Browsing Articles Written by

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.

Homemade Brown Rice and Quinoa Baby Food

baby, EAT By January 1, 2014 Tags: , , , , , , , No Comments

Homemade Brown Rice and Quinoa Baby FoodHomemade Brown Rice and Quinoa Baby Food is fun and easy to make – and packs a huge punch for your little one as they begin solid food. You can also make this first food recipe in a rice cooker in bulk and freeze individual spoonfuls in ice cube trays. Once froze, pop the cubes out and keep them together in a big labelled ziplock bag.  Just make sure when you thaw in the microwave that there are no hot spots.

Ingredients:

½ cup brown rice
½ cup quinoa
2 cups purified water or organic free-range chicken stock
1 jar (4 ounces) organic meat baby food, any flavour

Method:

Put the rice, quinoa, and water or stock in a small pan
Bring to a boil over medium heat
Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 40 to 50 minutes, until the water is absorbed
Fluff with a fork and add the baby food

Cool before serving

Variation: Add peas, other soft cooked vegetables, or fruit

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New Year’s Eve With Kids!!

EAT, FAM, holidays, kids By December 31, 2013 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

new years eve with kidsYou’ve got the most fabulous dress.  And the shoes.  And the champagne.  And…  whoops.  The kids.  A  babysitter is pretty much impossible, or prohibitively expensive on New Year’s Eve.  If you ask family the guilt will consume you all night.  Let’s think outside the box, shall we – without compromising your attachment to the kids, or our hip and savvy selves?  UrbanMommies has a few ideas about how you can celebrate New YEar’s Eve with kids – and still make the evening special..

1.  Dress well (even if you are exhausted).  Put the baby down, and make a romantic dinner together.  You could choose cuisine from a beloved country or new food that you’ve never attempted and experience something special together.  Eat by candlelight and try to stay awake until the ball drops.

2.  Sit down as a family and look at photo albums from the past – relate birth stories, marriage memories and the ups and downs of the past year.  Top it off with a frozen pizza ‘picnic’ on the floor complete with an extra-special bottle of wine and shirley temples.

3.  The whole family can go to Value Village and find the most sparkly, shiny outfits possible.  Blow up enough balloons to fill a room and drink milk, oj and champagne out of your best glasses.

4.  If you must venture out, swap with another couple so you can watch each others’ kids every second year.

5.  Have another couple and their children for a sleep-over.  The kids can do art in an empty bathtub and can be allowed to paint themselves and the tiles for the only time all year.  Everyone can then have a bath and pick from a huge pile of mismatched jammies for bedtime.  Once the wee ones are fast asleep, an adult dinner and fine music can complete the evening.

6.  Italian family eating/potluck with movies for kids and crafts, then chocolate Fondue, champagne and board games for adults when the babes are in bed. Everyone stays over and we cook pancakes in the morning.  (compliments of @Babe_chilla via Twitter).

7.  ‘Family Planning’: list the top 10 books, movies and music you want to experience this coming year.  Chart a plan for activities for the kids.  Talk a bit about budget.  (See our article for help).  Then drink champagne and start saving tomorrow.

8. Bowling with the family is always fun at midnight, they give out hats and horns!  (from @LollyBopBaby via Twitter)

9. Sit with kids and illustrate with markers and paper your new year’s resolutions and share (from @kiddictionary via Twitter).

10. Celebrate New Year’s in another time zone other than your own so the kids can celebrate too. (from @tykethreads via Twitter).

Please let us know about your plans and ideas, and we will post them as they come (or just comment below).

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The Day I Put A Christmas Tree in a Honda Odyssey

auto, GEAR By December 15, 2013 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , No Comments

If you ask what the biggest obstacle is for just about any Mom, keeping the car clean will be near the top of her list. We’ve sent people to the moon, can photograph a cheque to deposit it into a bank account and yet no car company had ever made a vehicle with a built-in vacuum.  Until now.  I have been test driving the Touring version of the 2014 Honda Odyssey and quite possibly may never give it back. I shoved a Christmas Tree in a Honda Odyssey and vacuumed up all the needles.

