What’s up, Kewligans! I hope y’all are having a super fun weekend. I have big plans today for a poolside bbq birthday party, which will then lead over to our fave karaoke joint. My friends and I are so busy that we rarely all are able to get together. So when one of us has a birthday, we come out in full force! It’s hard to find good friends. You know, friends that you can really trust, tell secrets to, laugh with, know that they’ll be there for them when you relaly need them. When you find friends like that, you need to hold onto them. AND you need to celebrate their birthdays!! Lots of surprises were planned for my friend on her special day. The guys at the party will all sing “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” (a classic Righteous Brothers song from the 1960s). We all contributed to a journal as to why we like her, or what her friendship means to us. We will all sing songs at karaoke that we know she likes. What songs do you guys like to sing at karaoke?? A friend of hers that she misses and hasn’t seen for a long time is even flying into town and will surprise her during the bbq. We shouldn’t wait until once a year to show our friends how much we cherish them. If you have a friend that you haven’t told you love lately, tell them how you feel today!

yourfriendlovingkewlteam

Hiya Kewlies! I don’t know about you guys, but I just LOOOOVE “So You Think You Can Dance?” I think the dancing is amazing, the choreography is beautiful, the contestants are incredible. I admit, I could do without the incessant screaming from judge Mary Murphy, but she means well. The tenacity of those dancers is inspiring. They will dance their feet raw, but keep going. They want to be the best. They never stop training. And there are contestants that have auditioned for several seasons before they finally made it onto the show. If you’ve ever danced, then you understand what I mean when I say that the dancers leave their heart and soul on stage when they dance. A dancer can be technically perfect, but if their heart isn’t in it, if they don’t understand what they’re dancing about, then I think they’re dull to watch. So no matter what your passion is, dancing, piano, writing, tennis, leave your heart and soul on the keyboard, page, court. Give it all you got and when you feel like giving up, just think of those dancers with torn up feet and the sacrifices they make to get where they are, and give it just a little bit more.

What’s up, Kewlios?! Whew, all that exercising the past several days has worn me out! Or maybe it’s the weather that’s making me feel sluggish. It’s an extremely rare chilly, rainy day in June for Los Angeles. But I like it. It’s unexpected and refreshing. However, it’s not enough rain to wash off your car, but enough to make it dirtier ;)  I feel like all I want to do is cuddle up in my comfies, eat tomato soup and grilled cheese and watch tv like “So You Think You Can Dance?” (LOOOOOVE that show) Sometimes I get down on myself when I don’t feel like going out and making things happen, but sometimes, ya just gotta chillax, ya know? It’s okay to take a breather to rest and recharge. You’ve worked your hineys off all year in school. It’s okay to not go directly into hyper Summertime fun mode. If you feel like kickin’ back for a little while, go for it. You earned it! BUT…don’t get into the habit of kickin’ back everyday. Then that just becomes lazy and if there’s something that you kewl kids are, it’s NOT lazy. Well, I gotta go figure out what mindless TV I’m gonna watch so that I can rest up for tomorrow, a day where I’ll let the world know that I’m here

yoursleepykewlteam

Hey Kewl Kids! I don’t know about y’all, but I think I’ve caught some Spring Fever! The warm weather has me ants. Also, it doesn’t help that I stuffed myself silly with Easter candy & a 7-eleven has opened up right across the street from where I live. That means easy access to pizza, hot dogs, candy & slurpees. Yeah, I’ve gone a little overboard with the sweets recently. So when it was time to put on my shorts to have Springtime fun, I was a little put off. Well, I guess that’s what happens when your sweet tooth gets the better of you. So this week I decided to quit complaining & start doing. I kicked my butt into gear & did a ballet/pilates/yoga video a few days in a row. The last several days, I have eaten much better. I DID give in to a slurpee today, but it was a “light” flavor. AND it was after I ran myself ragged on a tennis court. I didn’t have a partner, so I hit against the wall at the courts & had an awesome workout!! Not only did I work up quite a sweat, it felt so good to whap that ball & release tension. On the way home, I picked up some healthy eats, ingredients for salads, fruits & balanced foods. So, even if you’re feeling defeated, feeling like things are out of your reach, no matter what they are, you can accomplish your goals with baby steps. Cut yourself some slack. Don’t be too hard on yourself. I’m going to see some friends tomorrow night and I’m sure I’ll enjoy the tasty treats, but it’s okay. I’ll just dance crazily around my room the next day and be right on track.

