Reviews & Giveaways

Too Many Emails, One Simple Solution

My email inbox used to be OOC–out of control. I didn’t think I had many subscriptions, but with our on-again, off-again internet access as we travel the country, I couldn’t consistently check, answer, and delete. The emails were multiplying like rabbits, even though I was manually unsubscribing and deleting as fast as I could. Like rabbits, people!

That’s when I discovered Unroll Me. (It’s FREE, so keep reading.) My email inbox was full of ads, alerts, Simple Homemaker contacts, Travel Bags contacts, business, and personal messages. I couldn’t find the good stuff amongst all the ads! Now my email inbox contains this:

Simple Homemaker emails (comments, questions, contact form)
Personal emails from family and friends
The Travel Bags emails (our family’s travel blog)
Stephen Bautista Music emails (my husband’s music)
One daily email containing all my subscriptions and advertisements

It’s no longer overwhelming, so I can manage it on a daily or bi-weekly basis. And if I don’t have time to read the Unroll Me daily email, I delete it, knowing I haven’t lost any personal emails or messages from you terrific people. Oh, so happy!

Here’s how Unroll Me works:

When Unroll Me and I first hooked up, UM scanned my inbox. It then listed all my subscriptions and gave me a simple option for each: roll it up, unsubscribe, or leave in inbox.

Here’s what that means:

For the sake of example, let’s say I’m subscribed to my family’s travel blog, The Travel Bags…which I am. I like to know what we’ve been up to.

Roll it up: If I choose this option, my messages from The Travel Bags will show up with all my other rolled up subscriptions in one email a day. ONE, people. Not 10. Not 100. One. I scan the single daily email and click on whatever I want to read. When I’m finished, I delete ONE email. If I get behind and, for example, don’t read emails throughout the entire month of December (oops), I can go in and delete 31 emails, not 310, not 3,100, 31.

Unsubscribe: If I don’t really care about the Bagasao family’s music missionary travels throughout the country and I don’t want to be subscribed to The Travel Bags anymore (heaven forbid!), I click unsubscribe and UM unsubscribes for me. This alone is well worth setting up a UM account. No more pesky unsubscribing! No more, people! Imagine the freedom! I thought I didn’t have very many subscriptions, but UM has unsubbed me from over 150 lists. Insanity.

Leave in inbox: If I want to make absolutely sure I get each and every update from The Travel Bags as soon as it comes out, I leave it in my inbox. All subscriptions left in the inbox continue exactly as they always have. Of course, that’s what I do with my subscription to The Travel Bags. Grin.

Are you afraid of committing to an unsubscribe or roll-up? UM keeps track of all your unsubs, roll-ups, and inbox emails and lets you change your mind at the click of a button. No commitment necessary!

Every day (you choose morning, afternoon, or evening) Unroll Me sends me the collection of the day in one email. At the top, it shares how many new subscriptions it has found. If it finds new subscriptions and you haven’t subscribed to anything new, it’s because it’s finding emails from addresses it hasn’t yet seen since you hooked up with Unroll Me. It encourages you to quickly tidy your inbox by rolling up or unsubscribing right away, and gives you an easy link for doing so.

Oh Unroll Me. I love your efficient, tidy ways!

One quick note on Unroll Me that may confuse you. My UM account states that I have well over 100 subscriptions. I absolutely do not. Many companies will send emails from numerous different addresses. Each one is considered a subscription and needs to be rolled up. That’s why you may have to roll something up more than once. I’ve never had to unsubscribe more than once, however.

There is an itsy bitsy teeny tiny learning curve–really tiny. Give it a go for a couple weeks and see if you love Unroll Me as much as I do. If you don’t, we can still be friends.

By the way, I don’t get paid for telling you this. Your clean inbox is my reward. Grin!

Click here to get started on your clean inbox.

Now that I have a clean inbox, I love reading your comments! Share your tips for managing emails.

A Simple Stain Solution: Fels Naptha Stain Remover and Laundry Bar

I have seven children. To cut back on laundry, my children wear their play clothes to death before we wash them. It’s like the zombie apocalypse of laundry, which means there are some serious stains. I don’t usually care much about the stains on their play clothes, but sometimes they accidentally wear their church clothes to death, too.

Like this adorable top my sister-in-law gave our littlest love:

Before a mustard splotch, grape jello, unidentifiable food byproducts, and a bloody finger, this was a white shirt. Ohhhh, poor shirt. You are doomed.

