The kids’ summer break is almost over. We have two weeks (plus a few extra days) before they start school. They have until the 4th of September to absorb as much non-school activity as possible.
Our son finished his extended school year last Friday. He has been waking up early daily to prepare for school while his sister slept until 11 a.m.
For those out there not familiar with an extended school year, here’s a brief overview.
- It is not summer school. Summer school is for kids who must attend and sit tests to ensure they pass classes before moving up. Schools must help kids reach a certain level so they do not fall behind when moving to the next grade. It usually is four weeks or the month of July in our area.
- The extended school year is for kids with special needs who need constant support and reinforcement of educational and social skills. The kids will likely regress without this support, resulting in much slower development progress. It is a six-week program that lasts until two weeks before school starts.
Our son falls into the latter group. He needs constant support and guidance using his iPad and learning (and relearning) various skills. Unfortunately, this means we only get two weeks a year during the summer, when we can take some vacation time together.
One year after we moved to the US and were new to the school and the support system for kids with special needs, he missed an extended school year.
Everything he had learned and excelled in slowly disappeared throughout the summer, resulting in the following school year being a repeat and relearning what he did the previous year.
It is critical for our kids, no matter their ability, to have access to a supportive school system and resources so they can excel and achieve their goals and dreams. We often hear schools losing their way, directly impacting kids’ opportunities to do great.
Public schools can be beautiful institutions if they focus on education, prepare our kids for the future, and reduce nonsense political agendas. We need to teach kids critical thinking, business acumen, history, home ed (cooking), finance management, technology/engineering, wood- and metal shop, math, science, etc., subjects that are valuable and needed to succeed.
Talking about learning. Well, I learned a new DIY skill this weekend – and saved money.
Reluctant Mechanic
Due to the current economic climate and the one-income household, we must carefully evaluate how and what we spend money on. We are not alone in this, as so many families in the US are struggling with inflation, higher grocery and petrol prices, and a fierce job market.
We bought the family car, a used 2011 model, almost ten years ago. At this stage, it has driven 178K miles, but it is still going strong. It has served us well over the years.
The car is experiencing the expected wear and tear, so we know some repairs are needed. But that does not make the financials any easier.
Last year, the car broke down and overheated, so we replaced several components, such as the pump and thermostat, in the radiator and gave it a new lease of life.
Unfortunately, the car broke down and overheated a couple of weeks ago while I was driving home for a vet visit for our friendly giant Great Pyrenees. Thankfully, it was near my work, so we swapped cars, and I got the car towed to the mechanic.
Fast-forward. They fixed the overheating, we paid, and brought the car home. The car started displaying similar issues within a week, so we brought it back to the mechanic, who repaired it under a parts warranty.
We drove the car home again, but other error messages popped up on the way home. At this point, I was getting stressed financially because we did not have the means to buy or lease a car, and I was also worried about the potentially high repair cost.
That evening, I looked at the mechanic’s diagnostic printouts, wrote down the display’s error codes, and started a Google rabbit hole journey.
The Google sphere can be dangerous. Before you know it, you have entered dark spaces and opened so many tabs that you lose track of time and life.
However, I learned from many sites what might be causing the errors and developed a plan.
The next step was to find videos on YouTube that could show me how to change the parts. Remember, I’m not a mechanic, so this was new territory.
I visited the local Auto Zone, bought a part for $60, and was ready to deal with a mechanical problem. We had nothing to lose.
Armed with my iPad and YouTube, I gathered the necessary tools and prepared mentally for the possibility of breaking the car.
I had to replace the purge valve, and I was surprised that it only took 10 minutes. In addition, I cleaned out the throttle box, as some articles indicated that dirt/oil in that area can cause sensors to trip.
30 minutes later, a lot of nervous sweating, and the mission was completed.
Now came the test drive. The engine started and had no strange sounds or other symptoms.
- I drove it around town and back roads for almost 10 miles, and the errors did not reappear.
