Tons of energy, Lots of fun, and a clean plate because mom was watching. How amazing would it be to have energy and joy like a kid again, but you make the rules? We are listening to our moms and dads again but with a grown up twist. If you can think of other parent quotes from your childhood I would love for you to leave them in the comments below. I think it would be fun to hear from you all. Your childhood could help others set some goals!

1. Take Your Vitamins

Why do I struggle with this one!? Seriously, I pull the vitamin basket out every morning for my kids and mine are in there!!! I see them and think to myself, “I’ll do mine later,” but then “Later” never comes. I do not think I need to explain why vitamins are important. Liquid supplements, especially liposomal formulations, are the most readily absorbed forms of vitamins and minerals. The fats in the liposomal formulations are what protect the nutrients from damage. They also allow your body to potentially absorb more of the formulation. My current vitamins are in capsules so I’ll use those before I consider slurping new ones down.

Let’s be pill poppers together! The New Year’s Resolution is…

I will take my vitamins each morning the same time I give my kids theirs.

2. Eat Your Vegetables

As I write this it’s currently hunting season, and with hubby away, The girls and I are rolling in the pizza dough! Unless tomato sauce counts, we’re in a veggie drought. Well, let me rephrase. I am in a veggie drought because like most parents (other than this week) I make my kids eat their vegetables.

I actually like vegetables, but for some reason they never seem to make it on my plate. Vegetables have so many nutrients we need for energy and bodily functions. The fiber offers health benefits and a full belly. No more blissful ignorance of the food pyramid my friends.

It’s time to turn over a new leaf (hopefully a green one) so the New Year’s Resolution is…

I will eat a serving of vegetables with every meal.

3. No More Sugar

The best thing about adulthood is being able to eat as much junk food as you want with no one telling you that’s enough. Of course, now I find that I need someone to say enough is enough. My sweet tooth has gone rogue. Sugar is literally addictive. I would be setting myself up for failure if I say my New Year’s resolution is to stop eating sweets. I have my daughter’s birthday in a few weeks and I’ll be making the cake which usually means a taste test. Once I fail, I have a history of just giving up. It is not a healthy mentality, just like being on a first-name basis with every candy aisle in town isn’t healthy. I need to find that balancing point.

Seeking sprinkles of self-control so my New Year’s Resolution is…

I will have three sugar passes per week. One pass equals one serving of dessert (candy included).

4. Go Play Outside

Remember when Mom used to shoo us outside? Was it for our health, or just to reclaim her sanity? As a mom now, I’m betting on the latter! But plot twist: I just read “There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather, “ and now I’m itching to kick us all out, myself included!

Who is up for some fresh air therapy? The New Year’s Resolution is

I will go outside for 20 consecutive minutes or more each day.

5. Wash Your Face

I do not understand why washing my face before bed sounds so exhausting. I set myself up for success by putting my skin care with my toothbrush. It doesn’t matter. As soon as I am done brushing my teeth it’s a “Nah” and I head to bed. It’s like I am a kid again. My Mom would tell me to wash my face and I acted like it was the worst thing she has ever asked me to do. Ironically, getting my daughter to brush her teeth for more than 3 seconds is the worst thing I have ever asked her to do. I have decided that her and I will tackle the hardest part of our day together. While she brushes her teeth, I will wash my face. I have to stay in the bathroom with her anyways to make sure sufficient brushing is happening so I might as well be doing something instead of staring at her in the mirror. I will be moving my skin care products in with her toothbrush now instead of mine.

Wishing you all clean faces and minty-fresh smiles as the New Year’s resolution is…

I will wash my face every night while the kids brush their teeth.

6. Do Your Homework

Some of you really do have homework because your goal this year is to go back to school or you are already there. I, however, am not in school but I do have a lot of “Home Work” if you catch my drift. I’m channeling my inner productivity guru. My brain’s on a dumping spree, and my to-do list is growing faster than a waistline after Thanksgiving.

Here’s to conquering our personal Everests, whether they’re in classrooms or closets. The New Year’s Resolution is…

I will complete one task off of my “Brain Dump” per day.

