Category: Parenting
New Year’s Resolution – 6 Secrets You Need to Try
Admit it. It’s ok. We’ve all done it. I’m talking about the dreaded New Year’s resolution failure. You dream of success and improvement. Maybe you write it down or share it with friends, but every year, that resolution slowly dims and vanishes from the horizon. You feel defeated. We’ve all been there. No one wants to feel that way. We want to be successful and accomplished.
The problem is that while many people create a new year’s resolution, they set themselves up for failure before they even begin the journey. These resolutions don’t empower anyone to achieve them. To accomplish a New Year’s Resolution, we need to craft a goal that sets us up for success. Here are six secrets for you to equip to create the best resolution!
Make your new year’s resolution specific.
Be specific in your dreams. This is the “what, when, and how.” Some examples include…
- Make 10,000 this year in my side hustle by the end of December 2023.
- Write 750 words in my novel per day.
- Read one book per month.
Each of these examples highlight a specific goal that tells what we hope to accomplish when we will do it, and how we will do it. Research shows that by creating specific goals, we are 3x more likely to achieve them.
Make your new year’s resolution measurable.
How do you plan to tell if you’ve accomplished your goal or keep track of it? We can all desire to walk more, but without a measurable goal, it’s hard to know if you’ve succeeded. Adding measurements to our resolutions can help prevent us from going off track or getting distracted. They can also induce feelings of success. We can look back, see how far we’ve come, and be encouraged.
Going back to the examples above, each goal gives a measurement that can be tracked. A good resolution is something specific and easily measurable.
Wrangle a Friend to help you accomplish your new year’s resolution.
Things are always better with a friend! Have them craft their own goal that is specific, measurable, and custom to them; that way, you’ll both be empowered to reach it.
Perhaps your dream is unique among your friend group. Consider getting an accountability partner. If you want to write 750 words daily in your novel, see if anyone in your writing Facebook group will help you stay. Accountability partners are great for support, feedback, and inspiration. If a close friend doesn’t have a similar goal, seek out another individual who’s passionate about the same thing, and join forces!
Can Technology help accomplish your new year’s resolution?
Technology is an excellent tool in our back pocket that we often forget to use. Check to see if there are apps, websites, or programs that could help you accomplish your goal. From tracking business expenses to tracking books read to teaching customized workouts, see if you can utilize technology this year.
Celebrate your Success.
After you have a specific, measurable goal, select some milestones to reward yourself. Relish your sense of accomplishment. Share it! It’s good to be proud of yourself. By celebrating your wins, you motivate yourself to continue that hard work.
Make sure you customize!
Don’t adopt a goal or plan that doesn’t work well for you. If you want to work out more but can only do it on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for 30 minutes, don’t select a five-day-a-week workout plan that lasts an hour. Look at your schedule and lifestyle, and create something that challenges you but is still realistic.
Getting off track with our goals happens, but being persistent and creating good ones from the start matters. Save this list to help you craft the best resolution for 2023! You can do this!
Winter Fun for Families – 9 Affordable Ideas
While the winter season can be a blessing, sometimes it just gets unbearable, leaving everyone trapped inside. This can lead to boredom, feeling antsy, and kids having lots of energy to burn off with no outlet. As winter approaches, it doesn’t hurt to have an “emergency activity” prepared for these days to save yourself from the insanity. Your friends here at GameTruck understand that, so we’ve put together this excellent list of affordable ways to create excitement and memories with your family this season! Take a look at our list!
Video Game Party
Invite your kid’s new classmates over for an exciting memory-building experience they won’t forget. No matter what the weather is like outside, GameTrucks are always the perfect temperature inside. With hundreds of games to choose from, classics and new releases, your kid will love deepening their friendship with new and old friends. Call your local GameTruck today to book your fall party!
Maple Syrup & Ugly Sweaters (Dec. 17th)
Did you know that December 17th is National Ugly Sweater and National Maple Syrup Day? If you’re looking for a fun, cheap entertainment idea, try an Ugly Sweater Pancake Party! Buy or decorate your own ugly sweaters, and make your favorite pancakes. Ask your friends and family to vote on their favorite ugly sweater!
Write a Letter to Someone
Everyone loves receiving stuff in the mail – except bills. Your kids can learn a lost skill and brighten a relative’s or friend’s day by writing and mailing a letter to someone.
Plan a Vacation
Have your kids put on their tour guide hats and plan the coolest vacation. Dreaming is a great escape from the frigid winds and blustering flurries. Allow them to design an itinerary or a brochure advertising their vacation. Combine that research and creativity for an enjoyable and educational experience.