Enter the age-old Fels Naptha laundry bar and stain remover.

It looks like a great big bar of English toffee…

but it doesn’t taste like one.

We wet the shirt, rubbed the bar on the abundant stains, and tossed it…in the laundry basket and forgot about it.

The directions say to let it rest for a minute and then wash it.

Directions shmirshmections. I finally washed the shirt after a few days, threw it in the drier, and SHAZAAM! Stains gone!

So I put the shirt on my little model, ran to get my camera for an after shot, and SHAZAAM! Grape juice spill all over the shirt! Who gave the baby grape juice?! Oh…I did…well…not my smartest parenting move. Zombie apocalypse laundry:1, parental foresight: 0.

Option 1 was to wash the shirt again and take an after shot.

Option 2 was to embrace reality and just tell you people what happened.

I’m an option 2 sort of person. Who’s with me? It’s anti-climactic this way, but it offers more scope for the imagination. I mean, a picture? What’s that all about?

You’ll just have to believe me. The Fels Naptha bar worked. Another daughter used the stain bar on a white skirt and it came out looking like new. You’ll just have to believe her, too, because she doesn’t generally take pictures of her laundry. Crazy, messed-up kid. If you’re really set on seeing a before and after, check out this blog who did a similar experiment…but whose kids seem a bit tidier than mine. Ahem.

The bar did not take out our old stains that were already set in the drier, the kind that we sort of bonded with and which have become almost a part of the family. As far as I know, the best way to take out ancient stains is a pair of scissors. Do you have a better method?

I love products that have withstood the test of time, and this is one of them. It’s from 1894. How’s your math? That’s…uhhh…a long time! People use it as a laundry booster, stain remover, and ingredient in homemade laundry detergent, and I just read of people using to wash their dogs, dishes, floors, and furniture. Whoa.

If I were to change something, I would take out the fragrance. I always buy unscented, but that’s just me! Just me. It’s totally fine if that’s not you. It’s just me. Actually, it’s not me–it’s my husband.

Don’t eat it. It’s not English toffee.

Purex gave me this bar to test. The fact that it was free did not affect my opinion. It did, however, affect my household budget slightly. They also gave me a few free coupons for some of you, which will be part of an upcoming mega-giveaway. Sweet!

What are some of your go-to stain removal solutions?

Why Are You on The Tummy Team If You Don’t Have a Pooch!

When I announced that I was part of The Tummy Team, I heard quite a few remarks like this:

But you don’t even have a pooch!
But you look good for having seven kids! (I always wonder if that’s a veiled insult. If you looked like this after two kids, whoa and yikes, but the fact that you gave birth seven times and you’re standing mostly vertical is amazing.)
Why are you so hard on yourself? You shouldn’t be expected to look perfect.

And my favorite, which gets an extra cookie for creativity and making me laugh:

You’re not qualified to review this! That’s like putting a 20-something on a Depends commercial.

To this I say yes and no…or no and yes.

The fact is that appearance-wise, no, my abs have never been much of a problem area. I carry my imperfections a bit lower. (If there’s a Butt and Thigh Team, sign me up!) Plus I keep my clothes on, which does quite a bit for my overall look. I recommend that fashion statement—fully clothed—to people everywhere.

The other fact is that, despite my general lack of excessive pooch, yes, I am an ideal candidate for The Tummy Team.

You see, Friends, The Tummy Team is not only about how you look. That’s just a side benefit. It’s about strengthening the integral structure of the core of your body. It’s about giving your foundation an overhaul, healing the cracks and stabilizing the supporting beams. To borrow a term from Kelly, The Tummy Team Master as I like to call her, it’s strengthening your “corset,” the abdominal muscle that runs from your spine all the way around to the center of your abs, up to your ribs, and down to your pelvis.

When your corset has its rear in gear and is supporting you like it’s supposed to, everything works better. For me that means a few vital things:

1. The spine is supported.

My goal in that area is that my posture will improve, which is an enormous issue for me. I have weak “standing up” muscles and pop my hips out one way or the other like a dancing girl from the 80s. I also slump my shoulders, stick out my tummy, and rest my hands, purse, or baby on the resulting “shelf.” It ain’t pretty. (Well, the baby’s pretty…just not the shelf.) Stronger sit-and-stand muscles are useful for everything I do in a day, except, maybe, doing my Shaggy imitation. I need them to work for me, not against me.