Roomy and luxurious, the favourite feature of the minivan is a vacuum that extends right from the rear all the way to the front windshield.  With a cord that won’t tangle. To truly test the functionality, I got permission from Honda to use the vehicle to carry not one, but two Christmas trees from the lot to my home. Pulling a cord and flipping the seats down was easy, and the 11-foot tree slid into the car with ease.  The 12-footer was strapped to the roof with twine.  After removing and decorating the stunners, the car was pine scented and fresh, but there were needles everywhere.

The Honda Odyssey Vacuum

I pressed the start button on the vehicle once to put the Odyssey into accessory mode. Pupping the trunk using the smart key, I only had to touch the ‘on’ button and grab the hose from the stowage area.  There are 2 attachments and it will run for 8 minutes before it shuts off on its own.  Not to worry if your car looks like mine – shutting car off and turning cit back on gives you another eight minutes of Cheerio-sucking bliss. 

The Odyssey Cool box

Cool box as in ‘keeps drinks, leftovers or pumped breastmilk nice and chilly. You just press a button to put air conditioning in the box.  The great thisg is that unlike other auto manufacturers, Honda does not simply use the vents to cool the box but has a seperate A/C cooling system.  So you can be warm while the juiceboxes stay cold.

The Odyssey Back Seat

You know when you try to squeeze three carseats across a back seat and the kids can’t access the seatbelt buckles so you have to get out of the car and buckle everyone in yourself? That doesn’t happen here.  You can move the back seats wider apart to make more carseat room.  There are window shutters that slide up and down that proved very durable as my kids played with them. ‘Daytime. Nighttime. Daytime. Nighttime.’ What a fun game.

The Miraculous Odyssey A/V System

Have you ever had a toddler and a teen fight over tv selection? Dora or Twilight and NO compromise.  This vehicle solve the issue. (Yes, you may want to move into it).  The wider drop-down video screen can split into two sides so each can watch their preferred programming. Switch seats after a rest stop? No worries.  The flick of a button on the remote will allow you to swap the screen. Cordless headphones can be assigned to either side, and the third row seating boasts hdmi or rca jacks for your secondary source dvd.  Or maybe an ipod. Or the Xbox or ps3.  Guitar hero anyone?

Odyssey Tech

The touchscreen is new to this Odyssey and when used with the Aha system, makes your life easy. Hondalink is a free app from iTunes or google play. It allows you to stream internet radio. You can pick any station in North America, type of music using hardly any data. You could, for instance, use it two hours per day for a month and use only 1 gig of data on your smartphone. Swipe to play the next song if you don’t like the current one, and set up to 16 stations as favourites..

Voice command functionality allows you to talk to the car.  With 2 presses of the voice command button you can say things like:
‘Find nearest gas station’, ‘Passenger temperature 25’, ‘Fan speed 5’ or ‘Rear defrost on’ and the car will do your bidding. No you cannot marry your car.

The clock is set via satellite so you never have to change the time again (or remember to add an hour).

Curious about the Christmas Tree test? Check out my video.  Spoiler alert: It will make you want a 2014 Honda Odyssey.

 

This article was generously sponsored by Honda Canada. All opinions, images and ideas are my own.  For more information, visit honda.ca/odyssey.

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7 Tips for Getting Toys the Kids Really Want

GEAR, toys By December 11, 2013 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , No Comments

Tips for Getting Toys the Kids Really WantI’m one of those moms who shops all year long. I buy things on sale and fun items fill the cupboards in the spare bathroom. By the time wrapping week comes around in December, the gifts have trickled into the bathtub, hidden under towels.

While this system has always worked in my house, this year things are different. The boys are 6 and 7 and have very specific HOT toys in mind. I realized yesterday in a panic that I didn’t have what they really wanted. Scouring the internet I finally found the toys in stock at one online retailer and pulled out the old Amex.

This mom has learned a few tricks and I won’t be making the same mistake in the future. Here are 7 tips for getting the toys the kids really want.

1. Write letters to Santa on December 1. If you do it too early the kids may change their mind about what they really want.

