Friendship Advice: Flowery Friendships

Friends are like flowers.

A flower left alone, not watered or cared for slowly withers away. Have you ever leafed through an old scrapbook and wondered why so many of your good friendships have faded?

Is it because you grew apart? Did life get busy, allowing less time for special get-togethers? Or was it an argument or misunderstanding that ripped apart your friendship?  

No friendship can "magically" wind it's way into our hearts and last a life time. Every relationship needs care and lots of attention! Without watering, one-on-one time, and positive words, our friendship flowers can droop.

Maintaining friendships could be compared to gardening. Water with love, plant with quality time, keep the weeds out, and you'll be surrounded by a beautiful garden of friends!

Guarding against choking weeds like jealousy, miscommunication, and gossip help keep our friendship flowers healthy and fresh!

Read on to discover some fantastic friendship advice for your garden of gals!

Friendship Advice: Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?

Take some time to think about the friend-flowers growing in your garden. How are they coming along? Do you have a few girls you'd like to get to know better? Is there someone in your life that you feel a connection with, but are unsure how to move forward? Have you been wondering how to reach out to her and foster your friendship?

It's easy to feel like you should wait until she calls you up and asks to hang out.

But what if she's waiting for you to do the same thing?

When you feel a connection, enjoy talking with one another, and wish to pursue the friendship...
don't dally!

Get her phone number, e-mail address, or connect with her on Facebook. Offer an invitation to spend the afternoon together. The first time you get together plan a few activities to do.

Planning ahead of time means you won't have to hear the dreaded and awkward;

"What do you wanna do?

"I donno, what do you wanna do?"

Most guests will be too polite to really tell you what they wish to do, and it'll be up to you to direct the day! Plan an arts and crafts project, a walk around your neighborhood, a trip to the mall, a Coffee stop, bake cupcakes, play some board games, or all of the above!

Planning ahead will help ease some first time jitters and you'll have something to resort to if you wind up having nothing to talk about.

Don't feel bad if the friendship doesn't click the way you wanted it to.

Not everyone's personalities mesh together! But if you do find someone whose totally a fit, you may end up not needing your "back-up plan" at all, and that's totally cool!

Friendship Advice: Stay Connected

Not every friend you encounter will end up being a BFFL. (Best Friend For Life.)

It's completely normal for girls to have many casual acquaintances who simply enjoy talking about more surface and superficial things. There will be many girls in your life who you enjoy being around, but don't exactly trust with your secrets.

Just because you don't feel that special "click" doesn't mean you should write her off. Staying in touch with a network of friends via Facebook, by e-mail, or blog will be an easy way to let people know what's happening in your life or when you're planning a fun event.

Creatively providing times for girls to come and meet new friends, spend time with you, and get to know one another better is something that you can learn to do now and continue the rest of your life.

Great friendships don't automatically happen. Relationships take effort.

When is the last time you spent quality time with your friends? (I mean, an activity outside of school, drama group, or your usual soccer team practices.)

Isn't it time you call all the girls and start planning some fun?

We can text, talk, and Instant Message, but nothing beats good old' face to face, laughter and fun.

Whether you're wanting a way to reach out to the new girl, connect with someone you met at summer camp last year, or just wanna spend some time with your besties, check out these ideas!

Friendship Advice: 25 Activities To Do With Your Friends

1) Host a Dance Party.
Invite your friends over for a night of nonstop foot action! Gather your favorite C.D's, a bowl of popcorn, and turn your living room or basement into a dance studio!
Who can deliver the coolest moves?
Play a round of "freeze dance" (kind of like musical chairs...boogie until the music stops, then freeze in that exact position...the first person to move while they're supposed to be frozen is OUT.)
Learn a new dance and teach it to your friends.
Create your own music video then watch it when the night is over.
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2) Have a Camp Fire Night.
All that's needed for a serene night with your friends under the stars, is a camp fire, Smore's fixings, and girls who love to gab.
Play fun games in the yard such as glow in the dark Frisbee, give all your girls glow sticks, and have a heart to heart under the summer sky!
(In the winter, gather all your friends around the indoor fireplace.)
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3) Outdoor Water Games.
Add squirt guns, water balloons, sprinklers, and ice-cubes for instant fun!
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4) Knitting Day.
All that's needed is needles and yarn!
Get together and work on your projects, teach your friends how to knit, or join together to create something special for a friend in need, or a hospital patient.
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5) Friday Game Night.
Ask everyone to bring their favorite board games and a snack to share.
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6) Sports Day.
Soccer balls, basketballs, baseballs, volleyballs, and tennis rackets are all that's needed for an afternoon of exercise and competition. (You can even let the boys in on this one.)
Meet at a park, a friends house who has a large backyard, or an indoor gym.
Don't forget the water!
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7) Craft Day.
What girl doesn't love to get crafty? Look up craft ideas online, check out craft books from the library, and discover all sorts of cute, inexpensive ideas!
Provide the materials for each girl invited, and ask everyone to bring a small sum (say, five dollars) to cover the cost.
Have fun creating something together!
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 8) Cookie Baking Afternoon.
I don't know anyone who would say no to an afternoon of baking cookies! Try new recipes, have a cooking baking challenge, see who can come up with a creative new flavor, and who can decorate their cookies the coolest.
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9) Go Putt Putt Golfing.
Four! You don't have to be a pro-golfer to show your skills on the green.