7. Clean Your Room

I have the “Home” planner from Passionate Penny Pincher that I have bought for years. I love it! It is literally designed to help manage your home. Some weeks I’m a cleaning wizard, others… not so much. It is easy to follow when I stick with it because the floors do not get too dirty, the laundry does not fall behind and so on… My mom’s instructions to clean my room go far beyond that now that I am in adulthood. I would love to be more consistent in following my planner’s guide.

For those of you reading this. Mom’s “Clean Your Room Rule” can haunt you this year with just a simple goal to make your bed each morning. Something about having my bed made really starts my day off on the right foot. It’s like magic – suddenly, you’re a responsible grown-up with a clean space to dump all your stuff on. It is also really nice to have your sheets aligned when you head to bed that night.

“Look Ma, I’m adulting!” The New Year’s Resolution here is…

I will have two weeks Where I follow the Home Planner to a tee.

8. This Is A Grown Up Drink

I have to say this to my 11 month old as I walk around with an iced coffee and she tries to latch onto my straw. I remember my mom telling me this when she had friends over and her drink was in a pretty wine glass. Wayyyyy cooler than my playroom plastic cups. My goal with this childhood “No no” is not alcohol though. I have a bad habit of driving and thinking that means I need to stop at a coffee shop. Leading me to an over dose of caffiene for the day and a dent in my wallet. To much caffiene can actually leave you more exhausted and caffiene too early in your day can spike cortisol (not a great start).

There are many spins for a New Year’s resolution from this. “I will not drink caffiene until I have been awake for 90min,” “I will stop drinking energy drinks,” or “I will have a dry January.”

Cheers to fewer jitters and fuller wallets in the new year! The New Year’s Resolution here is…

“I will not buy coffee from the coffee shops” (if someone else wants to buy me one feel free ).

9. It’s Bedtime

Remember when we thought ‘all-nighters’ were cool? Now, my 11-month-old has me dreaming of a solid seven hours. There was a time back in my twenties before marriage, before kids that I would set my alarm to get seven hours of sleep. No more, No less. I am currently waking up in the middle of the night with my 11 month old who still does not sleep through the night. I can only hope we will be snoozing on through soon. When that does happen, I want to get back to my seven hours of sleep. Seven hours was my perfect number. I woke up refreshed and if I went too much longer it messed with me. To do this I need a bedtime because my kids are my little alarm clocks and they consistently wake up between 6:00 and 6:45.

Raise your glass (of not “Coffee shop” coffee) to surviving parenthood and rediscovering the joy of REM sleep. The New Year’s resolution is…

I will be in bed ready to sleep by 10:30pm

10. No Food In The Living Room

Late night snacking is what we are going to address with this one. The kids are in bed and Hubby and I are about to veg out on the couch together. At this point I am just eating because I can. I swear most of my calories happen during this short time. This is also when the sweet tooth really makes it’s self known. I need to make a rule no eating on the couch because sitting ‘all proper’ at the table isn’t as fun as inhaling calories while binge-watching TV. About 8:30 PM is when I get solid couch time so I think that is a good stopping point for my snacking.

Looking forward to less crumb-covered cushions. The new year’s resolution here is…

I will not eat after 8:30PM

With this year being a reflection back on my childhood, I thought of other ways I could feel like a kid again. I brainstormed a bunch of ideas that I would challenge you all to try. I was actually shooting hoops awhile back with my husband and siblings and I forgot how much I enjoy doing that. I currently have a ruptured ACL and torn meniscus that need repair so my childhood activities are limited for now. I did include more sedentary things incase you do not have that sudden urge to run like my 5 year old does.

THE FLOOR IS LAVA!!!

