Yay, we held our random drawing for our What Really Happened in Ancient Times book. Here are the three winners:
malachiway
catchmeathome
t.muston
Congratulations! Your books will soon be on their way.
This book has been well received (read comments here and on Amazon.com) and is currently on sale until Sunday, January 18th. Check it out and get your free biography here - www.knowledgequestmaps.com/wrhancient.htm.
Interested in the CPSIA ruling and its potential ramifications? Read below...
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Great article!
I just read this article after submitted the previous post. I think this one might be the most concise and entertaining of all:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html
Do read!
Terri
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html
Do read!
Terri
CPSIA Ruling and What We're Doing About It
Hey there,
Many of you have been asking how Knowledge Quest will be affected by the new CPSIA ruling that requires all products geared to children 12 years and younger to be tested for lead and phthalate levels. First, here's a brief summary, as we understand it...
On August 14th, congress passed a new law stating that all products intended for children (or that will come into contact with children) 12 and under be tested to determine lead and phthalate levels. (Phthalates are used as plasticizers added to plastics to increase their flexibility, in case you didn't know. I didn't!). The law will be enforced on February 10th, meaning that all children's products need to be certified that they fall below the acceptable levels or be removed from store shelves.
Sounds like a law with good intentions, doesn't it? I mean, truly, who wants to have items around our home that will be harmful to our children. The only trouble is that this is a law that has used a very wide brush in an attempt to paint very tiny details. It is overkill! The law came into being as a result of the hundreds of recalled products in 2007 (nicknamed the Year of the Recall). Most of these recalled items were toys manufactured and imported from China. However, this ruling affects all products, whether imported or manufactured right here in the States. AND it affects products already on store shelves.
This law requires testing on toys, clothing, books, CDs, and so much more!
You might be wondering how this affects you. Well, big businesses and small businesses alike will need to come into compliance with this law or destroy their inventory as of February 10th. That is why you are beginning to see massive liquidation sales. Some small businesses are planning to close their doors on February 9th. February 10th is being dubbed National Bankrupcy Day. Why? Because it is incredibly expensive to have small batches of products tested - $400 per piece on the low end all the way up to thousands of dollars. PLUS there aren't enough labs around the country to handle the massive number of items that need to be tested before 2/10.
Libraries will need to remove their children's books, if revisions are not made to this law before the looming date. It will be considered unlawful to check out a children's book that is uncertified starting on February 10th. And the fine is hefty if a company is found to be in violation - $100,000.
Do I sound like a scare monger to you? Trust me, I am not. We have been watching this closely since the week before Christmas and have read all of the legalese, the class action suits, the articles and the petitions. Frankly, I do not think this law is enforceable at the scale in which it has been written, but we do not want to take our chances either.
We are praying that major revisions would be made to this law. We believe (hope) that books will be made exempt at some point during this process. But, we will not operate illegally. For this reason, we have sent out our books intended for children 12 and under to be tested. The craziest part, of course, is that even if a book is found to have higher than acceptable lead levels, a child would have to do much more than lick the book or chew off a corner. They would have to consume the whole thing! I have never in all my life witnessed such a rediculous thing.
At what point did we become more concerned with the amount and content of books that our children are EATING over and above the amount and content they are READING?
Does this ruling bother you? You can read more about it here:
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/faq/faq.html
http://thephoenix.com/Boston/News/74940-Congress-bans-kids-from-libraries/
http://kidsproducts.suite101.com/article.cfm/childrens_books_and_the_cpsia
http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322
http://cfx.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080731/news_1n31toys.html
http://www.cpsc.gov:80/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html
You can also call and write your senators and ask them to consider the enormous implications of this law as it stands and have exemptions put in place for books, clothing and other items that obviously do not contain any or hardly any of these substances.
And finally, please pray for small companies that may go out of businesses as a direct result of this law. Pray for the employees that will have to find work elsewhere. Pray for the thousands of home businesses that are currently self-supporting but will have to shut down because there is no way they can come into compliance because of the expense of testing. Pray that God would make a way.
We will continue to watch and pray!
Many of you have been asking how Knowledge Quest will be affected by the new CPSIA ruling that requires all products geared to children 12 years and younger to be tested for lead and phthalate levels. First, here's a brief summary, as we understand it...
