BeAskg

a m a n d a b r o w n
BE A
SOUTH
KAKALAKI
GIRL

a South Be
Girl
Kakalaki
Amanda Brown
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SKGfun 2016 | All rights reserved
©
| amanda@5brownkids.com
www.skgfun.com
Cover and interior design: Amanda Brown

GREETINGS,
humans.
fellow
I’m Amanda, the brains behind SKGfun. *waves*
SKGfun began in 2012, yielded from the seeds of an introverted 12-yearold
only beginning to find her place in life. Yup! That girl was me.
(SURPRISE) I rounded up my small assembly of friends and together we
bonded over our love of writing and our craving to be heard in an
unethical, corrupt world. The product of our labor was a newsletter jampacked
with amusing stories, useless facts, wise sayings, and little bits
and pieces of tween brains (which, as you can guess, are pretty, um,
INTERESTING fragments of creation . . .).
Now the newsletter has evolved into an e-magazine. We have many
writers and an ever-growing mailing list. Added on to the magazine is a
blog that I write on weekly with tips for girls navigating through the teen
years (because it’s hard, amiright?). This e-book came to me one night
while texting one of my bestest friends. I’m always having ideas, but this
one seemed like a winner. In this e-book, I hope to impart with you some
of my best tips on achieving the characteristics of a South Kakalaki Girl.
A South Kakalaki Girl is, in essence, a mature, memorable Christian girl
who puts others first. She is resourceful and “with-it.” She holds her
ground in her beliefs, but isn’t bullheaded. Check the table of contents on
the next page to find more characteristics of an SKG. I’m so glad that
you’ve decided to take this journey with me (*virtual high five*). I want
SKGfun to be your sacred oasis, where you can learn exciting things that
make your teen years simpler, as they should be.
And by the way—I absolutely love meeting new friends, so make sure to
connect online at skgfun.com. We’re also on all major social media.
Thanks for reading, dear friend!
Amanda

03
09
CREATIVE 05 OUTGOING 07 PREPARED
ATHLETIC 11 BEAUTIFUL 12 PEACEFUL
13 SMART 15 ORGANIZED 17 SELF-SUFFICIENT
C O N T E N T

2.
I LOVE TO THINK THAT
when God made us, He gave us just a tiny bit of
His amazing creativity. I mean, think about how
creative He had to be when he made the millions kinds
of flowers and animals, fashioned the ideas of colors and
emotion, and fabricated the laws of math and science! Now,
He gave larger helpings of creativity to some people than the
rest of humanity. But that’s totally okay! Everyone is creative
to a certain extent—we have the ability to use our brains and
invent unique solutions to problems and more! Here are some
ways to develop your creativity.
Creative
1.
Say hello to your new best friend, Hobby Lobby. Head
over there and grab one of them handy nifty
sketchbooks. They don’t cost a lot at all and go for
pretty cheap. I mean, after all, it's only a spiral bound
pad of paper. #INGENIOUS
Buy a sketchbook.
The sky isn’t always blue! (Okay, actually it is, but
work with me here). Sometimes it can be turquoise or
polka-dotted. Don’t just settle for the first thing that
comes to your mind. Dare yourself to do something that
isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Like what?!?!
Think outside of the box.
3. Yeah, these rarely turn out (*cough cough*
PINTEREST) But the experience is what counts, right?
Plus, there’s nothing like making something with your
lil’ ole hands.
Take a jab at a DIY.
4.
There’s a myriad of utensils out there for art-making.
Pastels (chalk and oil), markers, colored pencils,
crayons, paint (acrylic, oil, and watercolor), plain old
pencils . . . you could even make multimedia collages
with the pages of old catalogues!
Practice sketching!
| 3

