Five children, two parents, one RV, one mission

Welcome to Florida! Here's a mop bucket.

The Murset family vacation isn't like most. Sure, the Arizona family is traveling the nation in an RV this summer. But they're not lounging, sight-seeing or shopping.

They're working, performing good deeds and needed tasks in each city they stop in along the three-week working summer vacation. Friday, the family stopped in Pensacola, cleaning house at a Pace home and doing needed chores at the Ronald McDonald House.

The Friday Pensacola visit was one of the last stops on the eye-opening journey that started three weeks ago. Today, the seven Mursets will visit Dallas, before returning home to Phoenix.

"I hope the children remember the people with challenges that they've met along the way," said mom Kami Murset, 38. "I hope that when they have challenges and trials, they'll face them with courage and optimism. I hope they'll have more compassion for others."

The family arrived in Pace at 6 a.m. Friday to do housework for a family who have been caring for an ill child in a Minnesota hospital. At 9 a.m., they were at the Ronald McDonald House on Bayou Boulevard to do yard work and housecleaning.

The five children range in ages from 7 to 15 years of age. The oldest child, Zach, 16, returned home early last week to attend a Boy Scout outing.

"When my dad first told us about the plan, I wasn't so sure," said Sierra Murset, 15. "We only have eight weeks of summer vacation, and this was three weeks. But once we started, it was amazing. Being able to help people wherever we go - it's nice to be able to do something good."

Since starting the trip in late June, the family has visited 23 cities and performed more than 300 chores, from washing cars to cleaning fish tanks.

Gregg Murset, the father, is the founder and CEO of myjobchart.com, an online site and app — www.myjobchart.com/ —that lets children organize chores and learn financial stability.

At the Ronald McDonald, the children roamed through the facility, some pushing mop buckets, the others emptying trash and dusting.

"They're all so cute," said Summer Jimmerson, Ronald McDonald House development director, as she watched the well-mannered children scurry around cleaning. "And what they're doing is so amazing. It's nice to see the next generation doing something good at such a young age."

Sydney Murset, 13, went around the facility with a feather duster, getting every nook and cranny. Her brother, Adam, 11, passed her carrying a bag of trash outside.

"We do chores at home," she said, duster in hand. "But this is different. You know you're helping people."

There have been few chances to actual sight-see during the three-week "vacation." They saw the Empire State Building and Niagara Falls. They visited Pensacola Beach after spending more than an hour at the Ronald McDonald House.

Yes, they could have just gone to the Grand Canyon like most folks.

"But then we wouldn't have been able to see Florida," Gregg Murset said.

OK, they could have gone to Disney World like most folks.

"That's easy," he said. "We wanted to do something different, something that reenforced everything we've been trying to teach our children about compassion, ethics and responsibility."