yourhealthykewlteam

Hey guys! I was a little surprised to see the latest poll results that so few Kewl readers keep a journal. When I look back at what I wrote in my diaries when I was growing up, I laugh so hard I cry. I could’ve been ranting about something that was SO vital at the time, life or death I tell you! But now, it seems incredibly silly that I was so upset about not getting invited to Suzie’s birthday party. And I always realize how far I’ve come, how much I’ve grown when I read my old journals. We think we’ll remember it all: the good times and the bad, but we don’t. There have been many times when I am thankful that I wrote that silly little thing down that made me laugh that day because there’s no way I would ever remember it years later. But reading it brings back those memories and I laugh my head off. But not only is journaling entertaining, it’s also good for your mind. It helps to get a lot of the gunk out. The things that float through your head while you should be paying attention in class or while you can’t go to sleep. If you get those swirling thoughts out of your head, then there’s more room for the good stuff. You can even write about the sort of life that you want! You don’t have to write about what you did everyday, but you can write about what you WANT to happen. Just consistently putting those thoughts out into the universe helps to attract those things to you. Your journal doesn’t have to be fancy. Sometimes I just get a cheap notebook and make a collage for the cover. Sometimes I used colored pens to make it a little more fun and creative. But I really hope that you guys will keep a journal during your big transition times: middle school to high school, freshman year of college. I regret that I only journaled during the first part of my freshman year of college and wish I had written down more of my memories. They really are priceless. But here’s the best thing about writing in a diary…it won’t tell your secrets

yourjournalwritingkewlteam

We had an absolutely beautiful day here in Los Angeles, a perfect way to celebrate our Earth. Did you do anything special today to honor the planet that houses us? Even if it was just making a special effort to walk to the other side of the room to put your water bottle in the recycling bin instead of the trash can right beside you, that’s something. Something you can do everday is carry a reusable bag instead of using plastic bags given to you at stores. Not only is it smart, it’s also fashionable! I bought a really cute one for $1.50 at Forever 21 and get so many compliments on it. Hopefully plastic bags will slowly disappear from our lifestyles. Ireland, for example, started charging $0.33 per bag, which resulted in a 94% less usage! Other countries have banned plastic bags. In America, San Francisco is ahead of the times with their plastic bag band. These bags make their way to the oceans and end up killing fish, turtles, birds and other sea creatures Some of the animals think they’re food and end up eating them. Other animals get tangled in them & can’t breathe or move. It’s so easy, you guys, to just recycle those bags and better yet, don’t use them at all. Recycling is very important to me. If I see cans, bottles, bags in the trash, I will take it out & put it in the proper receptacle. So the next time you just toss that soda can in the trash, remember this: there is a HUGE swirl that is 90feet deep in the Pacific Ocean, twice the size of Texas, which is trash that has made its way to the ocean, much of which could’ve been recycled. Those poor sea creatures don’t know how to adapt and can’t adapt in that giant pool of trash. Celebrate the earth that provides us with a beautiful place to live. Plant a tree! Grow some veggies! Hug a tree!

yourenvironmentallyconsciouskewlteam

Hey kewly kewls! Have you guys ever had friends that you were really close to, but somehow your paths went different way. Maybe one of you moved away causing the physical and emotional distance. Or perhaps, it was just you drifted away with no real tangible explanation. But there are some friends that no matter how long it has been, when you see them again, it’s like not a single day has passed. And you vow to keep in better touch. I have a few friends like that in my life. Friends that I have considered very good friends of mine for years and years. We drift away, we drift towards. But I know, and they know, that we will always be there for eachother. Those are the sort of friends you should cherish. Boyfriends come and go and some of your friends will come and go, but once you find those that you can truly trust and will be there for you even if a year had gone by, those are the ones that make life lovlier. Life is a little brighter when they re-enter my life. I really hope that there are some people that consider ME to be that friend. Let’s all strive to be that friend.

