My bestie was in town this past weekend, on a mission to help me organize my house and get my kids to eat vegetables. For those who don’t know, both of my kids are VERY picky eaters. I have no idea where their pickiness came from, because I have loved food for as long as I can remember and have always — even as a small child — been a very adventurous eater.
One thing I’ve been able to quietly habituate my kids to is sushi, though my oldest will only eat tuna rolls, and my youngest takes the fish out of her rolls entirely so she can eat just the rice and nori.
On Friday night, we went to Sushi Zone in Bothell, WA, one of my favorite local restaurants, and one of the few Seattle-adjacent spots that feels worth the 25-minute drive from my house. It’s also conveyor belt-style, which means my kids end up eating more, and more variety, because of the constant visual exposure to different foods.
A few weeks ago when we were there, my youngest saw calamari go by a few times. After the third rotation, she said “I want to try that.” Heck yeah, girl! Go ahead! So she grabbed a plate, and guess what? She loved it. Now she gets it every time we go.
A very grainy family photo outside Sushi Zone!
The same thing happened with my oldest on Friday. I can’t even count how many times they’ve seen a California roll in their life, but with minimal prompting from my bestie (“Hey, have you tried that? It’s good and not spicy.”), they decided they had seen it enough to feel like it was a safe option for them. And they tried it, and loved it, which means we now have an additional safe food added to the list!
Conveyor belts, when you think about it, are a lot like social media. You’re seeing your options scroll by, one after another after another, and eventually you see something often enough that you’re like, “You know what? Maybe I should try that.”
And maybe it feels like you’re just posting the same thing over and over again, but like … that’s the point, y’all. Research shows that people need to see things at least 7 times in order for it to be memorable, feel familiar, and encourage them to make a decision about whether or not to buy.
So don’t feel bad about posting the same thing over and over again! Do you think the sushi chefs at Sushi Zone felt bad about how many times that California roll circled the conveyor belt before my eldest finally decided to take the plunge? Absolutely not! They did their thing, my kid’s brain did its thing, and in the end, everyone was happy.
🤳 Public Instagram stories are now shareable to your own stories — even if you’re not tagged! I’m actually really excited about this because it gives small businesses way more opportunity for visibility as their followers can now share their updates and announcements to their own followers, rather than just dropping a 🧡 and moving on.
🧩 The Edits app now has templates! This is a game changer for those of us who loathe CapCut but continued using it (either instead of or in addition to Edits) because of the templates that gave users an easy way to participate in trending audio and memes.
🎥 TikTok updated its accessibility features to include disabling HDR playback and reducing motion for users with vision and cognitive disabilities. I love seeing small changes that can make a big difference for users!
Don’t forget: I'm offering a free 20-minute consult to Golden Hour subscribers! This gives us a chance to go over your social media and digital presence, and for you to ask any questions you have about platforms, strategy, and more!
Consider it a thank you for being here. And you know what? Even if you don't need a social media consult, feel free to book the call anyway — I'm always down to shoot the shit for 20 minutes 🥳
Or maybe you’re ready for a longer session to really dig in and come away with actionable advice to help your small business be its best self online? I’m now offering a la carte consulting sessions via Zoom! During our time together, I’ll evaluate your social media presence, answer your questions, and help you build a strategy that works.
📚 To read: Someone recommended The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna and I picked it up on a whim without having any idea what it was about. I’m about halfway through and LOVING it. It’s just the right vibe for me — historical fiction meets stubborn-as-hell female lead 💪
📺 To watch: I took my kids to see Zootopia 2 over winter break. I’m always cagey about kids movies because you never know what you’re going to get, but we loved the original, and the sequel was just as fun! Weeks later, the kids are still talking about (and doing imitations of) Gary De’Snake 🐍
🎧 To listen: I’ve been on a Billie Eilish kick lately, with HIT ME HARD AND SOFT on constant repeat for weeks. My kids want to know why I keep listening to the same songs over and over. Idk, guys — I could ask you the same thing about why you had HUNTR/X on repeat for three months 🙃
🍜 To eat: My bestie was visiting this past weekend and grabbed a couple of SimplyFresh Caprese Pasta Shakers from Costco on a whim and y’all … I am in LOVE. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but tomatoes are my favorite fruit, and then you pair them with cheese and noodles and vinaigrette? I never stood a chance.
🚶🏻♀️To do: If your local zoo still has their Wild Lights / Wild Lanterns / Zoo Lights event going on, YOU SHOULD GO! The kids and I went to WildLanterns at the Woodland Park Zoo this past weekend (as we do every year around New Year’s) and had such an amazing time. They had a new interactive area with zoo animal-themed whack-a-mole, a giant lantern recreation of Mt. Rainier, and a screen that let you FaceTime with people who were at the same event at the Santa Barbara Zoo!
