Whacky 10-minute Meals: Fruit Lunch Jubilee

Kayla Creates a Healthy Lunch Snack Tray

Kayla enjoys creating unique meals. Her parents have been focused on introducing healthy alternatives to their diet with remarkable results. Kayla took a moment to create one of her famous "Whacky 10-Minute Meals" or in this case a "Whacky" dessert.

We have subsituted the cokes, candy, chips, and sweets for healthy fruits, homemade juices and cokes (by adding 1/3 portion of carbonated water to the juice, the drink becomes a soft drink - may sweeten with Splenda or other sweetner), nuts (i.e., walnuts, peanuts, cashews, pecans, etc.), whole grain breads and cereals, cheeses and spreads or yogurts, and variety of healthy snacks. Kayla and her sister Kenna have adjusted well. In fact, it is remarkable to see how well they love to eat healthy foods over the typical junk food we have come to love at a fault.

This particular dessert is comprised of watermelon juice martini (no-alcohol) with grape (for the olive), oranges, apples, and pineapple with a "GoGurt" dipping sauce.

Child Actor: Jeremy Becerra

Jeremy (12) is an up and coming actor, TV star, and entertainer. He is currently represented by Core Talent Agency (www.CoreTalent.biz) in Dallas.

Jeremy has appeared on television on "Barney & Friends" (lead), "Prison Break" (featured exra), and newly released feature film "August Evening" currently in being screened in select markets. Jeremy has also appeared in commercials for Hasbro Hulks Smash, Cuck E Cheese, HEB, Rooms to Go, and loves to create his own videos for YouTube.

Kayla and Jeremy recently met on the set of a feature film they are both acting in. Jeremy will play a challenging lead role in that project and is doing an incredible job playing Kayla's older brother.

See Jeremy's IMDB: <Jeremy Becerra>

Jeremy with Barney

Kayla Ventures is an experiment in promoting and helping other teenage and child actors, entreprenuers, and showcasing great parenting resources.

Book: Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman

Kayla enjoyed this book picked from the shelf at school. "This book is very funny and it might make you pee in your captain underpants" Kayla, innocently laughs and quips. Kayla tells us it took a week to read it. She explained that she reads on the bus and before she goes to bed (when mommy and daddy go to bed). This is a continuation of our model to encourage and reward our children to read books. We recommend that parents pay their children to read books not chores.

Our Model:
- Select and read the book
- log it in her journal (a book we bought for her with many pages for logging memories, ideas, and her book reading)
- post the book on the web from our Amazon account for future revenue
- get paid (our model is $1 for a super easy book, $3 for a more complex book, and $5 for a chapter book)
- save 80% which goes into the bank and 20% of the money she gets to spend on whatever she wants
- donate a portion of her revenue to a children's charity and to the children's ministry at church

What we believe: By paying kids to read books (not chores) we inspire kids to learn to read and love it. At some point, we believe she will develop a natural curiousity and will want to read without expectation of payment (although we don't mind paying her). In addition, we also have a model to pay her to write short stories. Inspire your kid today and try it. We would be happy to share more of our model with you.

Kayla enjoys negotiating her pay rate, logging her books, and giving us a mini-book review (so that we know she actually read it).

Shaina Sandoval, Actress and Model

Actress and Model Shaina Sandoval

Shaina (16) is an up and coming actress, dance enthusiast, and model. She is currently represented by Core Talent Agency (www.CoreTalent.biz) in Dallas.

Shaina has appeared in a few feature fims and videos, "Midnight Clear" starring Steven Baldwin, "Nico-The Millionaire", "Saved" Music Video, and "Rain". She has also been featured nationally on InventNow.org, Cowboys & Indians Magazine (7-page spread), AT&T, Pei Wei, and Walmart.

Kayla and Shaina recently met on the set of a feature film they are both acting in. Shaina will play a challenging lead role in that project.

Kayla Ventures is an experiment in promoting and helping other teenage and child actors, entreprenuers, and showcasing great parenting resources.

Kayla on "Houston Real Estate TODAY!" CNN 650 AM

Left to Right: Bryon Parffrey, Kayla Valadez, Steve Levine, and Paulette Blackwood Tate and her husband Art

Kayla joins Steve Levine, Host of "Houston Real Estate TODAY!" as special co-host. Her cameo was welcomed by Bryon Parffrey of Builder's Academy and Top Realtor Paulette Blackwood Tate. This show aired live on 8/15/08. Steve welcomed Kayla to the show and introduces her as a young actress and radio co-host. Kayla said "Hello and thank you" to the radio listeners. You can tune into "Houston Real Estate TODAY!" every Friday on-line or on CNN 650 AM in the Houston market. See: http://www.houstonrealestatetoday.com/

You can listen to this edition here: <radio active>

Kayla behind the mic.

Kayla's First Check for Acting

Kayla holds her first check for the movie "El Nacional"

Kayla's proud day. Kayla received her first professional acting check. Her mommy and daddy require her to deposit 80% and she gets to keep 20% for her own use. She was excited to go to the bank to make her deposit and talk about opening a "Small Business" account to help manage her finances. She has the entrepreneur bug and wants to save up to buy a laptop and video camera so she can edit her own videos/movies.

Kayla is learning the principles of hard work and getting a reward for that work and reinvesting her proceeds. She is excited about learning the various ways kids can learn to make money and plan their future.

Kayla signs her check for deposit

Kayla Fashions K Dye T-shirts

Kayla's First Shirt, "Coral Blue/Deep Sea" size medium (8) (kids), available for $20 plus shipping (sales tax in Texas may apply)

Kayla makes her first 3 shirts for sale. You are able to purchase these shirts for a limited time. Kayla Ventures will contribute 40% of the profits to support battered, abused, children's cancer centers, "Make A Wish Foundation", or a burned children's charity.

If you buy this shirt for your children, we encourage you to e-mail us a photo that we will post on this blog and our photo album created for this unique children's on-line business. In addition, if you are familiar with YouTube or use other on-line video resources, we would be happy to include your special video message that we can share with other families and kids who may be burned, abused, or suffering a life-threatening illness or injury.

Orders will be handled by the order received. In the event of a sell out, Kayla will make new designs that you can review. To place your order e-mail kayla@kaylaventures.com (we accepts checks or credit card (3.2% service fee via PayPal).

Kayla named each of her shirts to reveal the mood she thought they conveyed.

Dye Preparation

Kayla and sister Kenna stir the dye

SOLD "Circle Island" (thank you web community for your support)- our first sale 8/1/08

"Tropical Breeze" currently available $20 plus shipping (sales tax may apply in state of Texas) - size 4/5 small boys