Parenting Tips Blog

All New Apps!

February 25th, 2013 - Category: Uncategorized

Fastest Growing Kids Chore Site, My Job Chart,
Launches Mobile Apps

The 311,000 Current Members, plus the 500+ Members Who Join Daily,
Can Now Track what they Save, Share and Spend On the Go

Scottsdale, Ariz. – Feb 25, 2013 – Answering the demand from its more than 311,000 users, My Job Chart now offers Apple and Android mobile apps, allowing parents and kids the opportunity to save, share and spend from anywhere. Mobile access to MyJobChart.com gives parents the opportunity to teach their kids financial responsibility and personal accountability throughout the day. The fastest growing online chore chart created the free apps for Apple iPhones, iPads and Android phones and tablets. A new mobile site is also available at m.myjobchart.com. With more than 500 new members joining daily, these apps allow this growing community to personalize chores, set up rewards and cash in points anytime, anywhere.

“Going mobile for My Job Chart makes perfect sense because users can access chore charts and rewards on the fly instead of having to wait until they get back to their computer,” said Gregg Murset, father of six and CEO and founder of My Job Chart. “Let’s face it, most family activities happen when we’re away from our desks. We really think our members will enjoy the ease and convenience of the new apps.”

Murset started My Job Chart in February 2010 as a solution for his family. In January 2011, a new site, with the capacity to help millions of users, launched with 50,000 members. Now, two years later, the member base has grown 500%, adding a quarter of a million people in less than 24 months.

“We’ve tackled one thing at a time to make sure users have a seamless and enjoyable experience when they use My Job Chart,” said Trevyn Meyer, Lead Software Engineer for My Job Chart. “With hundreds of members joining daily, we have been fielding a rising number of requests for mobility; these apps deliver freedom and usability, while still offering all the features of the traditional site.”

My Job Chart gives parents and their children a free way to personalize a chores and reward system. Since its inception, kids have completed more than 13.6 million jobs, earning 151 million points, which equals an earning power of $1.51 million.

As kids complete chores, My Job Chart keeps track of their earned points that they can save, share or spend. The site allows parents to set up bank accounts to teach the importance of saving; enables kids to share by donating to one of many charitable organizations, such as Heifer International and Operation Smile; and offers access to an integrated Amazon.com store where parents can purchase reward items or help kids learn responsible spending. The site doesn’t require financial incentives and parents can also create free rewards, such as a day at the park, a favorite meal or a family bike ride.

To download the app, search for My Job Chart in the app store on your mobile device or go to www.myjobchart.com/mobile_apps.

About My Job Chart

My Job Chart, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a free, easy to use, online and mobile chore chart and reward system designed to teach, organize and motivate kids to save, share and spend responsibly. After successfully raising two rounds of seed funding in 2010, which exceeded benchmarks, My Job Chart launched its new site in January 2011. Propelled by a third round of funding in 2012 the site has grown 500% in two years, adding nearly a quarter of a million members in less than 24 months. For more information on My Job Chart, visit www.myjobchart.com.

Evolution of the Apps

February 25th, 2013 - Category: Uncategorized

Alarming Trends about Guys and Technology

January 29th, 2013 - Category: Uncategorized

I recently read the book entitled, “The Demise of Guys” and was totally shocked at the statistics reinforcing what I instinctively already knew in my head.  As the author put it, “guys are flaming out”.  Crashing and burning.  Biting the dust.

Well, I for one, am not letting my guys ages 15, 10, 8 and almost 6 “flame out”.  Nope… over my dead body is that going to happen.

These guys are growing up in a world that would have no problem if they just completely wasted all the potential they have wrapped up inside of them.  Just chewed them up and spit them out.  These guys need a man that has been down the road a little further than they have been, to help lead the way and educate them about all the pitfalls out there.  That is what a real man does right?

So why are guys going down in flames?  Well, there are a number of contributing factors but the two biggest reasons fit into the same category: technology.  Specifically, video games and online pornography.

