>So it wasn't a preserved fish until it was unnecessary to preserve it as grey lumps in a jar of glop?

yep. lol. It originally was something you might make ahead. But it also was very pretty and tasty. https://memod.com/BabiesBriefsAndBooks/putting-the-gefilte-back-in-gefilte-fish-5890

Then the 1940s f*d it up.

Well the one you know now (mysterious lump in a jar) was actually made in the age of refrigeration. the original type of gefilte fish was interesting (if you like fish). Gefilte means stuffed in yiddish. You'd take a whole fish with skin on. You'd flay it open and pull out all the insides and carefully de-bone it. But you'd keep the skin intact. Then you'd add veg (onion, garlic, matzah etc) to the fish meat you'd pulled out. Then stuff it back in the skin. Then roast the whole thing. So when you put it on the table it was a very elaborate presentation of a complete fish. But the inside was basically fish meatloaf.

The jar goop came around during the 1940s and 50s along with tv dinners. No more laboriously flaying out a fish. You could just grab it from a jar. So modern!

(In the spirit of the real story of gefilte fish, I make a fish croquette mix from fresh fish basically and use a cookie cutter to shape them like fish. Then deep fry it.)

I've not seen it but I don't really buy much frozen food so I can't say I've ever looked. They keep the frozen dino nuggets on the corner of the frozen aisle, so I can just grab those for my toddler and bounce without passing the rest (which is great because I can't deal with an 'i want ice cream' tantrum in Publix again. The manager came out to comfort me last time since I was basically in tears haha.)

Every Publix has one aisle that has sections of all sorts of things... The 'international foods' aisle. Indian, Asian with subsections for thai, chinese, and japanese. You name it. I'm Jewish. But I live in the mid-south with an insanely small Jewish population. Yet they have a Jewish section on the aisle for all things gefilte fish and matzah. IDK why. Even I don't buy any of it. Who likes gefilte fish??

I mean honestly Publix is the only good thing that has ever come out of Florida. So I feel like I have to just give them a win. Publix is really great tbh.

We have Jewish, Mexican, Indian, Asian, and British

I think what motivates me is defined goals rather than general platitudes about improvement As an example 'Get a better job' is meaningless and hollow. Versus 'finding a job that's more flexible on time would make me less stressed when I need to go pick up my ill toddler unexpectedly from daycare and not worry so much about not being able to come in the following day" makes it clear what the benefit is... the real motivation is. A lens that makes it clear how something helps you in a concrete way will always make you more motivated to keep it up or pursue it than some generalized goal with undefined benefits ... like 'a better' job.

529s are great. People think of them as being for college only, but they can be used for so much more than that. Any qualifying program including training in a trade. And it also can pay for qualifying housing while studying and tools needed to study... like a laptop. Or if the kid goes into a trade, it can pay for all the tools they'll need to get started.

We also separately have a smaller irrevocable trust so that he can use it to have a downpayment on a home or some other major milestone when he's 30. They can get up to 15k a year avoiding gift taxes and exempt from estate tax.