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.

Family Road Trip Tips

auto, beauty, Canada, GEAR, LIVE, play, ROAM, USA By Jill Amery July 26, 2020 Tags: banker, bounty, cover girl, CTV, dyson, dyson v8, febreze, flares, headlamp, navigator, pantene, road trip, secret, vacuum 2 Comments

Road trip season is upon us and while we understand why you’re considering faking a flat tire to avoid the imminent whining from the back seat— we challenge you to put aside your fears and create lifelong memories along the ribbons of roads that cross North America. CTV Morning Live invited me on set to chat about these trip tips, and—while organizing for the segment—the nostalgia swept over me and I wanted to share some of my personal family road trip tips with you.

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Gaming as a Family with Apple Arcade

FAM, kids By Jill Amery July 8, 2020 No Comments

It’s the first day of summer vacation and we are still on lockdown. What do the kids want to do? Game. It’s the BANE of my existence. We’ve been in self isolation for three months (but who’s counting). While we were fortunate that their school kept them in Zoom classes from 8:30-3:30 daily, it’s a whole new world now. I have this Mom-guilt thing, where gaming is never a problem if they have school or activities all day and want to ‘chill’ in the evening. But balancing it all can be an issue. The blessing is that they have been connecting with friends through gaming, but I feel as if I’m losing my own connection with them. Because I can’t beat them, I will try and join them – with Apple Arcade.

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Local and Low-Budget Summer Activities

FAM, kids By Jill Amery July 2, 2020 1 Comment

Summer is just beginning (though it totally feels exactly like the last three months, minus the home-schooling). While parents likely had a pre-pandemic line-up of activities ready to go to keep kids busy, not only are camps cancelled, but pricey day-camps and caregivers can squeeze an already tight budget. International and Canada-US travel is likely a no-go. Some provinces are still locked down, some require quarantine for 14 days when you get there, and others simply don’t want your ‘foreign’ license plate traipsing around their roads. Here’s the Canadian Government site on COVID, so you know where your province stands. And here are a few ideas for sticking closer to home, getting out in nature and saving some precious cash.

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How Play Changes Perspective

FAM, health By Jill Amery April 29, 2020 No Comments

Perspective as parents can be tough, and even harder for kids to gain. We continually tell our kids things can always get worse. This is some ethereal notion that makes the little ones roll their eyes and tell us we are overreacting and doing a guilt trip on them because they can’t possibly send their broccoli to the kids in another country. Once I wished that the next generation could experience something so immense, it would give us all appreciation and curb feelings of entitlement. I should be careful what I wish for.

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What does a Doula do in labour?

FAM, pregnancy By Jill Amery April 28, 2020 Tags: birth doula, Doula, labour, labour doula, Support No Comments

A birth or labour doula is a woman who attends the birthing family before, during, and just after the birth of a baby. She is also called a “birth assistant” or “labour support specialist”. A birth doula will draw on her experience and training to provide physical and emotional support during your labour.

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The Baby and Toddler Teething Chart You Need

baby By Jill Amery April 17, 2020 Tags: baby toddler teething, Dentist, teething chart 4 Comments

If you’re like us, you are super-attentive to the little ones, but when it comes to writing stuff down in the baby book? But wait! There are chicken pot pies to make, and socks to launder! You might even be trying to catch up on your baby book with extra time on your hands during this pandemic. Your child’s smile is something that can be so great to document and it’s easy to do with a baby and toddler teething chart.

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Pool Safety for Kids and Summer Fun

FAM, health, kids By Jill Amery April 7, 2020 Tags: drowning, playtime, pool safety, summer, water safety No Comments

Summer fun happens in the pool. For all the fun that happens there, pool safety for kids is really important. Keeping safety in mind is the best way to avoid joining the scary statistics around drowning. The dangers of pools and swimming shouldn’t be overlooked. We’ve compiled some handy tips so you can enjoy the summer fun.

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Maternity Clothes in Canada

FAM, pregnancy By Jill Amery April 7, 2020 Tags: chic, jeans, maternity fashion, Maternity Wear, nursing bras, nursing wear, pregnancy, style, stylish 29 Comments

Remember when maternity fashion was an oxymoron? When insipid little rosebuds on a mu-mu were au courant? Canadian designers are among the top in the world, and as our reputation grows as a world-class travel destination, our shopping options do as well – even for maternity clothes. I remember when I was trying to conceive and kept going to the States to buy out of season Pea in the Pod items on sale in hopes that they’d fit if I conceived right away!! NO MORE. Shop local. Shop Canadian. We are featuring stores that carry maternity clothes in Canada and the ones below are Canadian-based stores dedicated to the belly. We’ve also got a section on nursing bras and nursing wear. Let us know if you have any additions!

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Easter Egg Decorating Tips

EAT, holidays By Jill Amery April 7, 2020 No Comments

With endless colour combinations and many different ways to decorate, making colourful eggs can be as easy or as intricate as you choose, making it a perfect activity for all ages and skill levels. From a simple egg dyed one colour, to ornate and delicate patterns, Easter eggs are as unique as the people that create them. Here are a few Easter egg decorating tips for you to explore – but I’m sure your kids have TONS of ideas of their own!

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Natural Easter Egg Dyes

EAT, holidays By Jill Amery April 7, 2020 Tags: activities, dyes, easter, Easter eggs, featured, Holiday, holidays, natural, organic, slider 3 Comments

There’s something about Easter egg waste and chemical dyes that makes me squirm. Of course there are store-bought, non-toxic natural Easter Egg dyes out there, but I set out to create my own from ingredients in the fridge. The result was muted and beautiful – almost what you would find if you happened upon a bird’s nest in nature. Natural easter egg dyes also make it healthier to consume the hard-boiled eggs after the fact. And after you master these, maybe cloth dying is in the cards!!

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