Business and Illness Do Not Mix

It's hard to recall much of June when I spent the majority of it somewhat sick and not completely coherent. Sakura got sick and then she happily passed on the fun to me. Next thing I know she had lots of goop in her eyes (conjunctivitis), which she also passed on to me. Sakura was having serious issues sleeping during the day and night so we weren't getting sufficient sleep to get better. To add salt to the wounds, Matt was gone from the 13th to the 23rd of June on a trip to Japan with his family to visit relatives, get family history, and tour the area where their ancestors were.  I can now report we are on the mend, Matt returned home safely, and things are somewhat back to normal.

Then and Now

There were quite a few events that took place in June. I went to a temple endowment session where my friend Xen-Xen was going for the first time since she just got her mission call. We went to lunch at a sushi train restaurant afterwards to celebrate. I didn't think I would be able to get a babysitter, but it all worked out in the end and I was so glad to be there and reminisce of my first time going through the temple for my own endowment.

She didn't like that she couldn't see what I was cooking.

Another YSA had a bridal shower and wedding take place in June. I helped organise the bridal shower games and was disappointed I had to abandon ship for a little bit as Sakura was getting fussy. I was also disappointed that the gluten and dairy free banana muffins I made weren't as amazing as the previous ones. I'm pretty sure I used a different recipe so I think I will start throwing out the recipes that aren't amazing. Of course I just realised that with my current memory issues - maybe it is better to have a stack of rejected recipes in case I end up printing and trying the same one.

The wedding reception I ambitiously tried to make a beef stew and cornbread (gluten and dairy free of course). It was a potluck and the bride Dyani asked if I could provide enough for anyone with dietary concerns like mine. She was thinking simple muffins, but I wanted to go all out. The result was that I was quite a bit late, but luckily no one had started eating yet. My stew was good, and so was all the cheesecake I ate for dessert. In case you are wondering - Yes, I am aware cheesecake has dairy and gluten, but I threw healthy eating out the window because Matt was eating whatever in Japan, and I was sick and tired and food that isn't good for you just tastes so amazing! Whew. I had a wonderful time at the wedding reception and Sakura got in some cuddles with the bride and groom. I only regret that I waited till the end to do the photobooth pictures when she was asleep.

Somehow I managed to go to a baby expo as well this month. They had so many samples and things. My favourite item was a clip on teether that I got for Sakura. She loves having a teether or dummy (pacifier) on hand at all times.

This is the first beanie I made her

This is the larger version

The last big activity before Matt got back was an Escape Room I put on for the YSA at the chapel. I got all the details from this website (click here). It took quite a bit of preparation getting the materials and putting the clues together, but is was well worth it. The idea is that they find the clues on their own in the room and unfortunately some clues they could figure out without finding all the hints. This lead to them missing a couple clues and getting stuck. I helped them, but our leader held captive would've died if we were doing a CSI operation. I hope this company chooses to do different scenarios in the future because it was still worthwhile and SO much cheaper than paying $40+ per person to go to an escape room location.

When Matt returned I finally got a little baby relief, but not for relaxing. We had made a goal to change the painting business from a sole trader to a company by the end of the financial year (30 June) so I had a LOT to do. Somehow I got all of the most important things done with the help of our business consultant and accountant. I had to create the company, change business registrations, change business licence, set up a business bank account, and change our accounting software for a company structure. This stuff isn't complicated exactly, but for a novice it is so easy to do it horribly wrong so I'm glad I have an awesome business consultant for these things! Alan's details are here if you are in need of a business consultant in the North Brisbane area.

Some other updates include:
- I finally got Sakura's Australian citizenship certificate and was able to apply for her Australian passport. I have been waiting for this for months!

- We are going to the U.S. in October! My mom was going to come to visit for Sakura's 1st birthday, but it ended up working better for everyone to have us visit them. She bought us all the flights and we worked things out with Matt's family so we could visit them too. I'm so glad it all worked out because with that huge business loss we don't have excess money for trips.

- Sakura got her first tooth! Her second tooth on the bottom is also almost there. This now explain the extra feeds and difficulty sleeping. Good thing she is still super cute!

This next month the focus is to be gluten and dairy free with hopes of working towards a paleo and sugar free diet. We also are looking for ways we can save or earn more money to recover from the business loss and pay off debts. At this stage we are thinking I might be able to try some work like life coaching, disability support work, or something like that. It's something I can do on top of Matt's business stuff and it should help me with my future goals of working as a psychologist. Right now we are just playing with ideas. I hope that in the next year we will be much more organised and have regular meal and financial planning happening. At least we are getting better!

P.S. Apologies for the severe lack of photos. I thought I took photos of things, but apparently not.