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.

Why You Need to Check Your Exhaust System

auto, GEAR By Jill Amery August 16, 2018 No Comments

Ostrich. That’s what I can be when it comes to anything mechanical. Planes, trains and automobiles are amazing, as long as they work. Lately, I’ve had a boat engine not start, my Vespa not engaging into gear and the brakes on my son’s bike falling off. I need to do better. I need to understand maintenance on a much higher level – or at the very least be diligent about getting my vehicles serviced regularly.

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My Casper Mattress in a Box

LIVE, rest By Jill Amery July 31, 2018 No Comments

I love to shop. Shoes, candles, small kitchen appliances all have an allure that is intoxicating. But mattresses? No. Traditionally they are hard to carry, deliver and choose. The pressure is intense – this will be where I you spend 1/3 of my life for years to come! Too much stress. It’s one of those things that should magically happen. A friend tells you which brand to buy, it appears and the old one is magically whisked away. Sure – I’ll change the bedding but that’s as far as it goes. Well, friends.. the game has changed. I just tried Casper mattress in a box and can’t wait to replace every bed in the house.

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How to Reduce Single-Use Plastic

LIVE, nourish By Jill Amery July 31, 2018 No Comments

Single-use plastic is a huge issue in our society, and we have all grown up with the convenience it provides. Unfortunately, our environment, oceans and animals are being adversely affected by its disposal. Every minute, one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our oceans. This amount will increase 10x by 2020. Looking around my house, it feels next to impossible to eliminate all plastic, but every solution has a beginning. I am choosing to begin with trying to reduce single-use plastics like straws, bags and water bottles.

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Kid-Friendly Places to Watch the Vancouver Honda Celebration of Lights

FAM, kids By Jill Amery July 31, 2018 No Comments

Summer in Vancouver means the annual Honda Celebration of Lights is near! With kids in tow, fireworks can sometimes be daunting. Parking and transit need to be figured out, snacks packed and a plan set in place. While English Bay and Kitsilano Beach are the uber-popular viewing areas, there are a few more family-friendly venues to observe the spectacle around Vancouver.

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International Self-Care Day Challenge + Giveaway

Contests By Jill Amery July 24, 2018 1 Comment

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about self-care. As our lives get busier, prioritizing self-care becomes increasingly important. Many of us think of self-care as practicing yoga, a day at the spa or even spending quality time with friends. While these are all great ways to relax, there is much more to it!

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Twitter Party: Everyone Needs Some Self Care

Contests By Jill Amery July 17, 2018 No Comments

UrbanMommies is thrilled to announce the #BayerSelfCare twitter party on Wednesday, July 18th, 2018 at 5pm pst/8pm est. The party is to promote National Self-Care day on July 24^th and Bayer wants to show their immense belief and leadership in taking care of your own health. They also have a special collaboration with Amazon.ca so we will be awarding $750 in Amazon gift codes throughout the hour!

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First in a Generation 2019 Acura RDX

auto, GEAR By Jill Amery June 11, 2018 No Comments

When you are choosing a vehicle for your family, you tend to think rationally. Value and reliability tend to top the list of checkboxes. But isn’t family life hard enough? Adulting can get pretty boring, so we need to balance it out with some passion. Spontanaity. Vigour. Where is the dream sports car of your youth that spikes adrenaline and has you feeling proud to slip behind the wheel? The one you drove down the shoreline that looked prestigious, sleek and fast. You actually wanted to dress up a bit to go for a spin. The brilliant minds at Acura realized that their previous best-selling RDX was constantly chosen as a family vehicle for all the right rational reasons, but even when you ‘grow up’, fun and passion must still play a part. Adding expensive details and high performance into the new first in a generation 2019 Acura RDX, they have created a sport sedan utility vehicle that elicits a gutteral, emotional response just to look at it. But wait until you get behind the wheel. Or in the back seat. In my view, the 2019 Acura RDX as a family vehicle hits all the highs for both the brain and the soul.

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While You’re Playing Fortnite, Fraudsters Are Looking to Play You

LIVE, play By Jill Amery June 1, 2018 No Comments

Have you played Fortnite yet? If you haven’t, you probably know someone who has as the game’s popularity has exploded in recent months, attracting celebrities, professional athletes, and gamers of all ages. Unfortunately, Fortnite’s mass appeal is attracting hackers and scammers too. Players and parents need to pay attention in order reduce the risk of identity theft and fraud playing Fortnight.

Part of the game’s attraction is that it’s free and available to players across multiple video game consoles, PCs, and mobile phones. The Hunger Games-like world of Fortnite allows players to showcase their creativity while playing. However, scammers are also getting creative.

Fortnite creator Epic Games recently warned about the most common Fortnite scam on its Twitter account for players: “Say NO to scams! Beware of scam sites offering free or discounted V-Bucks.”

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Dyson Cyclone V10 Cord-free Vacuum

LIVE, wash By Jill Amery June 1, 2018 2 Comments

When company comes over I am a total cheater. Room spray, vinegar swished in the sinks, and a carpet rake. Seriously. It makes it look freshly vacuumed (provided there aren’t a bunch of crunchy bits everywhere). Why do I do this? To impress. To make it look as if I’m put together. Perhaps I haven’t had enough mom therapy over the years. But also pride. I have a beautiful home, and appearing to take care of it makes me feel like I deserve what I am blessed enough to live in. I won’t change. But my faker-cheater rake just got a serious upgrade.

Having a big house, plush draperies and various flooring materials is great until you go to need to clean them all. When we moved in I was ecstatic – central vac!! It was like a 1980’s dream without the waterbeds. But in reality? It’s heavy, clogs all the time and the suction leaves crunchy bits. You drag the cord between floors, but get lazy and the plug end chips paint all the way down the stairs.

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Pack a Picnic and then Springfree!

fitness, GEAR By Jill Amery May 29, 2018 No Comments

Kids don’t play outside like they used to, and there are, unfortunately, many reasons for that. Among them include the many fun technological devices that kids can use to level up their skills and entertainment. Kids spend on average of 60 hours a week on devices, and just 60 minutes a week playing outside. So sad! It’s time to restore some balance to that equation. There is much critical enrichment for kids who get to enjoy the simple pleasure of playing outside. Below are a few photos of special outdoor play with my own boys, including a special treasure ‘chest’ collected a few years back. The memories were so positive and powerful, I haven’t been allowed to throw it away!

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When Jill Amery started publishing UrbanMommies in 2008, she wanted to create a place where the urban parent could be cared for and nurtured, so that they would be able to deliver their best selves to their family and passions. Since then, UrbanMommies has reached millions of moms with stories about travel, fashion, parenting, pets and family cuisine. Jill has created a community of moms who understand that if they are at their best, then everyone around them is as well.