CONTINUED
Creative
5.
Designing a whole cohesive blog
design is quite a challenge!
Start a blog.
Brainstorming post ideas is not exactly a walk in the
park either. Well, maybe it is, but it's a walk in the park
holding a rabid pitbull while screaming at a beehive that's
stuck to your head. However, it's so much fun and will
challenge you to exercise your imagination. You can take
inspiration from everyday life! Have a question you want
answered? Google the answer, read up about it, become a faux
pro, and write a post!
6.
2.
Have a favorite blog or Instagram page? Take
screenshots of your favorite pictures and blog posts
and start a file (a.k.a. Pinterest). Speaking of
Pinterest, Pinterest is quite inspiring in and of itself . .
. as long as you aren't getting sidetracked and
forgetting about school whilst pinning images of
meerkats wearing clown shoes and overalls.
Be inspired.
7.
Remember when were younger and loved
pretending you were a veterinarian
Exercise
or
your
a
imagination.
detective?
Whatever happened to doing that? Who says we can't
still let our imaginations run wild? Don't be afraid to
consider what it would be like running a business or
being a pediatrician. What would your business sell?
What would its name, logo, colors, and setup be? If
you're like me, considering these things gives you a
buzz. And that buzz, my friend, means you're doing
your imagining right!
| 4

ACTION STEPS for becoming outgoing
MAKING FRIENDS AS A
All you had to do is walk up to a the first
pigtailed girl you saw and ask: “Do you want to
play
with me?” You didn't even know your "friend's" name
and you never would. But that wasn't a problem!
As we transition from kids to teenagers, making friends gets
harder and harder. Everyone thinks they’re going to be judged for
what they say or do, so nothing ever gets done. Plus, we like to tell
ourselves that we “don’t need anyone." *pats self on back* We pride
ourselves on our individuality. But it’s only natural to want to be
around people. It’s time for us to pop out of our shells and let
everyone see who we really are!
Outgoing
SIX-YEAR-OLD WAS A BREEZE.
1. How do you feel when a complete stranger tells you they
love your shoes? Pretty awesome, huh? The next time you
think someone’s outfit is cute, tell them! AND NO LYING,
you devious melon. Give honest compliments; don't just
throw them around like cheap confetti. People will start
noticing and they won’t believe you anymore. If possible,
draw out the conversation more. Ask where they got the
idea for the outfit, or where they got their scarf from.
Give a compliment.
Even if it's TERRIBLE. Find your sense of humor and use
it! Be willing to let others laugh at—excuse me, with
—you. Are you "punny" or more ironic? Also, be willing to
laugh . . . at yourself. The next time you do something
2.
super embarrassing, just laugh it off! It'll help. PROMISE.
Crack a joke.
| 5

I get so happy when I’m out and
about and I smile at random
people . . . and they smile back! There’s a certain
power in being able to contract a grin from somebody. If
3.
you’re always smiley, people will notice. They’ll want to
know why you’re always so happy, and you can use that as a
witnessing tool!
CONTINUED
Outgoing
Smile!
4.
Whether you love hot pink pants or bandanas, let
something about you be
Share
showstopping!
your
I
unique
enjoy
style!
creating
outfits with themes. For example, I have a super-cool
motorcycle jacket that I pair with a plaid shirt and red
bandanna for a '50s biker feel. I also get pretty frilly and
girly too: huge bows and lots of lace are two of my
favorite accessories for cuter looks!
| 6

(except a zombie apocalypse; sorry)
Prepared
WHEN PEOPLE MAKE FUN
OF MY BIG PURSE/HUGE SUITCASE
I grin and say, “Always be prepared!”
Okay, so maybe being prepared doesn’t mean bringing
twenty different pairs of pants on a weekend vacation
(because I totally haven't done that before). But it does mean
being ready for anything! Here's some tips on how you can be
prepared for ANYTHING.
You’ve heard about this before—but have you actually
ever made one? Grab a bag—not too big, but not too
small. Make sure you include a few band-aids, some
chapstick, rubber bands, and emergency toiletries. In
1.
my ideal emergency kit, I'd also have snacks. But hey,
that's just a suggestion.
Make an emergency kit.
2. Whether you’re attending a class or spending a week at
camp, make sure you have all the details. Lots of camps
have websites with checklists for everything you’ll
need to bring, as well as sample schedules so you’ll
know what your average day will look like. Some camps
even have verse sheets so you can start learning verses
before you get to camp—what a life saver! For classes,
make sure you have all your required textbooks and
test forms. Check the rules (Are you allowed to bring
computers? What do you do if you’re absent a lesson?).
Check the details.
3.
You can apply this to every area of your life. Recheck
test and quiz answers; make sure that you closed the
garage door; affirm that you have all your books and
homework for class; check you have a slip on; verify
you don’t have food on your face; check, check, check!
Check TWICE!
| 7