2. As soon as the letters are written, hop online and order the special present.

3. Stocking stuffers are great to collect over the course of the year, but larger bulky items are best sourced in December. Having an expensive bathroom as a storage area isn’t very practical.

4. Canada has caught on to Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales in a big way. Making a good list of items and finding the best deals on those days can save a fortune and eliminate the need to shop all year.

5. Pull up a few ‘hot toy’ lists and go through them with your kids to gauge interest. Mattel has a great Hot Toy List and I love Dr. Toy’s annual list as well. This will help you give Aunts and grandparents some ideas. Mattel also have a great online wishlist where you can keep track of the kids’ desires!

6. Check the safety of the toys and whether there have been any recalls. Healthy Canadians and AllAboutVision are great places to check.

7.  Canada’s official Free Shipping Day is happening this Thursday, Dec. 12, and eager online shoppers are gearing up for great deals.  Over 230 stores have signed up to participate, with several more expected to be added to the site before offers go live at 12:01 a.m. EST. In addition to big-name participants like Indigo, Garage, Roots and SportChek, independent retailers are also offering free shipping with delivery by Christmas Eve.

Once you’ve eliminated the stress from your shopping, you’ll have lots of time to bake, decorate, do charity work and make beautiful memories with the kids during the holiday season.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Mattel Canada.  All opinions are our own.

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5 Tips for Getting to Sleep

5 Tips for Getting to Sleep

baby, Contests, FAM By December 5, 2013 Tags: , , , , 25 Comments

Trouble catching some Zzz’s? Febreze is here to help!  Achieving the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep each night isn’t always easy. To help you get back to a healthy sleeping routine, Febreze is introducing the NEW Febreze Sleep Serenity collection in three scents – Moonlit Lavender, Warm Milk & Honey and Quiet Jasmine. The new collection helps transform any bedroom into a peaceful environment ideal or sleeping.  Unwinding during the hours before you climb into bed can make a big difference. Febreze has partnered with the National Sleep Foundation for 5 Tips for Getting to Sleep that will have you counting sheep in no time.

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How to Create the Perfect Holiday Wrapping Station

GEAR, tech By December 5, 2013 Tags: , , , , , , , , No Comments

Holiday Wrapping StationWe received some great tips from lifestyle expert Shoana Jensen on creating the perfect holiday wrapping station.  I’m still dreaming of a dedicated wrapping room instead of banishing my kids from entering the downstairs bathroom for the entire month of December.  Baby steps.

The basics:

1)    Select a theme for the gift and pick your favourite wrapping paper.

2)    Have a good selection of accessories nearby, including ribbons, bows, gift tags and a pair of quality scissors.

3)    Tape is key! Scotch GiftWrap Tape features a satin finish that disappears on most shiny gift wrap papers. Using matte paper? Use Scotch Magic Tape which has a matte-finish. For a completely seamless look, Scotch Brand Double-Sided Tape. This will ensure your pretty parcel is as polished looking as possible!

Wrapping paper alternatives:

4)    We’ve all used regular wrapping paper. Look for newspapers, road maps or comics as wrapping paper to cater the gift to the recipient’s personality, hobbies or interests.

5)    For those sometimes awkward gifts, find ways to preserve the element of surprise. For example, put perfume or socks in an empty paper towel roll or use an empty coffee can or cereal box for small to medium sized gifts.

Ribbons and gift tags:

6)    Embellish a package with small, useful items that relate to the gift. For example, attach a whisk to a set of mixing bowls.

7)   Instead of a gift tag, find an old baby picture and tape it to the top of the gift. The image will identify who the gift is for and gives you time to reminisce on the good ole’ days!

 

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Mommy’s Christmas List

FAM, self By December 5, 2013 Tags: , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

A mom’s life is always busy, but the holidays are even more intense.  Have you ever stopped to think of what you honestly & truly want for Christmas? Presenting Mommy’s Christmas List.

I want..

