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.

Video: How to Make Chipotle Ketchup

eat, EAVESDROP, LIVE, Seen By Jill Amery December 1, 2017 1 Comment

Wondering what to with all the ripe and delicious tomatoes you harvested from your garden this year? Tired of canning your tomatoes whole or making the same old boring pasta sauce? Making the same thing all the time with tomatoes can get boring, but when you live on an island like me, you need to be able to maximize the produce from your gardens.

Ideas for SIMPLE Weekday Eggs

EAT, family meals By Jill Amery November 30, 2017 3 Comments

My sons do sports and run around every chance they get, and most of the time, are so passionate about play that they are too distracted to eat. Our family has tried so many things in order to give them continuous energy on school days, but the very best solution has been to make sure they eat eggs in the morning. (We’re still working on finishing school lunches but at least they have some sustained energy from breakfast!) The only problem with this lofty egg goal is that Mommy doesn’t always hear her alarm…. The truth is that eggs aren’t just for weekends. Sure – you can reheat ‘weekend eggs’ during the week, but it’s amazing to make them fresh – and fast – every day. I’ve come up with easy ways to ensure they get this amazing protein each day – even when we all have a wee sleep in.

Apple Black Friday

GEAR, tech By Jill Amery November 24, 2017 No Comments

You and I know we all want the Black Friday deals. And the Apple stuff. Well, it seems they have dealt us a curve by releasing it all based on time zone. Amazing if it works, but how does that even happen?! I personally have 7 minutes to go before the big reveal.

Playing Around with Advent

beauty, GEAR By Jill Amery November 23, 2017 No Comments

The Body Shop has long been known for not testing products on animals, but they are so much more! Body butters, luxury spa quality products, and true innovations are also part of their lineup. This year, with a ‘spa of the world’ mantra, they have introduced firming products like a French grapeseed scrub and Ethiopian green coffee cream. I am holding my breath for their insanely fun play-based advent calendars packed with all of the hottest products of the year. The holiday gifts and sets are perfect gifts for teachers, friends, moms, dads and everyone who loves self-care and good quality product.

Holiday Gift Guide 2017

GEAR, tech, toys By Jill Amery November 22, 2017 2 Comments

It’s here! Our 2017 holiday gift guide will fill your head and heart with our curated ideas for each member of your precious family. It took a lot of hours and much crowd-sourcing but we think we’ve prepared some pretty cool picks, just in time for the Black Friday sales. This year we have 10 guides listed all below, so you needn’t click around. We wish you the merriest of Christmases, the happiest of Hanukkahs and the best Kwanzaa ever. Have a peaceful, joyful season and make every memory with your kids count. xx

Helping Parents Stay Hip With the Latest Toy Trends

GEAR, toys By Jill Amery November 16, 2017 1 Comment

My kids are growing up, and I can’t seem to keep on top of the trends. They come home from school with new words and expressions and I have to check the urban dictionary to figure out if their day was good or bad! The other day my son said that my hat was ‘lit’ and I worried I was on fire. It’s hard to look like a cool mom when you don’t know the ‘savage’ lingo. See? I’m catching on.

As language trends change, so do the popular toys. As a busy mom, I certainly don’t have time to figure out what is popular. It’s a full-time job to help with homework and decipher what they are saying!

Silken Laumann: The Spectrum of Love

EAVESDROP, FAM, health, Overheard By Jill Amery October 25, 2017 No Comments

Many children on the autism spectrum have robust and complicated emotions that they simply can’t express to others in typical ways. Sometimes people around these kids don’t get the normal smiles, hugs and eye contact received as part of typical communication. There are a million ways people can show love – a huge spectrum. I spoke with Olympian and mother of four, Silken Laumann about her experience parenting a 21-year-old daughter named Kilee who is on the autism spectrum. In the podcast below, we speak about self-care, parenting, sport, and how technology can not only teach, but help family connections. Technology can help children discover new ways to express themselves.

Exploring the East Coast in a 2018 Traverse

auto, Canada, GEAR, ROAM By Jill Amery October 24, 2017 No Comments

The more I see of my birthplace, I wish I had explored extensively and heard tons more stories from locals as I grew up. I am feeling abundantly thankful for Chevrolet Canada for inviting me to drive the amazing Traverse around the Bay of Fundy. Youth may be wasted on the young, but travel at any age is never a waste. Even in your own backyard. I vow to take as many road trips and holidays as I possibly can with my family in order to broaden our minds and strengthen our bonds. The kids will have to do the trek through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with me in the future, because there is nothing like the Maritimes. Sociable!

Family Dinner Etiquette

EAT, family meals By Jill Amery October 11, 2017 3 Comments

Aaah, Sunday dinners. Grandparents everywhere look sceptically at the manners of their grandkids while parents pray they will eat and not completely offend everyone at the table. “Put your napkin on your lap! Chew with your mouth closed!” But it doesn’t have to be like that! Family dinners tend to have enough stress for some people without the addition of insecurity. UrbanMommies sat down with Sunita Padda, Founder of TableSmarts, and got some amazing tips about family dinner etiquette – and garnered a few refreshers of our own. Etiquette can be intimidating, but remember it’s purpose is about making people feel good.

Holiday Trends 2017: Oh Canada

EAT, holidays By Jill Amery October 10, 2017 No Comments

I am a super-collector of thematic decor. Seriously. I actually have an entire room dedicated to Hallowe’en garden gnomes, spring-themed cookie cutters and Christmas nutcrackers. The latter were acquired a few years ago from Canadian Superstore, and the store has since upped the ante with full-on Canadian hockey nutcrackers. (Don’t worry – I put a word in with the designer requesting goalkeeper versions). I will be lining up this year to snag a few of these.

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