But wait . . . are you prepared for
A lot of being prepared is just
being able to look ahead and
anticipate what could happen. I do this all the time
in soccer—I always have to be at least three steps
4.
ahead of the current play. Plan for the worst! Consider
all your options, all the possibilities. Anticipate disaster!
CONTINUED
Prepared
Think ahead.
5.
during "that time of the month." You will fail.
EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Don't tempt fate.
. . . white wear Don't
The most important preparation EVER is getting ready for
eternity. Sweet reader, after you close your eyes for the
ETERNITY?
very
last time, you're going to spend the rest of your life
somewhere.
One place is of sweet eternal bliss with a Father that loves us
with a deep, deep love: Heaven!
But the other place is terrifying, full of physical and mental
torment: Hell.
I don't want any of you reading this to suffer! God loves YOU,
and He wants YOU to be prepared for eternity. He's offering
you a ticket out of Hell, a way to live with Him for the rest of
eternity. All you have to do is take it. If you believe that
Christ, the beautiful Son of God, became a man and died for
your sins, rose again in three days, and is in Heaven in the
right hand of the Father, He welcomes you with open arms
into the kingdom of Heaven. Just tell Him, and you'll be free.
| 8

The only thing you can do is
Athletic
Maybe you can’t catch a ball to save
your life. Or maybe you’re like me, where
one sport comes naturally and the other
mockingly (and literally) bonks you on the head
just in spite.
Unleash the competition inside of you and don’t be afraid to
fail. Oh wow, you're ready already? That's the spirit!
IS TRY.
1.
There are countless ways you can teach yourself to
have faster reflexes or catch a ball. Bouncing a ball
against a wall and catching it is a good starting drill.
Another drill is to drop a ball and clap when you think
it hits the ground. Even throwing balls with your
brothers is fun (just note you’ll have to prove yourself
to them first—they don’t let you participate without
an initiation).
Do drills.
The most basic sport is running. Just get outside or
hop on your treadmill and run, run, run! Listen to
music or watch a show to make time fly faster. You
can even run with a buddy! If you want to run with
me, just don’t expect me to talk—at all. I huff and buff
like the big bad wolf, but I won't let you beat me
without a fight.
2. Run!
The internet has tons of resources for different poses
and tutorials. Yoga will aid in your flexibility and
encourage your blood to flow. It’s very healthy! Plus
very "in." If you do yoga and eat salad
3. Do yoga! you're like this
super-hip athletic ninja. AND EVERYONE WANTS
TO BE A NINJA.
| 9

CONTINUED
Athletic
Always needing to win isn’t
healthy—but desiring to do
your best is! Be the person whom everyone wants
on their team by always trying your hardest.
4.
Be competitive!
5.
Strengthen your core.
Complete exercises like planks, crunches,
Russian twists, and sit-ups to tone your abs.
6.
Everyone’s different. You may enjoy team sports, or
you might be more of an individual. Hand-eye
Sign up for a sport!
coordination may be lacking, but boy can you kick a
ball! Be brave and try new sports, even if you’ve never
touched a basketball in your life. Try to evolve your
sports portfolio. You’ll especially want to make sure
you can hold your own in pick-up games like
basketball, volleyball, and soccer. You never know
when someone might start a game and you can be a
#boss!
| 10

2.
Beautiful
I'VE LEARNED THE HARD WAY
that you can’t judge a person by their looks. They
could be the most gorgeous person on the face of the
earth, and yet their insides reek of rancid hate and
grief.
A South Kakalaki Girl understands that beauty isn’t on the
outside—it’s on the inside. Okay—so how many times have you
heard that? Well, I know for me, more times than I can count.
But never before has it been so true. Firstly, note this:
1.
to be beautiful. The world insists that desirability
involves showing everything you have. This is not true.
You don’t want to be attracting guys who like you just
because you’re physically beautiful. That beauty will
dwindle, and when he’s left with a cranky old woman,
he’ll be gone before you can buy dentures. Here are
some ways to work on your inner beauty.
You don't have to show everything
Discover who are as a person. Do you make people
laugh? Are you a story teller? Are you a
Find
natural
yourself.
leader?
Once you determine who you are, never let that go for
anyone.
3. It’s easy to look out for yourself. We live in a “Me First”
world. You can tell just by driving around town that
courtesy is pretty much nonexistent. *honks horn* By
putting others first, people will notice you’re different.
"Others first." ALWAYS.
The words that come out of your mouth should always
elevate and inspire. Imagine yourself in an elevator at
a mall, surrounded by people of all ages. Every time
you say something nice, the elevator goes up a level to
4.
an even better store. But every time you speak
hatefully, the elevator goes down. Or, if you're like me,
you like to think of it more in a video game, level up
level down analogy.
Encourage those around you.
| 11

