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! :) 

What Have I Done?!

And today is the day I've lost my mind.

I'm certain I've said that many times before, but I'm pretty sure today is THE actual day.

Because...

I've decided to start doing direct sales. 😳

WHAT, you say? DIRECT SALES, you say? Those are not real and I can't believe someone convinced you to do it!

I KNOW! I KNOW!

Believe me when I say I talked myself out of this a few times. Or talked myself into waiting just a little while before jumping in.

And then my husband said "Have you signed up yet?"

So I jumped.

Well what am I selling, you ask?

I am selling lipstick. LipSense lipstick to be precise.

Listen to me when I tell you that I was the last person to jump on the LipSense bandwagon. I hem-hawed around it. I kept hearing about how legit it was and that I needed to try it. But I'm one of those that just likes to wait until the last second to try something (most of the time) OR I'm the last one to find out about it (almost ALL of the time).

The sweet gal that did our makeup for my friend Abby's wedding mentioned how great LipSense was and I said "Oh, yeah, I've heard of that!" And that was it.

And then a month later, my best friend and I stood in the back of a store at the launch party for the Northwest Arkansas Moms Blog group I write for, browsing lip color choices and what she should get. I was totally into it.

But I still didn't budge.

And then one night, I was on Facebook and saw that one of my distant cousins (who may or may not be one of the cutest people you will ever see -- besides my cute cousin Megan) had posted pictures in her LipSense and how she had decided to take the plunge and sell it and how she NEVER thought she'd do direct sales, but she had truly loved this stuff for awhile so why not?

See, what did I tell you?!

So then I had to try it. I messaged her, I browsed the really great examples of colors (they show you six different "normal" people in one LipSense color to give you a good representation of what it might look like on you) and bit the bullet. 

And now here I am. A few weeks later. I feel EXACTLY as Melissa did, but this stuff is the real deal.

Let me explain my number one reason as to why it's great and why I'm happy to sell it to everyone: it doesn't come off.

I repeat, the lipstick does not come off!

You can put it on in the morning, put on the gloss you purchase with it, and maybe carry the gloss with you if you want, but the lipstick will last up to 18 hours! I put it on, eat 10 meals, go check the mirror two hours later and it is still there!

I think back to Abby's wedding and how one person carried around one tube of the gorgeous Vitality lipstick and we all had to share it AT LEAST 60 times that day. If we would have had one tube of LipSense, we wouldn't have had to share it more than ONCE! And I LOVE the color of Vitality lipstick we used -- I went and spent $25 on it at Ulta!  ....  And I could have just spent $25 on the same LipSense color!

Also...

I started a separate Facebook page for this new adventure for a few reasons:

1. I wanted a separate space to show you all of the color options.
2. I wanted a space to show you what I have in stock.
3. And that is all. 

I am not going to bug you to join my team (but the one plug I will give is that you get a good discount on this stuff if you DO join my team -- THAT'S IT, I'M DONE!). I'm not going to share every single post on my personal Facebook page. I just wanted a separate space to show you the colors and how to buy it.

Because you all need some of it in your life, I can promise you that! And if you do have any questions, you know how to find me - comment below,  e-mail me at allyson.hills@gmail.com or hop on any of my five million Facebook pages. :)

Now for the next question you have...

No, this does not mean Two Dots will go away! Lauren and I (oh yes, Lauren is selling LipSense as well) are obviously trying to corner the clothing and makeup market. 😂

Two Dots is still kicking! We actually have a show in Kansas City in just over a week and a half at the Holy Trinity Early Education Center in Olathe for those that want to come browse! There will be a Ladies Night on Friday, January 27 from 6-9 pm. Tickets are $15 for advanced purchase or $20 at the door, which includes a raffle ticket, wine and snacks and a possibly swag bag with coupons and such to use that night!

And blogging will not be going anywhere either! You might just hear about new LipSense colors a little more, especially on Friday Favorites. But Tess and Elm is staying put.

As for the rest of my crazy life, it is literally all over the place with realtors, house hunting in Chicago, and the realization that we continue to accumulate SO MUCH STUFF that I thank God for relocation packages! 

And that's that, folks! To check out the LipSense colors and what I have in stock at the moment (it's selling so quickly that so many colors I want to have in my inventory are not available until February), go to my Facebook page and go to the 'Photos' tab.

Happy Hump Day to all!

XXOO,
Allyson

PS. IF you like what you see on my Facebook page, go ahead and 'like' it and share it with your friends -- just for fun so you can be informed on colors that arrive and new items!