I also have frequent pain from mild scoliosis in my upper back, an over-extended lower back, and a forward-protruding neck. I’m a vision. I used to visit the chiropractor for realigning my spine and for fixing an extremely painful rib displacement, but I didn’t have the muscle control to hold it all where it needed to be. Plus, on the road, it’s tricky to find a chiropractor…and some of them are expensive. I’m hoping my muscles can help prevent future problems, ‘cuz I don’t want pain or the depression into which it plunges a person.

2. The organs function better.

I like well-functioning organs as much as the next guy, but I’m more concerned about my daughter Hannah, whose organs have to last longer than mine do, and who was handed an extra challenge to rise above in the form of her Crohn’s Disease. The program should help her overall digestion and intestinal function as part of her gradual big-picture survive-and-thrive healing protocol.

3. The surrounding muscles operate more reliably.

I don’t want to become a 40-something on a Depends commercial. I had seven children. That’s 63 beautiful months of pregnancy…well, the puking wasn’t so pretty. Besides the extra silly putty skin seven pregnancies have left around my middle (great for entertaining the kids) those seven beauties did a number on my bladder. I mean, like a tap dance number. I had one particularly difficult pregnancy during which I got severely ill with bronchitis during the later stages, and coughing and sneezing and leaking was out of control. My pelvic floor muscle (the one that keeps people off the Depends commercials) isn’t what it used to be. Sneezing on a full bladder used to be a problem. I want to make that an un-problem, and I’m seeing baby steps in that area.

I will admit that learning proper kegals in week four is hard. It’s hard. But, hey, I’m exercising a muscle. Pull-ups are hard if you don’t do them. And, just like pull-ups, it’s getting easier. That’s exciting to me. Not like chocolate and pie exciting, but super close!

Did she just admit she leaks when she sneezes? Yes, I did! Honestly, People, you should know by now that I keep it real.

4. The back is stronger overall.

That means I can carry my baby longer. Does that need any further explanation?

5. The brain and body learn to work together properly in the real world.

Through Kelly’s training, we are learning everything from how to get out of bed to proper potty posture (yeah, there’s some potty talk). Applying what we’re learning helps prevent further damage or future re-injury, and it enables us to exercise those muscles in a practical, everyday manner, until it becomes second nature. It’s not unlike word problems in math. Some of you are saying “Oh, I get it,” and the rest of you are saying, “I hate math.” Hating math is irrelevant. The point is that if you can subtract 75 from 100, but you can’t figure out that paying a buck for a 75-cent chocolate bar gives you 25 cents in change, your math training was useless. The Tummy Team teaches you how to make change.

6. The abdominal region looks more “even” and controlled.

A side benefit to all of this is that the abdominal region doesn’t pooch out. I don’t mind a little pooching, because I don’t expect to look like a supermodel. I was given brains over beauty. (Ha, little joke there. Ha. I’m not really that full of myself. Ha. Ha. Hmmm. Okay, not funny.) I do, however, mind pooching when I know it’s putting excess strain on my back and making it harder for me to live life the way I’m supposed to. Plus, I am 40, which my husband tells me rounds up to 50. I know whatever pooch I’m dealing with now will only get bigger over the next ten years and exacerbate any current problems. I’m not cool with that. I’m not really cool at all, but that’s irrelevant.

There you go. That’s it in a nutshell…or a bowl of nuts, really. That’s why I’m part of The Tummy Team. Plus this girl, Kelly, she’s super sweet, smart, and helpful, and really has a heart for helping people. Love her!

Have I seen improvement?

Indeed I have. I have gained an awareness of my core (yeah, a month ago I would have said SO WHAT?! to that, too.) and have “engaged” it to be an active, helpful participator in my life, not just a droopy little tag-along. What does that mean? I’m stronger! My posture is better. Hannah’s middle is toning up and trimming out. The exercises from the first week that seemed to puny became hard, and then easy, and now they’re second nature. Second nature is a pretty big deal for someone who forgets to brush her teeth some nights.

I’ll be talking to you a little more about this in a couple weeks, and about 0ne particular benefit I’ve seen that I’m excited about. Plus, Hannah and I will be sharing our progress and hosting a giveaway after we have graduated. If you’re not a subscriber, jump on board to get the low-down on the giveaway. Maybe there will be cookies. (Cookies don’t contribute to a pooch. Yes, I’m in denial.)