The average young person will spend 10,000 hours gaming by age 21.  What?  With so many boys running around now with a gaming device in their front pocket, I’m not really that surprised.  Every time there is a spare minute, out comes the video game and the time wasting begins.  The author put this in context when he stated that it takes the average college student only half that time – 4,800 hours – to earn a bachelor’s degree.  Let’s see here… a college degree or hours of mind numbing gaming?  Unfortunately, many guys are choosing the latter to their own demise.  I’m not bashing the occasional virtual adventure on a winter day, but 10,000 hours?  Come on.

The pornography business is picking up speed at a staggering rate and destroying guys left and right as it barrels down the tracks.  One in three boys is now considered a “heavy” porn user, viewing nearly two hours of porn every week.  Really?  Seriously? Worldwide, pornography is almost a 100 billion dollar industry.  This filth is peddled to anyone that will take a look, with the hope that they will take another look and yet another until they are stuck in an addictive cycle that destroys their ability to have normal interactions with others, especially those of the opposite sex.

Well, as disheartening as these statistics may be… take courage, I have a few simple solutions to consider:

First, boys need more to do.  They need to be given more responsibility earlier on in life.  How about some jobs around the house for heavens sake?  It’s hard to game or get in trouble on the internet while you have a lawn mower or a paintbrush in your hand!  Have them get off the couch or come out of their room, where they are more than likely gaming in seclusion, and do something productive.  They might cuss you under their breath when they are younger but I believe they will praise your name later in life.  Shoot, maybe even sincerely thank you face to face!  Wouldn’t that be nice?  The men that have my respect are real men that know how to work hard.

Secondly, boys need some goals.  A clear vision of what they could or should be doing with their time.  If they aren’t gaming so much or looking at porn, that leaves a lot of time to do something worthwhile.  So sit down with your son, nephew, friend, whoever, and help open their eyes to the many other meaningful things that they could be doing with their time.  Read good books, learn how to play an instrument or take on a new language.  Get interested in a hobby like hunting or fishing or enroll them in some other organized sport.  Maybe it’s weight lifting or running or mountain biking.  Help them set some financial goals and teach them how to make good financial decisions.  Help them understand that good things come to those that wait.  Maybe it’s saving up for the car they might be dreaming of when they get into High School.  As they set some goals and then make the effort to achieve those goals they will have an increased sense of self worth.  Not some lame, fake, and fleeting self worth that comes from achieving another level on a video game or being momentarily aroused by yet another pornographic image.

You know what’s going to happen if we can keep them out of this technology trap?  They are going to do better in school, have better social skills, be more self-motivated, learn how to work and make good money decisions.  All in all, they are going to be more pleasant to be around.  Bonus!

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I am not saying to go on complete and total technology lock down.  Don’t freak out and pile up the iPhones and start a bon-fire or anything.  These little gadgets are totally amazing if used for the right purposes.  We just need to make sure that these guys that we are raising are given some guidance so they aren’t the ones that get run over by this technological train barreling down the tracks.

The demise of guys?  Well, for my 4 guys it’s going to have to be over my dead body.

Gregg Murset is the Founder of MyJobChart.

Check out this amazing info graphic!  Use it to teach your kids about how important this is!

Award Winning Journalist Joins My Job Chart Advisory Board

June 13th, 2012 - Category: Uncategorized

Widely recognized as a visionary thinker about the future of money, author and award winning journalist David Wolman says now, more than ever, young people can benefit from MyJobChart.com. Pointing to MyJobChart.com as an invaluable tool for teaching young people about money, earning, saving, and the economy, he recently joined the organization as an advisory board member.

Wolman’s latest book, The End of Money, is a globetrotting investigation of the future of money and how it will affect each of our wallets. He sees the MyJobChart.com’s free online chore and money management system as a way for children and young adults to navigate the changing financial environment in ways that promote financial literacy. “It’s hard to imagine what child or family wouldn’t benefit from this toolkit,” says Wolman.

The website’s sophisticated coding yet user-friendly interface has attracted more than 145,000 young people in less than two years, all of whom are tracking household chores while simultaneously learning financial fundamentals. The simple online program provides immediate feedback in the form of reward points: as young people complete chores they earn points, which can then be “saved” in online youth savings accounts, “shared” with a charity of their choice, or “spent” responsibly on something they need or want.

