Jill Amery, Author at Urban Mommies

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Jill Amery

Jill Amery is a mom of 2 small boys and the Publisher of UrbanMommies, a stylish digital lifestyle magazine filled with fitness, style, health, recipes and savvy mom advice to help you through pregnancy, birth, and raising your kids.

Parental Control Apps

apps, FAM, GEAR, kids By Jill Amery September 30, 2016 5 Comments

I have two boys and very real concerns (read: I’m petrified) about their entry into the digital space. While I haven’t been one of the parents who refrained from submitting the kids’ photos or names into cyberspace, I am one of the last hold-outs for allowing them an instagram account. There’s also been a significant amount of avoidance about when they can get cell phones. After a lavish essay about why instagram is a good thing, our older child was awarded his own profile, with very strict rules and unlimited access by me. As I now venture into parenting kids who will eventually own a mobile phone, a roundup of parental control apps is in order.

Abundance During Pregnancy

FAM, pregnancy By Jill Amery September 22, 2016 3 Comments

I will never forget how connected to my body I felt with each pregnancy. The cravings for nutrients, sleep and extra calories balanced out against my desire to nurture, nest and send love and energy to the little human inside. It’s always yin and yang, somehow, and the abundance of what I was receiving helped the balance output I was expending.

It is vital during pregnancy to care for both the mind and body. Sleep should be increased and embraced, calories increased by 300-500 per day, and clothing sizes will invariably widen so as not constrict your beautiful growing body. Smile.

How to save money on the staples plus three ‘secret’ family recipes

EAT, family meals By Jill Amery September 21, 2016 No Comments

Fall is a time of new beginnings. Out of nowhere, the nip enters the air and the laziness of summer morphs into productivity. Well, I’m trying anyway! We organize closets, embrace an earlier bedtime and fill the freezer with family meals. My favourite meals are always ones that can be produced out of the pantry. The problem with this, though, is that essential ‘stock’ items like oats, flour and rice never seem to drop in price, so squeezing room out of the family budget from the food category doesn’t seem to work. Until now. Here’s how you can save money on the staples with help from our friends at Safeway.

Why I Care About the Brangelina Divorce

FAM, self By Jill Amery September 20, 2016 No Comments

Celebrities don’t usually affect me. I’m not one for autographs, oohs or aaahs. Maybe it’s because I was an actor at one point, and relate to people as ‘people’, without the cloak of fame. But Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston have always been slightly mystical to me – which makes my fascination with them more vivid in its abnormality.

Huawei Honor 8 Unlocked Smartphone

GEAR, tech By Jill Amery September 3, 2016 No Comments

Being tied down is always horrible. Especially is if costs a ton of money and you can’t get our of contracts. That’s why carrying an unlocked smartphone is a smart move. The new Huawei Honor 8 unlocked smartphone is now available in an exclusive Sapphire Blue colorway only at Best Buy (online and in store), and will be the perfect accessory to carry you into fall.

Back-to-School Snack Hacks (and lunches that look hard, but cook easy!)

EAT, lunches By Jill Amery August 31, 2016 3 Comments

Advertisers prove again and again that one thing in life is certain: Kids like gimmicks. And maybe moms can learn something from the people whose research proves that every new tickle-me-product or beany-whatsit has million dollar potential in the “mommy I need this” department.

It’s back to school time and our little fuss-monsters are already secretly gearing up to object to/trade/outright discard their lunches and snacks. But this year we’ll one up them, by getting creative and making healthy lunches fun. (We’re also going to make them easy and time-saving because come September, moms have enough on our plates.) So here are some quick ideas, tips, and snack hacks for our favourite moms as you prepare to head back into the kitchen.

We Fight Battles Together

FAM, kids By Jill Amery August 29, 2016 No Comments

If I am being honest, my daughter came into this world pushing me away. She was independent from the moment she was born. Sure, she relied on me for food and a diaper change, but rarely for affection. I have always needed her more than she has needed me.

She is an introspective person, born an old soul. She seems to take great pleasure telling me what she thinks I am doing wrong – constantly reminding me that we MUST be taking the long route; there is DEFINITELY a closer parking spot. It feels like I am going over the speed limit. I let her brother have a piece of candy before hockey practice once and she told me, and I quote, “this is not what proper parenting looks like.”

Storytelling Through Food for Picky Eaters

EAT, lunches By Jill Amery August 23, 2016 1 Comment

This post is part of the YummyMummyClub.ca and Maple Lodge Farms #FamilyFirst sponsored program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors.

Maybe it’s the June doldrums after months of school lunches and shuttling from soccer practice to skiing with grumpy, tired kids who seem less than appreciative. Maybe I’m in a rut trying to feed the boys creative, healthy foods with constant resistance. Or maybe parenting it just hard. I think that is probably it.

A Family Battling Lyme Disease

EAVESDROP, FAM, health, Overheard By Jill Amery August 9, 2016 No Comments

Imagine never feeling well and having doctors diagnose you with a different illness each time you sought help. Imagine health providers blaming your mental state for a disease that you would later discover had been the cause of your suffering all along. And then imagine realizing that your infection had been passed to your kids, and this particular disease is so not funded in Canada, making accurate diagnosis and treatment extremely limited. Such was the case with Tanis Michelsen, who has since become an advocate for the recognition and treatment of lyme disease.

Power Up the Imagination

GEAR, tech, toys By Jill Amery August 9, 2016 74 Comments

We’re in the home-stretch of summer and my kids are getting fidgety. I don’t want them constantly watching TV or allowing them to morph into screen zombies, and yet their creativity is waning. Sending them outside on bug hunts, creating forts and harvesting their gardens has come and gone. We all know how crucial toys, games and play are for a child’s development, but sometimes we all run out of ideas. Thankfully we found a way to power up the imagination!

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