1. to go to the bathroom alone
2. someone to remove the smushed Cheerios & rotten milk smell from my car
3. to check the lost and found and not find something with my kid’s name on it
4. other people to stop telling me how advanced their kids are
5. to open the fridge and not find empty containers
6. to have a few pieces of clothing my daughter doesn’t borrow
7. a Saturday morning listening to whatever I want instead of Dora and the Wiggles
8. my Mom to stop saying ‘you ate/did/played with it and you turned out fine’
9. my kids to know where they put their library books
10. An ipad with my own apps on it
11. invisible full-body spanx
12. to remember every second of their childhood
13. to have someone other than me put on the new roll of toilet paper

What would you add to mommy’s Christmas list?

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Holiday Gifts for the WHOLE Family

GEAR, tech By November 29, 2013 3 Comments

UrbanMommies Holiday Gift Guide 2013Note: For more recent Holiday Gift guides, check out 2020 Holiday Guides. Welcome to our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide!  These are our top holiday gifts for the whole family found in stores and online. As always, these are our top picks sourced from all over and we’re never compensated for inclusion in our guide. Click on any image for a review and description. Happy Shopping!!

Gifts for Mom

1. Car Eyelashes  Who wouldn’t want these babies on their BMW? No extensions needed. Canadian Tire

2. Vinylux by CND For the busy mom who doesn’t quite have the time to get her Shellac applied but wants an extra-long lasting polish that’s removable at home. It comes in great colours and lasts a week on my hands. CND

3. ArtKive A dream come true. Photograph the kids’ artwork using this app and lose the guilt when you toss the original. (Kid Dictionary calls this ‘Garboflage’). Later you can make the art into fancy books and things. Artkive

4. Butter Baked Goods. This cookbook calms me down just by its presence in the room.  Stunningly beautiful, it also includes her famous marshmallow recipe. Not to worry. You have all of January to diet. Chapters Indigo

5. Bling Bags As a hostess gift or way for mom to keep the purse organized, a few of these make for a happy woman. Chapters Indigo

6. Conair Curl Secret I admit – I was a bit scared to try it.  Your hair gets sucked into the body of the curler and beeps after a couple of seconds, letting you know it’s time to release the ABSOLUTELY PERFECT curl. In about 4 minutes I have a perfect head of ringlets. Let’s just say I pack light and it made the cut for a recent Europe jaunt.  Curl Secret

7. Spoonk Apparently Oprah knew about this before I did, but now that I’ve got my hands on these, they are a staple. Mats you lie on that contuct acupressure. While you are watching Breaking Bad. Who knew?!  Spoonk

8. Pliio Folders I am an aficionado of the Big Bang Theory and have always wanted Sheldon’s folding apparatus.  Enter this great invention.  The kids laundry fits better in their drawers, AND they can fold it themselves.  Pliio

9.  Cheese Kitchen Papers They are just too beautiful.  And a really great excuse for cheese.  You could save a dish also and throw them in the compost afterwards.  Hester and Cook

Gifts for Dad

1. Bespoke Post Men are hard to buy for.  But this service delivers a little package every month, filled with XY chromosome-goodness. Bespoke Post

2. Sterling silver Daddy Dogtags.  With the kids names on them.  Or you could even engrave your anniversary and birthdate so there’s never any forgetfulness.. Posh Mommy Jewelry

3. Dyson Car Vac. It can suck up Cheerios like there’s no tomorrow. Canadian Tire

4. Custom Made Personalized Dad Ornament from Etsy will delight the whole family.  And Etsy has also just launche gift cards in Canada! Etsy

5. Urban Xplorer Halfpack makes a cool diaper bag or weekender for dad.

6. Breville Juicer Simply because you can hide kale in his morning juice. Canadian Tire

7. Porsche Macan (Spring 2014) The first Porsche Compact SUV is available in two versions: Macan S and Macan Turbo. In case you’re looking for a rather large gift. Make sure you put the carseats in as well. Porsche

8. Twinkly House Light. If he’s a bit inept with hanging the Holiday lights, this is the ticket.  Plug it in and the whole house or trees outside look like they are covered in tiny lights. Canadian Tire

9. Founding Fathers Whiskey Keg  Dingle has the capacity to distill two casks of new whiskey every day and are setting aside the first fruits, the produce of our first 250 days in action. These 500 casks will be available to those who wish to become The Dingle Founding Fathers.Each cask, with its own distinct character will be unique: one unique cask, one unique owner.

