AM wake-up calls from Tess, who basically wouldn't go back to sleep. She eventually got back to her sleeping routine right when it was time to move again! 
• Sloane graduated from Kindergarten, we said our goodbyes and moved in with my parents in Manhattan while we crossed fingers we would find a place to live! 
• Found a place to live IN THE CITY, where I had zero intentions of living with my family. Life is funny.
• Found out Reece would have to start kindergarten because he turned five before August 1. It's a joke of a rule and absolutely NOT in the best interest of the student, but... ya can't fight city hall (or the Chicago Public School system in this case). 
• Moved June 26 and couldn't fit most of our big furniture in. Fun!
• Packed as much fun into a month as we could in Chicago because I think Matt forgot we weren't just visiting, but actually lived here... 
• Busted pipes in our basement while Matt and I had went away for a weekend. 
• Followed that up with me spending four days in the hospital to end up having my gallbladder removed.
• Followed by Tess back to her old tricks of sleeping SUPER poorly. 
• Followed by more busted pipes in our basement...

And in to September we have rolled... 

Our summer vacation lasted approximately three months and nine days. Our complete life flip lasted five months and five days. There is no better way for me to say this but to say that these last five months have been nothing short of a shit show. And I mean that in the most endearing way possible! 

It's almost laughable (now) at all of the things that we have done/dealt with/participated in/fallen for. I will also say to you that I thank the heavenly stars that my kids are so adaptable and for the most part, go-with-the-flow! They did NOT get that from their mama so I will go ahead and give Matt the props for that. The number of times that I have wanted to plop down and cry or run outside and scream have been plenty. But somehow... here we are. All in one piece and looking back at March like it was 10 years ago (because believe me, it feels like it)! 

Why did I choose today to return to blogging? 

No. 1 reason is that two of my kids are back in school! ALLELUIA! 

Today was the first day of school for the Chicago Public Schools (which is so bizarre since everyone else started school way back in August). We walked Sloane and Reece over to school this morning, which is conveniently located directly across the street from us, and after a few hugs and reminders that I would be there to get them after school, in they walked. Since Sloane was going in to first grade, they asked us not to walk them in, but since Reece was going into Kindergarten, we got to walk him in. He has a locker, which he immediately put his backpack in, and then barely told us goodbye as he walked in to his classroom. 

This is not a surprise from this kid because he has done this every time we have taken him to school. I have to beg for a hug! 

For those of you that know Reece, you will laugh at this. But every time we get on the train, he sits down, and starts chatting with the person next to him. We walked through the DePaul campus the other day and a girl was sitting at a picnic table and he stops ands says, "Hi! I'm Reece! How are you?" "This is my mom, my dad, my girlfriend Sloane, Tess, my friend uncle George (otherwise known as my brother, Jordan), Alex and Anderson." 

The kid strikes a conversation with ANYONE and EVERYONE. Stranger danger? He knows no stranger. And as scary as that may be, I keep telling myself that maybe one day he will strike up a conversation with someone who hasn't made good choices and maybe not very friendly... but Reece will spark something in them to make them flip their life around. 

Or maybe they will tell him to stop talking! 

I don't know! 

I am excited to pick them up and see how their day went. I'm excited to report back to you all about what I find out (like why Reece was already sitting in timeout at recess when I drove by this morning)!

So thank you all for following along on our crazy journey the last three... err... almost six months. It's been a wild ride thus far. I can only pray that life slows down, we get back into a routine and it's smooth sailing! 

.... OK, I can't even type that without laughing! 

Until next time, friends!

XXOO,

Allyson

PS. My LipSense Labor Day sale wraps up today! If there is a fall color you've been hunting for, now is the time to buy! Everything in five percent off plus free shipping through tonight! Check out my Facebook page to see what I have in stock. I also have Lexie Beary, Dark Pink, Caramel Latte and Luv It coming in this week - all fantastic fall colors! :)