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10) Go Bowling.
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11) Go to the Pool.
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12) Host a Star-Studded Karaoke Party 
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13) Go to a Movie.
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14) Host a Themed Sleepover Party. (Click here for tips on planning an epic party!) 
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15) Game Show Night.
Come on down! Your friends are the next contestants on, Game Show Night!
Host a fun game night with a twist.
Divide all your guests into teams, have them name their teams, choose a team captain and get ready for some serious competition.
Using your favorite game shows as inspiration, have them compete in various challenges. Play shortened games of Scrabble, Pictionary, Charades, Caraniam, and  Apples To Apples.
At the end of the night, award the team with the most wins, as the game show champions!
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16) Spa Day.
An afternoon of rest and relaxation is what every girl needs. Invite your girls over and give each other home-made facials, pedicures and manicures. Swap beauty tips.
Listen to relaxing music, eat healthy snacks, soak your feet in a foot bath with salts, and leave feeling refreshed and rejuvenated!
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17) Go to the Roller Rink.
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18) Go For A Group Bike Ride.
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19) Dress Up and Dine at at Fancy Restaurant.
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19) Backyard Survivor Camp Night.
Pitch a tent in the backyard and provide fun camp games and activities for all your friends! Eat camp food such as Sloppy Joes, or roasted hot-dogs over the fire.
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20) Have a Dog Party.
Invite all your friends...and their dogs over!
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21) A Movie Premiere Party at your house.
Is there a new movie premiering on Disney Channel, Hallmark or another channel that you're excited to see? Why not make a party out of it?
Search the web and discover fun, behind the scene's trivia about the movie, and share it with your friends at the party! Provide snacks, ice breaker games, and of course the feature film.
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22) Hit the Beach.
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23) Go to the Park.
There is so much to do at your local park! Walk the trails, play basketball, bring a Frisbee, lay on the grass and talk, watch the birds, play yard games, and don't forget to go on the slide.  You're never too old for playground equipment!
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24) Host a Fifties Ice Cream Social Party.
Invite everyone to dress up in Poodle Skirts, serve vintage ice-cream sundaes, watch an old fashioned movie such as The Wizard of Oz, or a funny old fashioned comedy such as Leave It To Beaver.
Listen to music from the nineteen fifties, and hit the floor with some funky dance moves like the Mashed Potato and the Jive!
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25) Start A Book Club.
Call up your friends and see whose interested in reading a new book. Chose a title, have everyone read a chapter per week, then get together every Saturday and talk about it!
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Friendship Advice: 50 Fun Conversation Starters!

Girls love to gab! But sometimes we need a little kick-start to launch the conversation!
Check out these 50 fun conversation starters to try at your next sleepover party, or big bash!
Feel free to print out this list and try them with your friends!

 Would Your Rather....
Be a princess or a pop-star?
Live in the city or the country?
Go to Europe of Africa?
Go to the bottom of the ocean or to outer space?
Be the little old lady who lived in shoe or Mrs. Hubbard who had an empty cupboard?
Meet Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber?
Get the lead in the musical or be in the choir?
Live in a world where everyone danced or everyone sang?
Have a pool made out of chocolate or Jello?
Have Christmas everyday or your Birthday everyday?

What Is Your...
Favorite Movie?
Favorite TV Show?
Favorite Song?
Favorite Book?
Favorite TV Character?
Favorite Disney Princess?
Favorite Childhood TV Show?
Favorite Food?
Favorite Dessert?
Favorite Board Game?

What Would You Do If...
You had a million bucks?
You were stranded on a desert Island?
The President called you and needed you to run the country for a day?
Could travel anywhere in the world?
Could buy anything in the store?
Could meet one famous person?
Had a superpower? (And what would it be?)
Could travel back in time?
Could do anything you wanted for a whole day?
Could create your dream dessert?

What would YOU do for one million dollars?
Spend a year on a desert island with your biggest enemy?
Eat a pan of fried worms?
Scoop horse poop for twenty four hours?
Climb Mount Everest?
Promise never to eat ice cream again?
Give up your pets?
Spend a whole day locked in the closet with your little brother?
Move to Antarctica?
Promise never to see your friends again?
Give up your favorite food....for life?

This or That...
Pepsi or Coke?
Marshmallows or Popcorn?
Jeans or a dress?
Sandals or bare-feet?
Swim in the ocean or a pool?
Ride a carrousel or a roller coaster?
Pink or silver?
Read the book or watch the movie?
Live in a house of bamboo or a house of recycled materials?
Have ten sons or ten daughters?

Friendship Advice: Weed It!

Many girls have been hurt, therefore they hurt other girls in an effort to "get even" with this mean world. If you've spent much time on planet earth, you may have discovered that many girls are just plain nasty.

Just like Cinderella's evil stepsisters, girls like that spill our secrets, gossip behind our backs, and tear us apart.

Don't be one of those girls.

If you wish to have a safe friend, someone you can whisper secrets to then...be that girl!

Prove that you are a secret keeper! Be the kind of person you'd want to be friends with.

It's unfair to demand unconditional love and respect from someone when you're not dishing it out.

Be a true friend despite how others may treat you.

Gossip, jealousy, and loose lips are the quickest way to kill your friendship flowers. Don't let any of these things take root!

If you have a misunderstanding (which is bound to happen because we are only human!) or are worried about something that happened, talk to her about it right away.

Not to another friend.

If you have problems, discuss them openly with that friend, and that friend only.

Everyone doesn't have to know what Susie said about you and Sarah. Talk to Susie about it and clear things up as quickly as possible.

Don't let lies, misunderstandings, and false ideas about one another linger like deathly weeds.

Know that weeds will occasionally pop up their ugly little heads. No friendships are perfect.

Always remember to never give up on a friend, and keep your attitude about friendships optimistic!

Be the girl with the smile, the opportunities to connect, and let everything else fall into place.

For more tips on how to be a safe friend, check out Boy Advice: How To Be A Safe Friend.