Super sweet! 16 things to do before you turn 16!

* Ever feel like all you do is wait? To get your license, buy that perfect prom dress, join varsity ... A girl could go crazy with anticipation, right? But here's the thing: Your life is now! Instead of getting all antsy about what you can't do, get psyched about all that you can.

1. Splurge on a designer dress

Who says you have to be going to prom to get a great dress? That darling number looks so good on the rack, and you know it'll look even better on you. It's way more than you can afford? That's where your savvy saving skills pay off. Save up however much allowance or babysitting dough you need until you've reached your glamorous goal. Nothing feels better than buying yourself something you're dying for with your money. The "I feel fabulous" glow you'll have when you wear that piece? Priceless.

2. Make a mean lasagna

You know that family fave Mom or Dad prepares to culinary perfection? Get a private cooking lesson from the 'rents, then practice. Cooking skills are extremely useful--you can impress your friends, wow your dates, survive through college and, most important, make your own real dinner (note: not microwave burritos) whenever you're starving.

3. Reconnect a friend

Remember that girl you spent all summer with at day camp when you were 11? Or maybe you had a friendship fallout with a once-tight bud over an issue that now seems stupid. Reach out to see if you can reunite. No contact info? Make like Nancy Drew and poke around on MySpace or Facebook. You just might find her.

4. Sing your heart out

Your youth group is doing its own version of American Idol, and you want to get up there and belt out Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker." But you also kinda feel like barfing. Know what? Get over it. Just sing your heart out. So what if you suck? It's all about having the gumption to put yourself out there for the sake of having a great time!

5. Kiss!

Pucker up for peace and prosperity. The PeaceKeeper Kiss Campaign wants to get you into a lip-lock. Slide on over to IAmAPeaceKeeper.com, print out an entry form, kiss it (be sure to have on your favorite shade of lip gloss!), and return it in the mail along with a dollar. Your smackeroo will be put on display at the site's Kiss Museum, and your buckaroo will go to support and educate women and girls who have escaped trafficking or indentured servitude.

6. Chase the ice cream truck

You're sitting by the pool when you hear that familiar jingle. C'mon admit it--your natural urge is to race down the street. Thing is, you're not too old to chase after the ice cream truck and spring for a King Cone. While you're at it, run through the sprinkler, climb on the monkey bars, blow bubbles, jump rope, play hopscotch. Who cares if the crew is watching?

7. Be well read

Take advantage of homework-free summertime and pick up a book (or two or three) to read for pleasure. Truth is, girls who crack the covers are more interesting--and enriched. Go to girlslife.com in June for inspiration, then make a goal of reading two books a month. Two we recommend? Breeze through Runaround by Helen Hemphill, then go for the endearing A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, a classic about a girl determined to escape poverty.

8. Try hot yoga

It's an art known as Bikram, and it's about strengthening your body in a 105-degree room. OK, maybe that's not your thing, but how about rock climbing or skateboarding? To take the blah out of exercise and to get you in a routine of lifelong fitness, try new activities until you find your stay-fit passion.

9. Be assertive

Sometimes, a gal's gotta stand up for herself. If you've been treated unfairly by someone, call her on it. Talk to the rec counselor about that embarrassing comment she made in front of everybody. Tell your parents you don't want to watch your baby brother every Friday night. Or make your BFF understand that she is absolutely not--no matter how much she begs--borrowing your new designer dress.

10. Make a post-high school (or middle school) plan

Grab a pen, and make a list of things you want to accomplish after you finish middle school or graduate high school. Do you want to improve your math skills? Work on your art? Score an internship or job somewhere? Go to a particular college? Write the steps needed to reach your goals. It brings focus to what's important and helps map out a crystal-clear path on how to get there.

11. Rock a relationship

Whether you have a boyfriend now or intend to have one in the future, listen up. Don't call him, like, five times an hour. He doesn't need to know you're at the mall, and you don't need to know where he is every second. Keep hanging with friends and doing your usual thing. You can have a life and a BF. It can be a tricky balance, but it's one every girl should strive to achieve.

12. Learn how to ride a bike

... or backstroke or snap your fingers or whistle a tune or play chess. Is there something you wish you'd learned to do as a little kid but didn't? It's not too late! If you were never taught to manage a two-wheeler, it's time to lose the training wheels.

13. Go out to dinner

... with your dad or brother or uncle. Stand-up males in your fam are important when it comes to shaping your expectations from guys in general. Bond with your boys over barbecue ribs, a camping trip, a baseball game, whatever. Don't forget Father's Day on June 17!

14. Pack that piggy bank

Stashing cash is so important. Put at least half the moolah you get--that includes birthday money--into a savings account, and consider it untouchable (it should be used later for a car, college expenses or investments). The rest of your cash is for entertainment and splurges. Being responsible with money is a skill worth its weight in gold.

15. Become Ms. Fix-it

The helpless-girl routine is so tired. Learn to debug your computer. Teach yourself to change a flat tire (bike and car, please). If you wanna redo your room, paint it yourself. When stuff needs to get done, there's one person you can always count on--you.

16. Take up a good cause

Whether it's stray cats, global warming or cancer awareness, find something you care about, then devote time and energy to it. You'll be participating in ways that can truly help make the world a better place. What could beat that?