My Daughter loves when I do this with her and it is a great way to get your body moving and have fun with your kids

Husband Gift Guides

Dad Gift Guides

Mom Gift Guides

Sibling/Best Friends’ Gift Guides

2025 KID GIFT GUIDES

Wife Gift Guides

Back to top

Husband Gift Guides

Back to top

Dad Gift Guides

Back to top

Mom Gift Guides

Back to top

Sibling/ Best Friends’ Gift Guides

Back to top

Little Kid Gift Guides

Big Kid Gift Guides

Teen Gift Guides

Young Adult Gift Guides

Baby Gift Guides

Back to top

Little Kid Gift Guides

Back to top

Big Kid Gift Guides

Back to top

Teen Gift Guides

Back to top

Young Adult Gift Guides

Back to top

Briar & Raya’s Wishlist

BRIAR

ROB

LITTLE KIDS

BIG KIDS

TEENAGERS

MOM

DAD

GRANDMA

GRANDPA

BEST FRIEND

Valentine’s Day Gift Guides

From Rob (Spouse)

My sister and Brother-in-Law are huge adventurists. The last trip involved heavy snow, putting their own boots through some trials. After that Rob bought himself the same snow boots as my brother-in-law and gifted me the same snow boots as my sister. I was in need of some dependable, warm, and actual water resistant snow boots.

From My Sister

Good Morning. We drew names between all the siblings and their spouses. My sister, Cierra, drew my name this Christmas. I have these pajamas in the “Green Leaf” print already and wanted more pairs just like it. She also snuck in some blender brush cases.

From My Mom

I got a much needed, CORDLESS, Little Green Machine. I repeat, CORDLESS. This is going to come in handy for shampooing furniture, stairs, and our vehicles.

From My Mom

My mom surprised me with a herb garden. I never thought of having one in my home. I always plant herbs in my garden over the summer but I am excited for them year round!

From My Mom

This was really for both Rob and I. This snowblower, in my opinion, is like the Toyota of the car world. They last forever! It is electric start and/or pull. A real dream compared to the snowblower we had previously. My mom did buy this for us off of facebook marketplace. If you find a Toro on there check it out, it just might be a good find. Heads up though, not all are electric start and they do take mixed gas.

From My Mom

This was for our whole family. A new inflatable pool. We have had the same one for three summers now, but this year it sprung a leak. We patched it but still had to add air each day before use.

From My In-Laws

A cast Iron pan. I have wanted one of these for a long time. They are fantastic for cooking and nontoxic. I also have an obsession with Dutch Babies and this is the type of pan I wanted to bake them in!

From My In-Laws

I do not have many Shackets so I was excited to receive this one! I love the waffle print on it!

From Extended Family Christmas Gift Exchange

Electric hand warmers, and do these babies get hot. Happy freezing temps to me this January & February.

Gal Pals’ Gift Exchange Night

I got my first Yeti, and then I also got this hilarious snail headband for skin care routines. Briar as you can imagine gets a kick out of it too.

Rob

From Me

He had one of these growing up. I found this specific one on facebook marketplace but will link a highly rated one here for you. These can be very beneficial, but obviously know your body and your limitations.

From Me

My man likes his flannel so took advantage of the Old Navy sale this Christmas. I would have gotten him more but he had flannels on the list we gave out to family too.

From Me

His favorite boxer briefs are no longer sold. I saw the reviews on these and thought they were worth a shot. So far he likes them, and I may have started an addiction to Duluth Trading now because of that.

From Me

He has always talked about a sleeve tattoo, but never really wanted to be in charge of designing one. This was purely for fun. We even used one to tat up my sisters arm.

From My Sister

We drew names between all the siblings and their spouses. My sister, Shayla, drew his name this Christmas. She got him this Tee and an extra battery for our security cameras so one never has to be down for a charge.

From My Mom

Our previous skill saw was my dad’s. At some point, whether it was us or my dad, the cord got in the way and was partially cut. It’s been taped back together and working, but very finicky. It was getting worse so this year we asked for a new one. My mom has been using this style saw for a few years. She read the wish list and gave Rob this upgrade for christmas.

From His Parents

I will tell you I had nothing to do with this being on his Christmas wish list. He picked it out all on his own, but I am flattered!

