Girl Talk Blog

With August on the horizon, the summer is slowly but surely winding down so make the most of the free time you have left and work on a new skill, cooking! The world of Culinary Arts has become increasingly popular as shows like Top Chef and Next Food Network Star appear on our TV screens, if these rookies can do it, why not you?

That’s why this week I suggest you put on your chef’s hat and make your way to the kitchen. Whether you’re feeding family, friends, or just yourself, cooking can be a great way to relax and bring people together. You can try your hand at one of your favorite foods or go for something completely different. Foodnetwork.com has a huge listing of searchable recipes that are rated based on level of difficulty and user reviews, check their site out if you need a little inspiration.

If you’ve never used your kitchen before, make sure that there is someone with you to supervise, and that you have permission from your parents first. Also, if you’re having people over or just cooking for your family, try decorating the table or using place settings that match the style of what you’re cooking, it doesn’t have to be super-fancy, something as simple as using a yellow table cloth when serving Mac and Cheese will be a cute detail that your guests will surely notice.

Do you have a favorite recipe? Share it by commenting!

That’s all for now,

Everyone’s gotta eat, right? So why not make a day of it? Have a picnic! Choose a day with great weather, a shady place, your favorite food and friends and bon apetit! You don’t need to search far for a location, your own backyard could be the perfect place, but if you’re looking for somewhere a little more adventurous try a local park, a lot of places even have pavilions which are perfect for dining al fresco (in the outdoors).

If you love to cook, go ahead and prepare your favorite dishes, but if you’re like me and looking to cut back on cost and keep the preparation to a minimum, make it a pot luck and have everyone bring something to share!

Here’s a picnic day checklist to make sure you’ll have everything you need:

Plates, Silverware, Cups, Napkins

Trash bags for cleaning up

Music and games (check out our “Songs of Summer” playlist for some song ideas)

Picnic blanket

Food and Drinks

Permission from your parents (or the park if you are using public space)

And you should be all set! Let me know how it goes! Send pictures!

That’s all for now,

I’m bringing back summer a classic for this week’s idea. How long has it been since you played capture the flag or flashlight tag with 20 or so of your closest friends? Awhile, huh? That’s why this week I suggest you organize a neighborhood game! This is a great way to get outside, get some exercise and reconnect with some old friends.

The kids in my neighborhood mastered capture the flag when we were younger, and we still get together to play every once in awhile if we’re all home. One thing that’s for sure, your skill definitely gets better with age.

There are a ton of games you can play both large and small, from your everyday soccer and volleyball to things like “Red Rover”. Take the time to be a little nostalgic.

Remember to be safe if you are playing at night and take lots of pictures, who knows when you’ll all be together again, right?

As always, please let us know how your game goes, and if you have any ideas for an idea of the week, I’d love to hear them!

That’s all for now,

Ever feel like you just need a change? Stuck in a rut or just tired of the same old thing? Try redecorating your room! It’s all about switching things up. Just rearranging your furniture can spruce things up a bit and even give you the feeling of moving somewhere new without ever leaving your house. If changing your furniture around doesn’t seem appealing or there’s no way you can convince your parents or guardian it’s a good idea, turn your redecoration adventures into a shopping trip. Thrift stores, flea markets, even your attic or basement, can be great places to find new things for your room at super cheap prices. Try adding a new throw rug to your floor or a few paintings or pictures to your walls to give your space new life.

One of my favorite things to do is to go to video rental and sales stores to browse for posters. A lot of times they have bins of old posters that they’re giving away for free and sometimes you can even request that one of them be kept for you when it’s taken down!

If you’re finding it hard to channel the creative juices needed to redecorate, try looking through magazines and catalogs at different advertisements and pictures of rooms to get ideas for what you might like to do. Also, if you’ve got a competitive streak, challenge your friends to re-do their rooms too, take before and after pictures, and have someone judge whose room makeover was the best.

Summer is a new season, so why not celebrate it by treating yourself to a new space? Remember to check with your parent or guardian to make sure their ok with your redecorating plan. If they’re cool with your ideas, let the redecorating begin!

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One big advantage of the warm weather that the summer months bring is that it’s perfect for outdoor concerts. The biggest music stars go on the biggest tours over the summer, taking advantage of hundreds of outdoor concert venues across the U.S. This summer some of my favorites, Keith Urban, Justin Timberlake, and The Fray are all headlining tours. Go online to see which of your favorite musicians will be hitting the road in the coming weeks and treat yourself to a ticket or two.

Even is you don’t want to shell out big bucks for a huge concert event, you can still enjoy the summer concert season. A lot of local organizations, parks, and camps host free concerts on weekends. Find a local paper to see what’s coming up in your area. This is an activity that anyone can enjoy no matter what your price range, so go see what’s out there!

As always, we want to hear from you. What was the first concert you ever went to? Who do you plan on seeing live this summer? Also, there’s still time to send us your thoughts for an “idea of the week”, you might just see your name in lights, or at least on this page.

That’s all for now,

This week we’re hitting the road. Summer is a great time to explore the world around you and one fun way to do that is to take a road trip. Even if you don’t have a license just yet, get together a group of friends and ask a parent or older sibling to drive you to a theme park, concert, or other attraction that’s a little bit outside your city limits.

You don’t even have to go anywhere in particular, the beach or lake are also great options. Half the fun is getting there, so enjoy the journey. A great way to pass the time is to listen to your favorite music or play some car games. I love to create playlists or CDs with my favorite songs before I head out, the license plate game is also one of my favorites.

Make sure you’re prepared before you take off. Cars can get pretty hot in the summer so pack a few bottles of water with you. Always have the driver make sure the car is in good shape and you have enough gas to take you where you’re going. Once you’ve taken care of preparation you should be ready to go!

Do you have a story about a road trip you’ve taken, or maybe a suggestion for a game to play on a trip? Leave a comment to let people know about it.

Remember, we’ll still looking for “Idea of the Week” suggestions, so send me a message with your ideas!

That’s all for now,

So, it’s the summer, which means school’s out and you have a lot more free time on your hands. The summer months can be a little tricky when it comes to drinking. Not that I’m a pessimist, but here is the bad news – the long summer days and lack of structure give way to more opportunity for underage drinking. The good news is, there’s tons of stuff to do over the summer that doesn’t involve drinking! That’s why I’m starting these “Idea of the Week” entries. Every Tuesday, I’ll give you an idea of something fun you can do this summer. This week’s idea: host a movie night!

Everyone knows that summer is THE season for movies, but sometimes it can be more fun to stay in and watch a classic than go out and spend $10 on a movie you may not even like. Take advantage of your local video store or online rental service and host a movie night for your friends. You can do a marathon of your favorite star’s films or your favorite series, or have a themed night with classic summer flicks or comedies. Invite over a few friends, make popcorn or bake some cookies, and throw on the movies. It can be as big or as small as you want – it’s totally up to you!

Here in DC, we have what’s called “Screen on the Green” where you can go watch movies for free out on the National Mall; it’s one of my favorite things to do over the summer. There are similar events all across the country. Do a quick Google search or call around to see if your town has one and check it out! If not, see if you can organize a group of people to approach your local recreation department about starting one of your own.

If you have any tips or ideas for a movie night, post them here so other people can see. And be sure to tell me how your movie night goes!

Do you have an idea for a future “Idea of the Week”? Send me a message and you might just see your idea right here on my blog! Have fun!

That’s all for now,