Gifts for Baby and Toddlers

1. Big Hugs Elmo Who wouldn’t love a hug from our favorite little red monster, Elmo? He will wrap his hands around your little one and give them a hug when they need it most. He will also sing lullabies and encourage pretend play. Indigo

2. Fun Onesies. When you get up in the middle of the night to nurse, the ‘After Party’ one will make you grin. Chapters Indigo

3. These stuffies are to die for. Harrods

4. Dior knows how to dress up the little ones for the holidays.

5. Kickboard Mini Micro 3 in 1.  You may have a hard time staying off it yourself.

6. NPW Tube Toy  Uncommon Goods

7. Squeez ‘Ems. Brilliant for the environment, my ‘Litterless Lunch goals’ have been fulfilled.  Refill these great containers with yogurt or applesauce.  The large opening in the top helps for cleaning and they are lighter than heavy plastic.

8. Educational Insights Dino Construction Company T-Top the Triceratops Bulldozer  Mastermind

9. Baby Dior Dress. DOUBLE-SIDED DRESS PINK AND TAUPE CASHMERE. I want a girl.

Gifts for Kids

1. Minecraft Slippers Again on Etsy.

2. Doodle for Google  Doodle 4 Google is an annual program that invites K-12 students in the United States to use their artistic talents to think big and redesign our homepage logo for millions to see.

3. Little Passports  Watch as your children race to the mailbox every month to learn about Sam and Sofia’s latest destinations. Monthly packages arrive filled with lots of goodies and access to online games and activities. Little Passports

4. Sifteo These brilliant, interactive cubes will keep them (and you busy) for hours!

5. Pottery Barn Kids China It matches and can be intermixed with your adult versions. PBK

6. Tutus by Tutumaria are soft and adorned with ribbons and special sundries. The only trouble is that they don’t come in adult sizes.

7. Poppy Drops Temporary Tattoo Earrings are just the thing for little ones who love to dress up! Perfect for loot bags, stocking stuffers and birthday gifts. The set comes with 12 pairs of temporary earrings in different styles. All Poppy Drops earrings are made with all natural, food-grade vegetable dyes and are safe for children. The earrings can last up to a week and can be removed with baby oil.

8. Ninjabread Men  will delight the toughest of little guys.  Bite off the legs first! Perpetual Kid

9. Oldschool Battleship There’s just nothing cooler. Yard Sale or Ebay

Gifts for Pregnant Women

1.  Cake Lingere  Beautifully made with luxurios fbrics, i wear the nursing bra all the time – even though I’m not nursing! Seams aren’t itchy and you feel super sexy. It comes in a beautifully wrapped box with satin ribbon. Cake Maternity 

2. Silver Cross Aston Martin Stroller  I saw it on a recent trip to Harrods and drooled. And drooled.  Perfect if you want to spend two thousand pounds on a stroller.

3. Phil & Teds Travel Cot I used one all the time when the kids were little.  It fits into a tiny bag (that made the Europe packing cut once as well. Canadian Tire

4.  Maternity Wrap. Isabella Oliver

5. Baby Bullet  Make anazing natural and healthy baby food. London Drugs

6. HP Slate 7 It’s a super speedy android tablet with a very reasonable price tag.

7. Pea in Pod Cashmere  Autumn Cashmere Long Sleeve Maternity Sweater.

8. Timi & Leslie Marie Antoinette’ Diaper Bag is something you’ll carry long after the baby is out of diapers. Nordstrom

9. Stratamark is a revolutionary stretch mark cream.  We tested it and it helped reduce stretch marks that are a few years old.. Stratamark 