Hey kewl kids! Happy Saturday!! I began my day by dancing to 80’s music. No lie! I have my alarm set to turn on the radio to wake me up and there’s this station that plays 80’s music all weekend long. When you wake up to the Bangles, how can you not get up and immediately start dancing? (if you’re unaware of who The Bangles are, download their songs on itunes immediately. Same goes for The Go-Go’s and Bananarama) When I get up and start dancing like a silly fool around my room, I start my day off in a good mood with a positive energy. You should totally try it sometime. Then my day got better with a surprise gift from a friend which was really really sweet. Okay, the gift was an Easter basket a week too early filled with my fave Easter treats. I think Easter candy is the best in the world, even though I chipped my tooth on a Cadbury Mini Egg last year. Tonight I’ll be singing with a band at a well known Hollywood establishment where respected musicians play. That is going to be a blast! I’ll get to see so many of my friends and sing and it sounds like the perfect Saturday night. I sure hope y’all have something planned for the night. Even if you don’t go out or feel social, put on your favorite dance tunes and dance like crazy in your room. You’re guaranteed to feel better

Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles rockin’ out!

Hi there, kewly kewls! Now, I’m sure y’all have heard the phrase “trust your gut.” Let me tell you this: as you start to grow up, this phrase makes SO MUCH SENSE. Especially for girls. Women’s intuition, baby! It could be anything like an answer on a test…”B feels right, I’m drawn to circle B, but maybe A is right?” Most likely, the answer was B. Or it could be about a boy. Do his wishy-washy answers and the way he won’t look you in the eye give you a weird feeling in your tummy? Girl, trust that feeling. Most likely, the boy’s no good. This happened to me recently with something as simple as a few dollars. I used my cash at a store and while I was paying with my cash, a voice inside my head said “don’t pay with cash, use your card” but I paid with cash anyway. And ya know what? That night I ended up at a restaurant that only accepted cash. I said out loud “I knew at the check-out that I should’ve used my debit card!” And of course this happens to me in bigger ways with friendships and boys. If I get a weird vibe from someone, it’s because there’s more to the story that I don’t know, but my gut is picking up on it. I’ve experienced it with guys when I feel they’re not being completely honest with me, but I choose to trust their words. But almost everytime, I should’ve gone with my guy. Same thing happens to my friends. We all say “I knew it! I knew from the start something wasn’t right with him! I should’ve trusted my guy and I wouldn’t have wasted my time with him!” We decide to use it as a learning experience. Learn to trust yourself, girls. Count on yourself.

Hey guys! We had the BEST weather in Los Angeles this weekend. I mean, it’s the sort of weather when you wish it could stay like this all year long. Not too hot, not too cold, clear blue sky, slight breeze. Perfect for sitting under a tree and reading or opening up windows and finishing up your homework before Monday (you should’ve done that Friday so you could enjoy the weekend!). This Kewl staffer went for a hike up in the hills of Griffith Park. You can always count on seeing some frisky dogs, beautiful trees, flowers and on a clear day, you can see the ocean. I always feel amazing after my hike at Griffith. Looking down on that huge city reminds me how small I am and how huge the world is and that it has a million things to offer. It’s also a great way to clear your mind and be by yourself. If you don’t have hiking trails nearby, a walk around your neighborhood can also be good to be with your thoughts. Going to a park is a great get away, too.

I also sang with a rock n’ roll band for kids called “Egg,” which is always a blast. It’s the kewlest when the kids come up on stage with us to sing and dance. I think it’d be impossible not to be in a good mood after one of our shows!

And even though the weather has been lovely in L.A., we are sending good thoughts to Fargo which is fighting floodwaters.

yourweekendwarriorkewlteam