From His Parents

We are replacing all our plastic containers with glass. This is a 24 piece set but we are of course using some right away. His parents also gave us some extra large glass storage for all the meat Rob preps at the beginning of each week.

briar

From Us (Mom and Dad)

She saw another little girl with this same flip bar and thought it was awesome. She loves climbing and hanging on the trampoline bar so this was the perfect gift. We have a mat below it for safety and this girl is a mini monkey. Side note: This does fold up.

In Her Stocking

Bluey water coloring (if you have not watched the show I recommend it. Great for kids and even I enjoy it).

Forky kit from Toy Story 4.

Princess lip balm and a

Pez dispenser with candy.

From Santa

She has a small safari themed set of Magnatiles and loves them but runs out of pieces quickly . She now has 100+ pieces!

From Santa

This girl spends a large majority of her day dressing up and has a new fascination with princesses, especially Cinderella. Now she can dress Cinderella up.

From Santa

This girl will paint anything and everything, so Santa brought her two little kits to paint animals: A giraffe, a tiger, a whale and a dolphin.

From Santa

Long sleeve pajama tops and pants are not Briar’s first pick, but we drop our house temp at night and need her to be warm. Thank you Santa for making pajamas fun for her!

From Santa

Briar is doing so well learning to write her name. She can spell her name aloud to us but is working on writing out the letters. Santa must have known she enjoys practicing.

From My Sister CC

Puzzles. This is something Briar is starting to have an interest in. We needed puzzles more complicated than what we had but not too difficult. I liked these too because they are things she is interested in currently: Dinosaurs, Mermaids, School Buses, & Space Ships

From Rob’s Sister

This was the cutest little trunk of tutus, headbands, and wings. This was a perfect fit for Briar! If you have a toddler who loves to dress up, these are easy for them to put on themselves and so many choices.

From My Mom

She got a Paw Patrol doctor kit for her stuffed animals. Her gift also included a Clifford from my mom.

From Rob’s Folks

Socks! These are awesome for a toddler. They have fantastic grips on the bottom, a great material, and a little cushion back by the ankle.

From Rob’s Folks

Briar had a used scooter with the two wheels in the back, but she kept kicking the wheels when she pushed off. This new scooter puts the two wheels in the front. Problem solved. It also lights up and folds up.

From Briar’s Great Grandma

By far her favorite game now! Who else played this growing up?

From Briar’s Great Grandma

I think kinetic sand is the coolest thing and so does Briar. She loves playing with it and this set was just the cherry on top for her…literally there is a cherry to put on top the ice cream.

Sharing my gifts this year because I have such wonderful people in my life who treated me so well on my birthday. So many of these products I recommend!

“THE AMAZON LEGGING” aka Lululemon Dupe. I am sure by now you might have heard of the brand ColorfulKoala on Amazon as their leggings have over 47,000 purchases. I am responsible for three of those purchases and now after my birthday I am a proud owner of six pairs.

Organizing could probably be my love language. So giving me supplies to do so fills my heart with joy. This is the coolest pill organizer! It has morning-noon-night, and you can pull out specific days if you are going away overnight. I like to fill them all up at the beginning of the week and then each day I bring out the day of the week I want so I remember to take all my supplements throughout the day.

More joy here as a show off my caboodle Box. I really wanted this to store hair pieces now that Briar’s collection it expanding the one I already had myself.

Something else I love is cold brew. I already had one of these but asked for a second one so we could make one decaf and one with caffeine. Though, currently, I am using one to brew tea instead.

This charger is a rock star not just because it is 10ft long but also because it is weighted so it does not fall off my night stand when I unplug my phone. There is some durability behind this little guy!

My jewelry collection is lacking so I was happy to receive these black hoops. I have the 30mm size. There are four size options available.

Finally for my 33rd birthday I received a $33 gift card to Amazon. With that I purchased these thongs Highly recommend! No show, stay put, and high quality, breathable, material. You will like these and there are lots of color palettes to choose from.

For those who are curious, I’ll share my on going “Wish List.” I am always interested in what others find. Maybe some of my wish list items will interest you and can be added to your Christmas list this year.

ALISHA’S WISH LIST