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.

Canadian Tire Kayak Slider

Building Community with a Kids Kayak

FAM, kids, pets By May 25, 2016 Tags: , , , , , , , , 92 Comments

I remember many shopping excursions to the United States with my mom—outlet stores filled with clothing and jewelry were thrilling, and buying unique back to school supplies made me feel like I was in a candy store. As I have aged, shopping is still a delight and yet my store preferences have evolved. As a new homeowner I would get excited about tools, and then after my kids were born I visited garden centres and kids’ gear shops more and more frequently. As a super busy Mom and business-owner, I now demand a ton from my shopping experiences. The stores must provide great value, include many items that I need, and allow me to research my purchases digitally. I have honed my passion for shopping and no longer trek south of the border to get my heart palpitating.

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Road trip kids snacks

Road Trip with the Kids? Bring these Snacks.

auto, EAT, GEAR, snacks By May 19, 2016 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

Summer means long family road trips, and also the onset of ‘Are we there yet?’ and ‘I’m HUNGRY!’. Parents can hardly get the car packed and still have time to come up with healthy road trip snack ideas for kids, but we’ve come up with a few cool ideas that gan get you out of a rut. Well, hopefully not a real rut. Maybe driving safety tips will be next…

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Just like dad, captured and printed on HP Envy

Give Dad the Gift of Good Times, with the HP Envy 7640

FAM, home, kids, tech, toys By May 17, 2016 No Comments

Still riding the feels from a wonderful Mother’s day, I am full swing into getting ready for Father’s day! Gifting Moms is a piece of cake compared to the monumental task of finding or *gasp* making something with the kids that their dad will actually, a) recognize as an actual thing, and b) like enough to actually put into circulation. This is no small endeavour, and should never be taken lightly because, come on, ladies, a super fab father’s day gift raises the bar for next year’s Mother’s Day, amirite?

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Dream Big Princess

Dream Big, Princess

Disney, FAM, kids By May 10, 2016 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , No Comments

Though Disney has received criticism for some of their Disney princess characters of the past—exaggerated in dimension, with tiny waists and huge eyes, they didn’t represent “real women” in shape. Despite this talk, however, I never looked down on these characters or their stories. Then again, you can find me on any given day flipping through pages of numerous fashion magazines, feeling inspired and proud of my gender, not angered at the logistics of airbrushing.

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Chevy Malibu Oak Bay Beach Hotel

The 2016 New Chevy Malibu

auto, GEAR By May 10, 2016 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

It seemed like flying over the beautiful islands between Vancouver and Victoria on a fabulously sunny spring day would be the thing that really launched this adventure on a high note—that is, until I saw a tiny deer grazing on the grass of a residential home in Oak Bay. Even though I was here to test drive a vehicle, I had a hunch that this journey had a little magic in it’s back pocket, but the big surprise was that the cool activities I was scheduled for at the spectacular resort I would be visiting, totally did not overshadow the experience of driving the new 2016 Chevy Malibu.

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HP Tablet

Travelling Light and Finding Me Time with the HP Pavilion X2 #HPTreatsMoms @HPCanada

GEAR, Shopping Reviews, toys By May 7, 2016 Tags: , , , No Comments

To say my life is crazy busy is a massive understatement, especially these days with kids, schoolwork, my work, and juggling household tasks. Keeping up, let alone getting ahead, sometimes seems impossible. I have a phone, on which I run through my schedule, a tablet to keep the kids entertained, and my laptop to pull out when I have a spare moment to work. My purse is the size of a small suitcase and hauling it around is a real pain in my…shoulder.

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Summer Style Tips for 2016 from Celebrity Stylist Lara Backmender

beauty, GEAR, Shopping Reviews, style By May 6, 2016 Tags: , , , , No Comments

We were so excited to get the FIRST taste of the summer trends by celebrity stylist Lara Backmender whose clients include—wait for it—Demi Lovato, Hayden Panetiere, Jessica Simpson, Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue, Lucy Hale, Miley Cyrus, Naomi Watts, Nina Debrev, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlet Johannson, Taylor Swift, Whitney Port and Zoey Deschanel. Seriously, I had to list them all.

What we want from summer style is easy, fresh, and versatile (mix-and-match is a must). Lara styled five outfits for attendees of the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration and used key, comfy pieces from Hanes to complete the outfits. And they meet all of our criteria.

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May The Fourth

beauty, GEAR, tech, toys By May 3, 2016 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , No Comments

Affectionately known as Star Wars Day, May the Fourth has become the Christmas for inner geeks everywhere. My sons and I will be traveling to Disney World for the Social Media Moms Celebration and fellow travellers will witness us in a couple of stormtroopers and Rae costumes!

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Star Wars Land

Star Wars Land: Why It Should Be On Your Disney List

Disney, ROAM By April 29, 2016 Tags: , , No Comments

Conception Drawing: Disney Parks

Well, not only cold and frozen things have been good for Disney over the past couple of years. After the 4 billion dollar acquisition of rights to Star Wars from Lucas Films, both North American parks broke ground for soon to be 14 acres each of Star Wars Land. April 14th, 2016 was the groundbreaking ceremony both at Disneyland park in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida for the new Star Wars Land. According to the Disney Parks Blog, ” guests will be transported to a never-before-seen planet inhabited by humanoids, droids and many others. Star Wars-themed lands will be the largest-ever single-themed land expansions at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort.”

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