If you have any questions I can answer in my next review, please let me know in the comments below, or check out The Tummy Team.

(As of 11/14/13, I am an affiliate for The Tummy Team, so this post now contains affiliate links.)

Ultimate Information on the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle Sale

Bundle sales are a growing trend in the ebook marketing world. The team at Ultimate Bundles knows this, which is why they worked to make this Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle the best yet! Click here to read my thoughts on the bundle and who might benefit from it.

Here’s what the Ultimate Bundles team says:

Providing you with fabulously useful eBook resources is what we, the team behind Ultimate Bundles, are all about. This year we decided to throw caution to the wind and make the package more of a no-brainer than ever before.

What’s in the Bundle?

We took 86 eBooks (plus 1 eCourse) by popular bloggers on topics like real food & recipes, green living, natural cleaning and beauty, mental and emotional health, fitness, herbal remedies and more.

Then we added the brand new “Coffee Table Conversations,” a 12-week series of author mentorship through interactive online conference calls and private support groups.

We finished it off with 9 bonus sponsors offering you $150+ of incredible products and services to help you along your way. This includes bonuses like $25.98 of FREE eco-friendly laundry detergent from Dizolve (because we all need clean clothes). This bonus nearly makes up for the entire cost of the bundle!

How Much Does the Bundle Cost?

Ultimate: Maximum; decisive; conclusive. The best or most extreme of its kind.

We wouldn’t call it the “ultimate” bundle if it wasn’t true.

As our hard-working team pulled together the Ultimate Healthy Living 2013 Bundle Sale, we had 3 basic goals: to put a comprehensive health library at your fingertips, to offer something for everyone, and to provide so much value for an itty-bitty price that it would be irresistible.

In a nutshell? This bundle is brimming with more than 80 ebook and ecourse resources, from authors and bloggers known as authorities in their fields.

For less than $30, you can pick up your own bundle complete with more than $800 of ebooks, $67 of interactive “coffee table conversations” with their authors, and $158 of products and services to help you on your way toward healthier living. That’s over a $1,000 value!

But you don’t want to wait! This bundle is available for only 6 days, from 8 a.m. (EST) on Monday, November 4th to 11:59pm (EST) on Saturday, November 9th.

Get yours now for just $29.97!

What’s Included in the eBook Library? ($800+ value)

What are Coffee Table Conversations? ($67 value)

For 12 weeks starting in January 2014, we’ll offer a series of weekly one-hour live conference calls, where you can join in and ask your questions on relevant and timely healthy living topics to a panel of eBook authors. We’ll look at issues like allergy-friendly cooking, fighting fatigue (and finding energy!), eating well on a tight budget, an introduction to alternative health and herbal remedies, and tips and tricks for making real food in less time. You’ll be able to listen to authors converse with each other on any (or all) of the 12 calls that you choose to take part in, and get answers to your questions in real time!

We’ll also provide a private Facebook group, where that week’s “mentors” will pop in as often as they can and chat with you on the topics at hand. Talk about up-close and personal learning!

What are the Healthy Living Bonus Offers? ($150+ value)

Dizolve—A FREE 128 Load Twin-Pack of Dizolve Natural Laundry Detergent. Dizolve laundry detergent strips are an innovative, phosphate-free way to clean your clothes. ($25.98 Value. Standard shipping rates apply. Limited to the first 5,000.)
Bulk Herb Store—An instant download of their instructional video Making Herbs Simple Volume 1 for only 1 cent. ($14.95 Value. No shipping restrictions.)
Wise Choice Market—A FREE $15 store credit to be used at Wise Choice Market on the Finest Real Food around, including traditionally-made bone broths, organic fermented vegetables, wild salmon, sprouted breads, and many more. ($15.00 Value. Standard shipping rates and restrictions apply.)
Fit2Be Studio—A FREE Two-Month Membership to Fit2B Studio (for new members) where their wholesome workouts for the whole family are TummySafe™and particularly target Diastasis Recti. Current members may apply the coupon code for $20 off a 1-year membership. ($19.98 value. No shipping restrictions.)
Jenuinely Pure—A $15 discount off of any $30 order to be used at Jenuinely Pure on the beautifully-crafted natural skincare products. Make the switch to natural skincare with Jenuinely Pure. ($15.00 Value. Standard shipping rates apply.)
Plan To Eat—A FREE 4-Month www.plantoeat.com subscription. Plan to Eat is an online menu planner that uses your recipes scheduled when you want them — and they make your grocery list! ($19.80 value. No shipping restrictions. New accounts only. Offer expires Dec.15)
TrilLight Health—FREE $15 store credit to be used toward Trilight Health‘s Fast-Acting, Great Tasting Liquid Herbal Formulas, or anything else in their store. ($15.00 Value. Standard shipping rates apply.)
List Planit—Your choice of 3 FREE ePlanners OR a 3-Month FREE Trial Membership to ListPlanIt, where you can organize your life with hundreds of lists that you can create and manage at home or on the go. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)
Cultures for Health—A FREE sourdough or kombucha starter from Cultures For Health PLUS a $5 credit to put toward anything else in store. (up to a $17.95 Value. Both the starter and the $5 credit can be used in the same order! Standard shipping rates apply.)

