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.

Healthy Winter Meals on a Budget

eat, EAT, family meals, LIVE By Jill Amery February 19, 2016 Tags: #BetterFoodStartsHere, @SafewayCanada, beef, Boeuf Bourgignon, ham, jambalaya, Jamie Oliver, produce, turkey, vegetarian chili 2 Comments

Just over ten years ago I moved from Ontario to British Columbia. In addition to the three hour time change and milder climate, I was baffled that prices could be so different in the two provinces. Fitness studios, manicures and spas are a much better value on the west coast, but life’s staples are considerably more expensive. It’s not just the million dollar teardown homes that blow family budgets, but gas and groceries take a huge dent out of monthly paychecks compared to what the family spent in Ontario.

Tricks for Getting Outside in Crappy Weather

FAM, health By Jill Amery February 18, 2016 Tags: Canadian Ski Council, ebay, fire, fireplace, gear, get outside, GoPro, grandparents, headlamp, ice fishing, icebreaker, Lifeproof, MEC, memories, Mountain Equipment Co-op, nature valley, outdoor activity, power outage, rain, rainsuit, Sports, technology, toboggan No Comments

It can be just as hard to be active outdoors in gross weather as it is to stick to your diet goals during the holidays. The great news is that Gore-Tex has now been invented, and warm inner layers are far more stylish than the long-johns of old. Living in the Pacific Northwest, my family is very lucky to have hiking and ski hills at our doorstep, but getting outside still takes motivation when the weather isn’t co-operating.

Staying Home is the New Date Night

GEAR, LIVE, play, rest, tech By Jill Amery February 14, 2016 Tags: streamteam 2 Comments

This year with Valentine’s Day falling on a Sunday it means no sleeping in the next morning. Kids need to be woken for school, lunches packed, homework double checked and everyone out the door on time. Just the thought of going out for a romantic dinner and maybe dancing or a movie and having to get up early the next morning makes me cringe. Its hard enough to get everyone going on a Monday when I have had a good night’s sleep! So this Valentine’s Day we will be having a Netflix Date.

Signs of Implantation - When Pregnancy Begins

Signs of Implantation – When Some Say Pregnancy Begins

baby, FAM, pregnancy By Jill Amery February 11, 2016 115 Comments

Some scientists say that implantation is when and where pregnancy begins. What is implantation and are there any common signs of implantation? Implantation occurs when the egg that has been fertilized by the sperm attaches to the inner wall of the uterus about 7-9 days after conception. Having traveled down the fallopian tube and divided several times, the fertilized zygote has reached its final destination in the warm and nourishing uterine lining. Now it can receive the oxygen and nutrients from mom to begin to grow and develop into the beautiful baby it will become. Implantation must occur for pregnancy to continue.

Have a Heart (Shaped Pizza)

EAT, family meals By Jill Amery February 9, 2016 Tags: boston pizza, boston pizza foundation, charity, Future Prospects, heart shaped pizza, JDRF, kids No Comments

What could possibly be better than spending Valentine’s Day in a fabulous restaurant while also giving to kids’ charities? HEART SHAPED PIZZA!

Yes – it’s back!

On February 14^th for one day only (take-out, delivery or the best option – while dining in) at Boston Pizza, small and medium sized gourmet or create-your own pizzas will exude more love than usual. And this love moves farther afield than just the grins and memories your family is creating on Valentine’s Day.

One dollar from every heart-shaped pizza sold on February 14th supports Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects, which is committed to connecting kids with role models in their communities to ensure they have a bright future.

Boston Pizza hopes to raise at least $520,000 for Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects with the 2016 Valentine’s Day heart-shaped pizza program.