2.
Peaceful
PEOPLE DISAGREE.
It’s just one of the wonderful facts of life.
However, not all fights must occur. Sometimes we
bicker over the silliest things (*gives brother “the
look”, because I NEVER BICKER OVER USELESS
JUNK*). But remember . . .
1.
"YES I DO AND I'M RIGHT YOU'RE WRONG SO JUST
STAHP."
It’s just built into humans that we’re always right.
Even when we’re not, we’re right. Why are we like this?
Maybe because we’re also just naturally stubborn.
Listen—you don’t have to be right all the stinkin’ time.
You’ll make mistakes (*sigh*). You’ll do dumb things
(*more sighing*). You’ll say something in the heat of
the moment that was totally out of context (*gahhh
whyyyyyy*). Don’t try to authenticate your seeming
perfection.
You don't have to always be right.
Recognizing you’re wrong is one thing. Admitting it is a
whole other beast.
Be
You
willing
really
to
have
admit
to
you're
humble
wrong
yourself
in order to acknowledge your thinking was incorrect.
Humbling ourselves is always a good exercise and
should be done more often. People won’t look down on
you for your mistake. They’ve been wrong before too
(unless you're my dad, end of story).
3. Some people throw “sorry” around like sprinkles, while
others grasp it with gusto. Balance in the middle—say
sorry when it’s appropriate and you mean it. Pull an
Anne of Green Gables and just don't say "sorry" if you
don't mean it.
Say sorry.
The best way to be peaceful is to compromise. I’ve
found compromise to be a crucial instrument in my
toolbelt. You don’t totally have to admit you’re wrong
—you’re just, you know, halfway wrong. And so is the
4.
other person. Points!
Compromise.
| 12

1.
THE ONLY THING I
Smart
have to say on this matter is as follows: BUY
A PAIR OF GLASSES PEOPLE WHO WEAR
GLASSES LOOK AND FEEL SMARTER.
Kidding, kidding! That's TERRIBLE advice. Here's the
real stuff. My mom always tells me that the only thing I
need to worry about right now as a teenage girl is school.
That’s my priority (well, that and obeying my parents
—but that’s a whole different topic!) So . . . school. Ugh,
right? Whether history or chemistry is your worst enemy,
we all have our favorite subjects (like lunch or that
moment when school ends) . . . and our not so favorite
subjects. Here are tips to help conquer those less-thanfun
subjects!
Grab a cute notebook (notice that “cute” part—that’s
important) and a colored pen and write the lesson
down! I don’t know how your school is set up, but as I
listen to my lectures I make doodle graphics and letter
words that I don’t know the definition for. It really
helps to engage your fingers. There’s something about
writing words out that helps us remember them better!
Take notes.
2. In one school year, I must’ve gone through over 5000
index cards. But hey, the technique worked and I got at
least a B on my tests. You can use plain white index
cards, but the neon green and pink ones are my
favorite. Write out important terms on one side, and on
the other scribble down the definition. This next part
takes time, I know, but I promise you’ll see results!
Every night before you go to bed, refresh the terms in
your mind. Yeah, who wants to do school right before
bed? *Groans inwardly* But it’s worth a B grade,
amiright?
Make index cards.
3.
Scientifically, yellow highlighters are the best for
studying. Don’t ask me where I heard that from . . .
highlighters.
Use
| 13

CONTINUED
Smart
It was either my mom, Google, or a
Pinterest meme. But go crazy with the
colors! I like using one color for each
subject, but as the school year progresses I
find myself losing highlighters and discovering
even more dried-up ones in the crevices of my
school bag. IT'S FUN.
I’m a very proud person. Asking for help is
generally not an option for me!
Ask
But
for
when
help.
I
started majorly bombing chemistry and
geometry, I knew it was time to
4.
give up my
arrogance and search for assistance.
| 14