Important stuff you might want to know

Read the fine print. The details matter!
Check out our Frequently Asked Question page, particularly to learn about file types, how downloading works, transferring to eReader devices, redeeming bonus offers, and all that good stuff.
Remember, this bundle is available for only 6 days, from 8 a.m. (EST) on Monday, November 4th to 11:59pm (EST) on Saturday, November 9th.
Affiliate disclaimer: Some of these links are affiliate links. That means if you purchase the bundle, I will receive a percentage of the sale at no cost to you. This is super cool for both of us, because you get this amazing bundle and I get a commission which enables me to keep blogging and telling you about things like this amazing bundle. Sweet!

Are you Itching to Write an Ebook?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy this product through my links, I receive a portion of the proceeds at no cost to you. I bought this product myself, and I like it, which is why I’m sharing it with you. I like sharing with you…but don’t ask me for my cookies.

If you want to skip my review of From Idea to Ebook and jump right to the product page, make sure you go armed with my coupon code SIMPLE5 for $5 off, making this ten-week course and lifetime access only $12.

Jump to the product page. Jump!

I’m focusing on ebooks next week, including some super deals (like a mega-bundle of $800 worth of ebooks and bonuses for under $30), organizational tips, and gifting strategies. But those posts are for people who want to read ebooks. This one is for people who want to write ebooks…people like me…and maybe you…but definitely me. Here’s why.

My story:

Six years ago I wrote an ebook, and it sat and it sat and it sat on my computer, never going anywhere. Pbbbth. I had no idea what to do with it after writing it, so the poor ol’ thing just sat. Meanwhile, ebook ideas flitted in and out of my head like caffeinated fruit flies, but I couldn’t catch any of them. I sure could have used this:

I can write, but I need help making the ebook happen. That’s why I snagged this 10-week online course. I’m not good at sticking to a ten-week anything, so the clincher for me was the lifetime access to the course resources.

I really don’t like spending money, but I even more don’t like (did I say I could write)…I like even less the pile of ebook ideas sitting forlornly on my desktop. I figured $17 was a small price to pay to unleash my crazy ideas on the world…and with my discount code SIMPLE5, you bring the price down to $12.

Plus there’s a money-back guarantee, and those always give me a warm and fuzzy. Ah, warm and fuzzy.

What do you receive for $12?

You receive lifetime access to the ten-week course which includes everything you need to come up with an idea, write it, develop it, and market it, including working with affiliates. I’m only on week three, but to me it seems far more effective than letting an ebook or pile of ideas languish on my desktop.

I’m using it for myself, but I’m also using it as a homeschool course for my teens. I can’t wait to see what they write and how well they market it to add to their college funds.

You know, I’d tell you more, but if you’re truly interested, you can check out more info and the table of contents here, and if you’re not interested, you haven’t even read this far…so I’m talking to myself. Hello again, Self. How’s it goin’? Oh, fine. And you?

The discount code is good today only, October 31. If you’re interested, or you know someone who might enjoy this as a Christmas gift, hurry scurry over with discount code SIMPLE5 to get the ebook ball rolling today!

Get started on your ebook right now!

Do you have an ebook idea bouncing around in your head?

Meet The Tummy Team

I have bad posture, not too unlike Shaggy, best buddy of Scooby Doo:

Yup, that’s what I look like, complete with the little I-had-seven-babies (or, in Shaggy’s case, I-ate-seven-pizzas) pooch in front.

