Amino-formaldehyde resins, articles of manufacture from the amino-formaldehyde resins, and processes for making the resins and articles are provided herein. In one embodiment, the amino-formaldehyde resins may be prepared using a reaction mixture including formaldehyde, a monohydroxy cyclic compound, and at least one amino compound selected from the group consisting of urea, melamine, and mixtures thereof. In another embodiment, the amino-formaldehyde resins are produced by reacting formaldehyde, a monohydroxy cyclic compound, and at least one amino compound selected from the group consisting of urea, melamine, and mixtures thereof, and the monohydroxy cyclic compound may be added as a front addition, an intermediate addition, a back addition, or a combination thereof, to the reaction mixture of formaldehyde and the at least one amino compound.