“I think the single most important ingredient to our site’s popularity is our member’s satisfaction—the sense of accomplishment it offers young people,” says MyJobChart.com founder, Gregg Murset. “Our site is not some fantasy land- or video game experience. It’s hands on, real world learning in a tech friendly and engaging way that teaches kids not only that earning requires work, but also that earning and tracking one’s finances can be fun.”

Murset says having Wolman join the MyJobChart.com advisory board is yet another indication of how our site is leading the way in teaching youth financial fundamentals in a society that is changing at a dizzying pace. “The reality,” explains Murset, “is that handing kids a few dollar bills to place into a piggy bank isn’t much of a lesson in the big picture. This is why we are excited to have bright, forward-thinking minds like David Wolmans’ on our team. We look forward to fresh insights from Mr. Wolman that will help us further grow and achieve our mission of expanding financial literacy and instilling a strong work ethic among our future generation of adults.

David Wolman is an author and award-winning journalist. He is a contributing editor for Wired, and he has written for a variety of publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Outside, Newsweek, Nature, and Time. A former Fulbright journalism fellow in Japan and a graduate of Stanford University’s journalism program, he now lives in Portland, Oregon, where he received a 2011 Oregon Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship. His website is www.david-wolman.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @davidwolman

Operation Smile Added to My Job Chart Charities

October 25th, 2011 - Category: Uncategorized

As parents, it’s so important for us to teach our children to be kind, charitable and responsible – all at the same time. So when MyJobChart was created, it was built with a SHARE area. The SHARE area allows children to donate some of their allowance (or other rewards) to various charities.

This opportunity to be charitable is entirely up to the child. They can make their own choices about how much of their reward they should keep and how much they are willing to give to others.

Because we believe charity comes from seeing the needs of others, MyJobChart offers several charities to choose from. And now, we’re delighted to announce that Operation Smile has just joined our list.

Operation Smile is an international charity that helps children with facial deformities. With the money they receive from contributions, Operation Smile provides these children with corrective surgeries. This charity was formed in 1982 as a response to the many children born with cleft palates or cleft clips.

Operation Smile is currently serving in over 60 countries, providing children with the help their families can’t afford to get for them. It’s a life-changing surgery that could mean the difference between success in life and struggling.

If you’re looking for a job chart that incorporates other opportunities (such as a chance to learn charity), then you need to try Myjobchart.com. It’s free, it’s easy, and it provides your children with a great chance to learn new attributes.

MyJobChart.com featured on KTAR.com, Yahoo! Finance, App News Bureau and More!

June 3rd, 2011 - Category: Uncategorized

MyJobChart.com is sure making a splash. We’ve recently been featured in several prominent locations throughout the country.

Most recently we were seen on:

KTAR.com – which provides the Arizona valley with news and sports talk. In this article, MyJobChart.com was credited as a way to keep kids busy during the summer break.

Yahoo! Finance, App News Bureau, several local newspapers, and online business journals – these sources all talked about the recent endorsement we received from Suze Orman. You remember reading about that, right?

And in addition to all these sites, we have also been talked about on dozens of “mommy blogs”.

In other words, the word is spreading and we are so grateful to you for helping us spread the message.

Thanks to You – MyJobChart is Getting National Recognition

March 1st, 2011 - Category: Uncategorized

When Gregg Murset created MyJobChart, his goal was to find a simple way for his children to manage their chores. But once he saw the success his own family experienced, he knew he had to share MyJobChart with the world.

But it has been you, those who use MyJobChart, that have made us such a success. Thank you for spreading the word about this powerful program. Because of you, we have attracted quite a bit of attention.

Here are just a few places MyJobChart has been talked about lately:

Raising Arizona Kids – In the March issue of this Arizona magazine, there is an article about the creation and growth of MyJobChart.

Money-Minded Moms – This last week, Suze Orman, financial guru added us a resource.

Numerous Blogs – To list them all would take quite a bit of time. But we appreciate all the posts and comments that have talked about MyJobChart.

This recognition is great in helping us get the word out about MyJobChart, a free online job chart for kids. If you haven’t tried MyJobChart yet, then we encourage you to test it out. (It is free after all.)

If you’re using and loving MyJobChart then please continue to help us by telling your friends about it, blogging about it, and even posting messages on Facebook or Twitter.