- I was proud and delighted, and I hope we can rely on the car for a few more months.
So, it is not too late to learn new skills, but make sure you are ready to face the consequences of your mistakes if you fuck up.
Welcome to Hadestown
Talking about a dystopian world where an IT guy attempts to repair his car. Well, we went to see a musical on Broadway this past weekend. And no, we did not drive my wife’s DIY-repaired car into the city. We are not that brave yet.
Hadestown is a tragedy from Ancient Greek mythology about love, loss, and hope,
In short, Orpheus must find his way to Hadestown to save Eurydice while Hades and Persephone face their challenges.
We won four tickets to the show, the first time we have won any tickets, and not for lack of trying.
It was a great afternoon with the family; we thoroughly enjoyed the performance.
Week Thirty-four Meals
Despite being busy all day Sunday, I had many meals planned for Friday night and grocery shopping on Saturday morning before I started the mechanical adventure.
Thankfully, I do not have to plan any school lunches for the next few weeks, so I only need to focus on making dinners. It helps with the cooking workload, as we were away Sunday.
I also have to focus on using alternatives to cream to help us eat healthier. Over the past few months, I have used many dairy products for the meals. While it is delicious, it is also a source of weight gain.
Helping Friends
A friend and his wife recently gave birth to a little boy. Unfortunately, he was born too early, very premature, so he will need to spend several weeks in NICU. The baby is healthy but very fragile and small. He needs to gain strength and weight before he can come home.
The couple is stressed and exhausted from visiting and spending time with the baby as much as possible, which is understandable, so I’ll cook a few meals they can reheat.
Cooking food can be a burden if you are focused on other matters, so providing them with premade meals may alleviate some stress.
School Lunches
No lunches. Kids will have to provide for themselves!
Dinner Time
Since I had more time to focus on healthier eating, I made more from scratch to avoid buying processed food or ingredients I might need, such as butternut squash puree or canned tomato sauce.
I bought a shitload of tomatoes and roasted them in the oven. I would generally roast them in the Traeger, but I ran out of pellets. I know rookie mistake.
A friend gave me some fresh basil and locally grown garlic from our farmers’ market, which I added to the tomato.
I started making the simple fish stew while the tomatoes roasted gently in the oven. I had bought some cod and monkfish on sale, added a tri-color of peppers, onion, and garlic, and then stirred in coconut milk with some tomato paste.
I cut the butternut squash in half and scored it with a sharp knife. Then, I sprinkled some olive oil over it and added it to the oven alongside the tomatoes.
I used the blender to puree the tomatoes and poured them into a large mason jar. Please note that homemade tomato sauce will not be as red as store-bought sauce. You can add tomato paste and paprika to make it more red, but I don’t.
I cleaned the blender with water, removed all the ‘flesh’ or ‘meat’ from the butternut squash, and blended it.
The tomato sauce made a smooth meat tomato sauce for the Italian night. I fried ground beef, onions (and garlic) and stirred in the tomato sauce.
The butternut squash puree gave the gnocchi and Italian sausage dish a creamy, yellowish color.
I’m cleaning out leftover meals in anticipation of the fall so that we will explore some of the unlabeled freezer bags in our freezer. I need to get better at using labels, LOL.
Meal Plan
| Lunch | Dinner | |
| Monday | Spaghetti Pomodoro (with meat) | |
| Tuesday | Viking Battle Fish Stew | |
| Wednesday | Creamy butternut squash gnocchi with sausage | |
| Thursday | Freezer delight | |
| Friday | Over-the-fire cooking |
One day, I might get so organized that I will link the meals below to my recipes. We can only live in hope!
Meal Prep Party Pictures
Here’s a sneak preview of some of the dishes I made this week.
Have a fantastic week, my friends. I hope you enjoy these meal plans. It is much easier to make food in advance, although you must invest several hours preparing meals during the weekend.
Stay in touch with me through social media!
The Viking Heart Within 