That was just one of several reasons I jumped on the chance to be one of The Tummy Team reviewers.

What is the Tummy Team?

It is a sequential online training and rehab program that educates members on a variety of core-related aspects, including:

the anatomy of the abdominal core and its vicinity,
how a strong core affects the rest of the body and its optimal functioning,
how to go about normal daily activities without further damaging your core or injuring your back, and
how to heal damage (including split abs), strengthen the core, and increase stability.

In other words, it teaches me how to shift from a Shaggy, to, say, a Fred:

My daughter Hannah is also along for the ride, hoping to undo some of the abdominal damage that Crohn’s has caused, and to give herself an overall stronger core to better support her intestinal functioning.

There are two basic programs, a six-week prenatal course and an eight-week core-strengthening plan. We’re on the eight-week plan. Each week we have access to training videos, downloadable guides and helps, and a printable progress chart. Plus everyone receives access to a private Facebook group where The Tummy Team Master, Kelly, answers questions faster than the Mystery Inc. gang solves a Coolsville mystery.

As part of the review process, I have agreed to share my progress with you neat people. I like to share with you people…but not my cookies. Okay, maybe one.

I’ll also be sharing a little bit about the benefits, what I’m learning as we go, and my all-too-honest opinion about the program as a whole. For now, I’m leaving you with this intriguing tidbit:

After two weeks, my ab muscles feel like I’ve been doing sit-ups and laughing too hard, and I haven’t done a single crunch. In other words, I’m getting the workout without the work.

Happy mama!

Stay tuned for part two and a program giveaway once Hannah and I graduate!

The original Scooby Doo Gang was created by Hanna-Barbera, but Shaggy-Me and Fred-Me were created by my daughter Marissa. Readers, meet Marissa:

Isn’t she cute?

(As of 11/14/13, I am an affiliate for The Tummy Team, so this post now contains affiliate links.)

Free Online Chore System – An Interview With My Kids

To skip my cheesy review of My Job Chart, a free online chore system, and to go check it out for yourself, click here. Reposted in honor of all those kiddos in school and homeschool who are adjusting to new schedules.

Let’s face it. Sometimes I forget things, like making sure my son brushes his teeth in the morning, or brushing out my daughter’s golden locks before bed. I’ve heard parents complain about the battle to get kids to do their chores, and the constant search for the perfect chore chart.

First, chore charts in general are excellent tools to help you on the path to simplifying. The kids (or mom) know what’s expected of them, and the kids (or mom) know when it’s fine to run off and play (or hit Pinterest). It’s nice to know, ya know?

Second, let me tell you this–nothing this side of heaven (including a chore chart) is perfect. Did I burst your bubble? Sorry. A chore chart is a tool, not a solution. But hey, now you can stop hunting for perfect and instead make “almost perfect” work for you as you simplify! Hooray!

I recently tested out an online chore chart with my kids, called My Job Chart. After a parent sets it up, the child tracks his or her own progress, earning points for completed tasks. The points can be donated to a charity, saved up, or spent on a pre-approved reward. The intention is to teach personal accountability and the value of a dollar.

Here’s what I thought:

1 – It’s free. I like free.
2 – It’s relatively simple to set up, and the kids can easily manage it themselves.
3 – It’s highly customizable, so when my son announced that we should have PJ day on Tuesdays and bank holidays, we easily eliminated “Get dressed” from everyone’s Tuesday schedules while leaving it untouched the rest of the week.
4 – It handles one-time events well, so a parent and child can break certain activities–such as packing for a trip, spring cleaning, or working on a science fair project–into manageable chunks and schedule them over a period of time.
5 – It can handle a whole lotta kids on one account, which is great for those of us who have a whole lotta kids in a world that thinks four is a freakishly large number and rarely accommodates that many, let alone my seven. (Yes, I know “lotta” isn’t a real word, thanks.)
6 – The kids enjoy it. It’s fun to check off their work. They run about with renewed zeal to brush their teeth and finish their day’s readings. Die plaque, die!