Again, thank you for making this free tool an incredible success!

A Son’s “Thank You”

June 7th, 2010 - Category: Uncategorized

Good morning parents and MJC users. We have something very special for you to start off this week’s blog writing. A little over a week ago, we asked Jon, an Arizona native, to write an article about our parenting tips blog. We wanted him to offer his own perspective on parenting and how it has shaped his life. Jon is not a parent but is a college student at Arizona State University. Jon writes:

As a guest writer on the My Job Chart Parenting Tips Blog, I would like to take this post in a different direction. You see, I do not have any children yet, nor am I married. I will not pretend to write from my own experience as a parent, as that would be dishonest and most likely of no value to you the reader. I can however write from my experience as a son, and offer insight into what makes the biggest difference in the life of a child, as it has not been that long since leaving the nest.

I was blessed with what I consider to be role model parents. They weren’t always perfect, and they’ll be the first ones to tell you, but I would like to share with you some of the things that have impacted me and helped mold me into the man I am today. I will discuss three attributes: love, service, and discipline.

Love

There was never a doubt in my mind that my parents loved me. I remember in elementary school, my mother would make our brown bag lunches for us. She would make my favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a capri sun juice, chips, and maybe a pudding cup if we were lucky. And so often, there would be a little note from my dear mother. She would write something simple like, “Love you Jonny Boy” or “Hope you have a great day, Love Mom.” As can be expected from a seven year old I would read them, slightly embarrassed, so that none of my friends could see, since that would inevitably lead to teasing. But how these notes made a difference. Almost 20 years later I still remember them, and I knew my parents loved me. I’m not saying that little notes in lunch bags are all it takes to raise a child with love, but I believe that if the small things are being done, the big things will naturally follow.

 Service

I remember one December my family decided to do the Twelve Days of Christmas for a less fortunate family. This tradition involves making presents based on the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and giving one present for each day before Christmas. My siblings and I would take the present and sneak up to their porch and knock and run, leaving the present on their doorstep. It was great fun as we imagined ourselves secret good doing spies! My parents taught us by example to serve others as well as those in our family.

Discipline

When I was six my family moved into a large two story house in a small town in northern Arizona. It was definitely what you would call a “fixer upper”. Since then, we have been constantly working on it. Every Saturday my dad would wake me and my two older brothers up early and we would get to work. We tore down old walls, put up new walls, redid the floors and roof, and worked on the yard. Our entire family would work in the garden pulling weeds and harvesting. Through the sweat and hard work I learned about the rewards that follow. I saw the food that we grew in the garden become delicious meals prepared by my mother, and I saw the house around me transform into a home, a home we built with our own hands. My parents taught me discipline through hard work, and that is something I have carried with me my entire life that has helped me to excel.

The Dangers of Huffing and Its Effect on Teenagers and Parents

April 9th, 2010 - Category: Uncategorized

This short clip from ABC News aired yesterday morning on the rise in popularity of huffing amongst young teenagers. Huffing is a method of getting high by means of inhaling toxic fumes such as can be found in most aerosols, gasoline, rubber cement, and even markers. Because of the accessibility of such products to children both at school and at home, huffing has become one of the most popular forms of drug abuse amongst young teens.

The report states that huffing is the most frequently used drug by 12 year olds and that there is higher use amongst 6th graders than seniors. This harmful, even deadly, form of drug abuse is currently used by over 1 million teens. This in mind, it is important that, as parents, we recognize the signs and the physical effects of huffing as it could be the difference in a child’s life

Signs of Huffing (What to Look For)

• sudden disinterest in friends
• sudden interest in new group of friends
• slurred speech
• disorientation
• solvent residues near mouth or nose area
• smell of aerosols on the individual
• redness around eyes nose or mouth
• household aerosol products are being used up abnormally fast

Physical Effects of Huffing

• kills brain cells
• negatively affects the heart (cardiac arrest can occur even with first time users)
• dizziness
• nausea/vomiting
• choking
• muscle damage
• suffocation
• cancer
• bone marrow damage – reduces formation of blood cells
• death

Please be aware of these signs and effects and make sure your children are informed of the negative effects of huffing. Pass this message on to your friends so that we all can take a stand against this devastatingly addictive habit.