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.

Protect Yourself Fortnite

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

LIVE, play By 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

Dyson Cyclone V10 Cord-free Vacuum

LIVE, wash By 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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Ambleside Park

The Benefits of Outdoor Play

fitness, GEAR By 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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Bedroom Lighting

Perfectly Lit

LIVE By May 11, 2018 No Comments

I have a confession. As much as I am trying to be a good citizen and help save the planet, at times I do it with a grumble. Sometimes the products I try just aren’t as effective as the old ones. *Gasp*. I know. In some cases, I haven’t found the right ones, and in others, the technology just wasn’t advanced enough yet. But I still try to be environmentally responsible, even if it means my life is a bit less ideal.

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Magic Eraser cupbords

Many Layers of Dirty

LIVE, wash By May 2, 2018 No Comments

The story I’m about to tell may sound vaguely familiar…. and you’re not alone. I looked around my house this morning as the sunlight poured in and felt a bit of self-loathing and disgust. I pride myself on Martha-Stewart-like cleaning prowess, and my house looks like I’ve been hosting two football teams and a petting zoo since last fall. Time for a run to the store. Not only do I grab inspirational magazines, clothes and food, but I stock up on my favourite cleaning products so I can get to work on the spring cleaning. The best part of doing a deep clean is getting the kids involved, so the products I choose need to be easy for them. Nobody should have to do a huge clean by themselves.

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hugs and high fives

Hugs and High Fives

grow, LIVE By April 25, 2018 No Comments

This morning I watched my kids sleep as I stroked their hair and hugged them. At 10 and 12, though, they are a bit more excited about playing Fortnite and soccer than cuddling with their Mama. At least I still get tons of high fives and an occasional bear hug. Back when they were newborns, I was so sleep deprived that all I wanted was help holding and soothing them. And now I just want to hug them and have time stop. How life changes!

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NordicFit Mama

Strong and Fit Postpartum

baby, FAM By April 5, 2018 1 Comment

I remember the weeks and months after giving birth as being exhausting, doubtful and enchanted. Quite the mish-mash of emotion! Muscle development and attention to myself were the last things on my mind, and yet they should have been front and centre, because other people’s needs fall so much more easily into place when a Mom has inner and outer strength. Having a daily mentor to boost me up without judgment would have been magical! More than that, though, would have been being able to tap into this confidante at any time of day or night, while holding and playing with my baby. I was clearly missing Safe and Strong by Nordic Fit Mama.

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Lunchbox Notes

Lunchbox Notes to Combat School Anxiety

EAT, lunches By March 1, 2018 2 Comments

It’s every parent’s biggest worry. Will they have so much fun at school they don’t want to come home? OK maybe not the BIGGEST, but it still ranks up there. Especially if your kids have some anxiety about leaving you or being in school, a developmentally-appropriate lunchbox note can go a long way. Before they are reading, familiar images or photographs can be great. I can’t wait to start sending Shakespeare verses once my boys get older… I’m sure they will be SO thrilled with that!!

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Household Cleaning Checklists

The Best 7 Household Cleaning Checklists + {free download}

LIVE, wash By February 28, 2018 6 Comments

Everyone cleans differently, and it can be super annoying when people develop complicated checklists specifying how you have to dust lampshades on Tuesday when you hardly have time to take a shower. (BTW cleaning the shower when you’re in it is a great time-saver. Then use the wet towel to wipe the bathroom floor before tossing it in the laundry you don’t have time to do.) You didn’t know I was THAT smart, did you?

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Coding for Kids

Free Kids Programs with Apple

LIVE, play By February 11, 2018 1 Comment

Parents looking for fun and inspiring activities to do for the family or kids can turn to their local Apple store to register for free kids programs with Apple through “Today at Apple” spanning coding, photography, music and arts lead by Apple Creatives. These are also relevant to UrbanMommies readers in Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba too. Here are some examples of the programming offered at Apple stores across the Lower Mainland!

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