Fitness Fun
No gym membership? No problem! Find tons of free kid-focused workout routines online with Google, Pinterest, or Youtube. They get to burn off that energy while learning about a healthy lifestyle.
Create & Perform a Play
Tailor this idea to fit your child’s interests. Writing the script, creating the set, acting, and directing all can be explored in this event. Let your child explore their creative side with the dramatic arts in a fun, laid-back way that the whole family and extended family can enjoy.
Do an Art or Science Kit
Learning can and should be fun! Grab an art or science kit you know your child will love and do it with them. These kits can be found online or in most stores. Go on a learning or creative journey with your kid to learn alongside them.
Bake a Recipe
Cooking with your kids is a great way to build new memories and teach them life skills. These kid-friendly, cookbook-styled blogs are to the point with no long backstories, ads, or pop-ups.
Thrifted Costume
Have some family fun with thrifty at your favorite second-hand stores. This idea is great for creating fun memories, affordability, and spontaneous Ness. Before you start, decide on a budget. How much is each person allowed to spend on their costume? Next, decide if you want to do special categories like the 80s or leave it open for imagination. Then head to your favorite stores. Be sure to take lots of pictures to post on social media to have friends and family vote for the costume they think is the best and the silliest.
The winter season can be a blessing and a curse at the same time, but don’t let those frigid temperatures keep your family from having an awesome winter! Try an idea off our list, customize it, and beat the boredom!
Need help with birthday invitations or checklists? Need help picking a theme?
Check out our Guide to Throwing the Perfect Bash!
Fall Memories: Four Easy Ways
I have “mom brain.” “I’ll remember this!” are my famous last words. From walking into a room to going to the store multiple times a day, something always seems to slip my mind. Forgetting to buy the milk and my glasses are already on my face are funny little things we’ve all done, but there are things that I don’t want to forget, like my toddler’s earth-shattering yet extremely obvious discoveries like leaves aren’t yummy, or my son’s packed GameTruck party full of wild boys having a blast. These are the things I don’t want to forget.
No matter how old I get, I never want to lose the smiles, victories, and laughs my family shared. Those are forever part of myself, part of my identity. So, for all the mommas who struggle with “mom brain” and want to hold onto every memory, this blog is for you. Here are four fun ways to preserve your fall memories for a future trip down memory lane!
Create a Fall Jar
Hobby Lobby, here we come! Throughout this holiday season, hold on to things that have special meaning. Have your kids do the same. You can create one jar as a family or help everyone make their own. At the end of the season, pull out some glass jars, glue, your memory items, and a piece of paper. Write down the memory that corresponds to each item. Arrange, glue, and decorate your jar to match your style. Hide your paper in the jar. At the end of this process, you’ll have a beautiful decoration and a capsule ready to save all your fall memories. 
Start a Journal for your Fall Memories!
Writing has captured the human experience for thousands of years, so why not try it with yours? You don’t need pages upon pages of beautifully crafted words unless that’s what you want. Sometimes the best memories are short, sweet, and made of broken sentences. Did your toddler reach a brilliantly obvious deduction about life, like cows can’t fly? Maybe your son won his first-ever football game. Did your daughter learn a new skill? Did your spouse or partner tell a joke that made you pee your pants? All of these are perfect examples of things to write down. While these events may only be a few sentences in your diary, they will warm your heart every time you read them.
Start a Family Journal.
Another option is to create a family journal. Allow your kids to write down, or have you write down, something that they feel is important to them. It may not make sense to them or us in the future, but it’ll provide plenty of laughs in the future to see how their little minds once worked.
Do a Family Scrapbook for your Fall Memories!
If writing isn’t your thing, try a scrapbook! And, yes, they do sell kits! Scrapbooks can be a fun way to introduce your kids to their creativity with layouts, design principles, and much more! Scrapbooks also provide the fantastic opportunity to print all those pictures we’ve been meaning to print for months.
Make a Home Video!
Are you feeling nostalgia with this idea? While the process might be a bit different than how our parents made family videos, creating your own is a wonderful way to preserve memories, and the cool part is that most of us already have everything we need to do it. Most phones now shoot in 4K, so wipe off your camera lens and capture the moments you want to save!
Once you’re done, you can download the app of your choice (or use Instagram) to combine the footage, add transitions, music, stickers, etc, to create the perfect home video.
Motherhood transformed me. It’s been a beautiful journey that’s taught me so much. “Mom” is more than just a title to me. It’s part of myself, my identity, and I don’t ever want to lose all of the positive fall memories that have made me who I am today. From family vacations to GameTruck birthday parties, I want to cherish them forever.
Looking for an awesome way to create birthday memories this fall? Try GameTruck! Check out our Complete Guide to Booking a Great Party!