7 – While some “time savers” and “simplifying tools” actually complicate life, this doesn’t seem to be one, apart from having to turn on the computer twice daily…which my pen and paper kids disliked, and my screen kids liked. After I set it up, I remained almost completely hands-off. (Simplicity is an important qualifier for The Simple Homemaker reviews.)
8 – Parents can set up customizable reward systems for their kids. The key word here is customizable, so, for example, if I really want to buy my son an X-box for brushing his teeth for a week, I could do that, and I’m sure his future wife and employer would thank me some day. A-hem. If I opt to reward piano practice and completed chores with weekend screen time, I can do that, too.
9 – The system alerts parents to the child’s daily progress, so I don’t have to log on and check. That may not seem like a big deal to you, but any extra logging in for me is time I would rather spend snuggling someone.
10 – My favorite aspect is that each child has a message board from which he or she can send messages to me…and only me. I love getting messages like this one from my four-year-old:

“Mommy, yu ar the bets mommy.”

Do you hear that? I’m the bets mommy.

Here’s what my kids think:

Is it any better than using a written chore chart? Let’s ask the experts:

Mama: Kids, what do you think of My Job Chart?
Twelve-year-old: I like it, because it helps me remember what I’m supposed to do.
Nine-year-old: I think it’s fine, but I don’t like having to turn on the computer.
Mama: Do you prefer it over a paper chart?
Four-year-old: I like it better than paper. May I please do it now?
Seven-year-old boy: (Nods vigorously)
Mama: Why do you like it better?
Seven-year-old boy: It’s just funner.
Fourteen-year-old girl: Funner is not a real word.
Sixteen-year-old girl: Technically the word “fun” is coming into vogue as an adjective instead of its original use as a noun and subsequently a verb, meaning “funner” would be acceptable in this situation. It is not, however, commonly used in the over-10 sector of society. (Okay, so she didn’t say that, but that’s what that heaving sigh meant.)

I used the program with five of my children, ages four through fourteen. My fourteen-year-old only used it for one day, saying it seemed like too much work to log on every day just to mark that she did her chores. Of course, that child can manage an entire household without parental guidance, so I believe she has moved past a chore chart from Mama into the planner stage, don’t you think?

What about the negative side?

One concern I have which may be unique to my family, and which has both a positive and negative slant, is that this is on the screen. Screens are addicting, and I don’t like them. Once they’re on, they are hard to shut off. My son, when engaged with a screen, has trouble re-engaging with the real world. He is still thinking “screen.” I hear that’s a boy thing.

A screen is a child-magnet here. I noticed that when one child is online checking off his or her accomplished chores, two or three other children stand around the chair watching. There is nothing particularly engrossing about a child checking off tasks, but it is on a screen. Of course, the same thing happens in my family when a child is looking at, say, a catalog of bedroom slippers, so that may just be my family. Annnnnd, admittedly, I am an anti-screen nazi currently in (and failing) rehab, so take that with a grain of salt.

The plus side to that is, hey, it’s on a screen! The kids are more excited to do their daily duties so they can get on the computer, check jobs off, and send Mommy a little note. Plus it can be accessed anywhere–library, school, Grandma’s, sitters, home, on the phone…if your kids have a phone.

Do I recommend this product?

You know what, I do for families that prefer to stay connected electronically and who want an easy reward system. I think it can really reduce ~~nagging~~ reminding from mom and help kids take an interest in personal responsibility, accountability, and money management–amen to that! I especially think this is an ideal tool to keep parents and kids on the same page if parents work inside or outside the home and if kids are in school and other outside activities. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that, even though you didn’t remind him, Junior’s soccer bag will be packed and ready to go when you get home from work and have to turn around and head to a soccer game? Sure would.

Finally, who doesn’t love the “bets mommy” messages?

I’m the bets mommy.

To learn more about My Job Chart, to watch an informational video, and to get your own “bets mommy” messages, visit MyJobChart.com.

Disclosure: I received free access to My Job Chart in exchange for this post…but since it’s free for everyone, that didn’t affect my opinion. Uh, that’s a really ~~funny~~ bad joke. Since I don’t have to remind my kids to brush their teeth, I have more time for cheesy humor. I should have probably put that under the “negative” section.

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1. The spine is supported.

2. The organs function better.

3. The surrounding muscles operate more reliably.

4. The back is stronger overall.

5. The brain and body learn to work together properly in the real world.

6. The abdominal region looks more “even” and controlled.

Have I seen improvement?

If you have any questions I can answer in my next review, please let me know in the comments below, or check out The Tummy Team.

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