BEING A HARE-BRAINED ARTIST,
organization does not come easily to me. It’s
the opposite for my sister Rachel. In her room,
everything not only has a place but is in its place. I
like to think of my room as a less insane version of
Holly Golightly’s apartment. While you won’t find a
telephone hidden in the netherregions of my suitcase, you
may discover hand sanitzer in a pencil case, extra t-shirts
next to my bed, and library books hidden underneath my pillow.
Organization, however, is taking care of the things God has
gifted you with. Okay . . . I’ll go clean out my pencil case. And
while I do that, here are some things you can do to reorganize
your room . . .
Organized
1.
I bought some really cute black ones about two years
ago. They were cheap, yet functional. I still have the
bookcases. *begin embarrassing story* When I first
purchased them, I was absolutely driven to build them
myself. Well, a few crooked nails later, I realized I had
put the back on wrong. So, I ruefully removed the
nails and called my brother for assistance. To this day,
my bookcase still has scars. *story end* Once you get
the bookshelves, choose a theme or two for each shelf.
Perhaps one will hold the stuffed animals you’re not
quite ready to give away yet (I’m right there with you!),
while the other will actually hold books.
Purchase bookshelves.
2. It may be time to get rid of some things in your room,
like that Rudolph snow globe your great aunt gave you
for Christmas last year, or those cute boots that don’t
fit you anymore. Or that epic Hello Kitty chainsaw.
LET IT GO, MAN. Make it a routine to file through your
room every season and eliminate the junk in your
room. If it makes you feel better, you can give favorite
clothes to younger girls you know or friends who are
shorter than you (a.k.a., me), or items to your local
Goodwill.
Purge.
| 15

CONTINUED
Organized
Ah, how simple is that? It’s
nice every now and then to
Reorganize.
3.
move things around. The other day I was able
to make my room cleaner by placing some items I
don’t use often into my closet. You could also
rearrange bookshelves, shoe racks, or your closet.
4.
Arrange your close by color/clothing item/season.
My closet is the most organized section in my room. I
not only have the clothes sorted by color, but also by
item type. All my fancy shirts are together, as well as
my pants, skirts, casual tees, dresses, pajamas,
swimsuits, and athletic wear.
| 16

Most of us have at one time
dreamed of being a helpless Rapunzel
stuck in an ivory tower (Why is the
tower made of ivory? Why not gold? Or
bread? A TOWER OF BREAD!) However,
those days are pretty much over. There aren’t any
princes who are going to come unstuck us from our
problems, so we need to be ready to face them
ourselves. Here are some things you should learn:
Self-Sufficient
1.| Learn self-defense.
2.| Carry pepper spray.
3.| Know how to unplug a toilet.
4.| Know how to shoot a gun.
5.| Know how to shake someone who
is trailing you.
6.| Know how to fix basic car
problems.
7.| Learn CPR.
I’m amazed at the stupid things girls are caught doing
nowadays. They’ll meet random strangers on the internet,
proclaim their true love, and meet them at McDonalds . . . only
for the guy to turn out to be a creepy stalker! Please use more
common sense than this. Never walk by yourself at night,
always lock your car, never give your phone number out to
strange guys, and don’t tell people you’re home alone.
A BEAUTIFUL MINI RANT:
| 17

an e-magazine and blog,
written by girls, for girls.
SKGfun.com
WE BELIEVE IN
* Reading
* Writing
* Dreaming
* Fighting
* Learning
* Creating
* And loving our
Creator above all.
| 18

I hope to impart with you some of my best tips on
achieving the characteristics of a South Kakalaki Girl. A
South Kakalaki Girl is, in essence, a mature, memorable
Christian girl who puts others first.
Being a teenage girl isn't easy. Being a CHRISTIAN teen girl? Someone
give me a grizzly bear to wrestle! Despite the hardships, being the
Daughter of the King is a high calling with the struggle.
In this short book, I hope to share a few tips on being the best teenage
girl you can be. I like to call this girl a "South Kakalaki Girl." She's a
mature Christian girl, memorable because of her overall excellence.
Within these pages, I share practical steps to growing in your Godgiven
creativity, as well as accepting the beauty God has given you
(because you ARE beautiful!). In addition, you will learn to be peaceful
and outgoing.
Want more? Check out the blog at SKGfun.com for posts just like the
chapters in this book that share how to navigate life as a Christian
teen girl!
SKGfun.com
Join us on all your favorite social media!
Front and interior design: Amanda Brown
Ages 6-21