As parents, we know that it takes a committed community to raise a child. Watching my own kids develop, I count our blessings daily. We have health, lots of friends willing to lend a hand, and many ‘Aunt’ or ‘Uncle’ figures that guide and mentor, providing advice and perspectives for situations that arise. We are very lucky, and many children out there have none of the positive influences that have surrounded my family. It’s therefore crucial for me to support Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects. The Foundation partners with organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, JDRF, Kids Help Phone, Live Different, the Rick Hansen Foundation and other programs that mentor kids to reach their full potential.

As well, from now to February 14, patrons can also purchase a Boston Pizza ‘Peel and Win Heart’ for a minimum donation of $2 where everyone will have the chance to win either $2 off dessert, $5 off $25 on Takeout and Delivery, a free starter, Panookie or Flatbread Pizzatizer. They just keep giving!

So make a date with your family at Boston Pizza to review their mail bag filled with school Valentines, and maybe while you’re there you can send a few heart-shaped pizzas to the people who bestow kindness on your family. After all, you can’t send heart-shaped flowers that also pack a punch in the charity department too!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are our own.

An Open Letter to Sexual Assault Victims

FAM, self By Jill Amery February 3, 2016 Tags: Ghomeshi, justice, rape, sexual assault, trial 7 Comments

It’s all over the news, and as the Jian Ghomeshi trial begins, my hands are frigid. Yours may be, too. There are so many of us who have been sexual assault victims. So many witnesses to travesties of justice. Maybe many have decided that now is a great time for a technology-free vacation in the woods somewhere.

Wait.

Unique Baby Names

baby, FAM, pregnancy By Jill Amery January 28, 2016 Tags: cool baby names, different, hip baby names, naming, special, unique baby names, unusual baby names 56 Comments

Unique baby names are so important. They give meaning, show kindness to your heritage, and personality. Also, you probably worry about your kid being called something horrible in school. Wow. It feels like a bigger decision than getting pregnant in the first place. So many of us would love to avoid the ‘Jennifer 1’ , ‘Jennifer 2’ phenomenon that plagued us through grade school. Some of us bought every typical book, and frustrated with the normalcy, went through newspapers, Restoration Hardware catalogues and then, the atlas. (Of course…)

The Most Gorgeous Superbowl Food Ideas

EAT, holidays By Jill Amery January 25, 2016 Tags: baked potato rounds, beer candied bacon, entertaining, featured, football, italian hero crescent ring, pigskin pizza pockets, pull apart bread, slider, Super Sunday, superbowl, whoopie pies No Comments

Superbowl Sunday is more of an excuse to entertain as opposed to understanding the highly complicated game of football. Or maybe that’s just me. With the big event looming, we’ve been trying to crash the internet by searching for gorgeous superbowl food ideas. It’s all about the cheese (and the whoopie pies!!) So grab your ingredients, download some Katy Perry and set your DVR to record Sunday’s commercials! Go sports!

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How to Educate & Entertain Sick Kids Without Breaking Your Resolutions #NewYearNewView

GEAR, play, tech By Jill Amery January 21, 2016 Tags: documentaries, home sick, netflix, shows for kids, streamteam 2 Comments

The New Year brings us more than an urge to make resolutions, clean out cupboards and start new regimes: it brings colds and flus. For parents with little ones, this is a most difficult time of year. Just when we were ready to bustle them into their coats and mitts and head back to school, they come down with something just ghastly enough to keep them from attending… yet not so debilitating it knocks them out for the day.

Spotting Before Your Period – Why?

FAM, pregnancy, self By Jill Amery January 17, 2016 Tags: 7 days, bleeding, blood, Conception, Danica Longair, discharge, early pregnancy, Implantation, implantation pain, menstrual cycle, ovulation, period, Signs of Implantation, Signs of Pregnancy, signs you are pregnant, spotting, spotting before period, symptoms of implantation, symptoms of pregnancy 393 Comments

Oh dear. Spotting before your period – what does it mean? Your period is not due for at least another week, but you have found a little blood or pink or brown discharge that isn’t followed by normal flow bleeding. This is spotting and tends to always lead to your heart skipping a beat.

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