Gifts for Grandparents

1. Seniors Labels from Mabel’s Labels are the best invention since, well, kids’ labels! Mabel’s Labels

2. A Goat. ONE has partnered with Heifer International to send a lot of goats to Africa.You heard me right. Goats.

Goats are pretty amazing. For most people in the world, the only milk they drink comes from goats. And one goat can produce up to one TON of milk a year. That means lots of cheese, butter and milk to sell at the market, and homemade fertilizer to help make crops grow. Heifer International

3. Boxed Salt and Peppers come in tons of different designs and make a personalized gift based on interests of the recipient.  They are packaged in a gorgeous box ties with ribbon. Pottery Barn

4. Soda Stream is my new favourite home appliance.  Next to the Vitamix. Home Depot

5.  Pillows with Pizzaz make a sparkly gift that will lift the spirits of the oldest sofa! Indigo

6. Twig Plastic Cutlery  Translucent Black Twig 12 Piece Cutlery You don’t have to sacrifice elegance when choosing a one-time use cutlery set. Madhouse

7. Chalkboard Calendar 12 hand drawn months in chalk style typography and large block grids for plenty of space to keep track of important dates. Paper Source

8. Festive Cake Carrier. Hopefully it will inspire them to bake stuff for you. Canadian Tire

9. AVG Internet Security 2014 Don’t let the grandparents get hacked. We swear by the AVG products and this new version now includes new privacy features to protect your private data. AVG 

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How to Take the Stress out of Holiday Shopping with airmilesshops.ca

apps, GEAR By November 29, 2013 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , No Comments

airmilesshopsAhh.  The bustling crowds at the mall.  Are you getting excited? Think of it: in every city across Canada, hours have been extended and decorations hung in anticipation of the RUSH.  You know the one I mean: the parking lot scramble, forgetting where you put your car and carrying 15 heavy bags and ending up in tears (maybe that’s just me), lining up for the must-have toy of the season because you know it’ll make your little one cry tears of joy.

I have made a vow this year to do a lot of my shopping online.  Do I trust online shopping?  Absolutely.  Even credit card companies protect us these days.  Must I worry about store closing times, a perfectly coiffed friend seeing me in sweats or getting lost in a mall?  No.

As I write I’m distracted by the thought of a roaring fire and glass of eggnog. The dog is snuggled at my feet and I’m watching Casablanca in the background as I browse online for holiday gifts.  For others, of course.  Bliss.

Though I have been an AIR MILES Collector for 20 years, I didn’t discover airmilesshops.ca until this year.  Shocked, all of the stores I was planning to visit both North and South of the border are actually online – and I will earn reward miles for my shopping. As a bonus, many of the stores on airmilesshops.ca have offers to earn 2x, 3x even 10x the reward miles on your purchases. In fact, right now for Black Friday you can earn 10x the reward miles on your purchases with airmilesshops.ca until December 4th.

All stores on airmilesshops.ca ship to or within Canada and many offer a special Canadian checkout section where purchases are priced in Canadian dollars. Wow!  I get so frustrated when I go through the process on a website only to discover that the store ships only to the US.  Nobody should put baby in a corner.

Want to know the stores?  Let’s start with Anthropologie, shall we?  And then the Apple Store Canada.  Followed by a few of my favourites for each family member:

Son: Lego.com
Other Son: TOMS Canada
Mother: Hudson’s Bay Company
Me: Sephora
Husband: Bose Canada
Me from Husband: Victoria’s Secret or FTD
Dog: PetSmart
Father-in-Law: Snapfish
Cool Kid down the block: Roots
Girlfriends like me: Bloomingdales, Ann Taylor and Neiman Marcus.

My ‘work’ is done.

So as packages come in (or are wrapped and shipped directly to the recipient saving me a trip to the post office), you may hear a little squeal from me.  And each order I make is adding to my growing bank of AIR MILES reward miles and reducing my holiday to-do list.  With this lack of stress combined with my extra AIR MILES reward miles, I might just have to hop a plane to Hawaii for New Year’s.

<Only Half Joking>.

In terms of shipping, the individual stores do that. Visit airmilesshops.ca to start your own holiday shopping!

This post was sponsored by airmilesshops.ca.  Our opinions are our own.

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