On August 14th, congress passed a new law stating that all products intended for children (or that will come into contact with children) 12 and under be tested to determine lead and phthalate levels. (Phthalates are used as plasticizers added to plastics to increase their flexibility, in case you didn't know. I didn't!). The law will be enforced on February 10th, meaning that all children's products need to be certified that they fall below the acceptable levels or be removed from store shelves.
Sounds like a law with good intentions, doesn't it? I mean, truly, who wants to have items around our home that will be harmful to our children. The only trouble is that this is a law that has used a very wide brush in an attempt to paint very tiny details. It is overkill! The law came into being as a result of the hundreds of recalled products in 2007 (nicknamed the Year of the Recall). Most of these recalled items were toys manufactured and imported from China. However, this ruling affects all products, whether imported or manufactured right here in the States. AND it affects products already on store shelves.
This law requires testing on toys, clothing, books, CDs, and so much more!
You might be wondering how this affects you. Well, big businesses and small businesses alike will need to come into compliance with this law or destroy their inventory as of February 10th. That is why you are beginning to see massive liquidation sales. Some small businesses are planning to close their doors on February 9th. February 10th is being dubbed National Bankrupcy Day. Why? Because it is incredibly expensive to have small batches of products tested - $400 per piece on the low end all the way up to thousands of dollars. PLUS there aren't enough labs around the country to handle the massive number of items that need to be tested before 2/10.
Libraries will need to remove their children's books, if revisions are not made to this law before the looming date. It will be considered unlawful to check out a children's book that is uncertified starting on February 10th. And the fine is hefty if a company is found to be in violation - $100,000.
Do I sound like a scare monger to you? Trust me, I am not. We have been watching this closely since the week before Christmas and have read all of the legalese, the class action suits, the articles and the petitions. Frankly, I do not think this law is enforceable at the scale in which it has been written, but we do not want to take our chances either.
We are praying that major revisions would be made to this law. We believe (hope) that books will be made exempt at some point during this process. But, we will not operate illegally. For this reason, we have sent out our books intended for children 12 and under to be tested. The craziest part, of course, is that even if a book is found to have higher than acceptable lead levels, a child would have to do much more than lick the book or chew off a corner. They would have to consume the whole thing! I have never in all my life witnessed such a rediculous thing.
At what point did we become more concerned with the amount and content of books that our children are EATING over and above the amount and content they are READING?
Does this ruling bother you? You can read more about it here:
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/faq/faq.html
http://thephoenix.com/Boston/News/74940-Congress-bans-kids-from-libraries/
http://kidsproducts.suite101.com/article.cfm/childrens_books_and_the_cpsia
http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322
http://cfx.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080731/news_1n31toys.html
http://www.cpsc.gov:80/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html
You can also call and write your senators and ask them to consider the enormous implications of this law as it stands and have exemptions put in place for books, clothing and other items that obviously do not contain any or hardly any of these substances.
And finally, please pray for small companies that may go out of businesses as a direct result of this law. Pray for the employees that will have to find work elsewhere. Pray for the thousands of home businesses that are currently self-supporting but will have to shut down because there is no way they can come into compliance because of the expense of testing. Pray that God would make a way.
We will continue to watch and pray!
Friday, January 9, 2009
We have a winner!
Lisa (AKA Berry Patch) won our drawing for the print book - Dining on a Dime. I hope that you really enjoy this book and that you are able to apply many of the frugal and money saving techniques that are presented within its pages.
I can't wait til I receive my own copy!
We'll be holding our drawing for What Really Happened in Ancient Times next week. Stay posted! We will have 3 winners in that drawing. It might be you!
I can't wait til I receive my own copy!
We'll be holding our drawing for What Really Happened in Ancient Times next week. Stay posted! We will have 3 winners in that drawing. It might be you!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Time for a survey and another drawing!
We've decided that these giveaways are alot of fun, soooo... we are giving away our Timeline Category Stickers to any and all who would like to participate in our short survey. We will keep your answers anonymous, but we would like to use this information for product development in this next year. Your opinions matter to us. When you complete the survey, you will get a link to our thank you gift PLUS we'll enter your email address into a drawing for 1 of 5 hardcover timeline books - Wonders of Old (www.knowledgequestmaps.com/wondersofold.htm).
Click here to participate in our 2-5 minute survey:
www.knowledgequestmaps.com/survey.htm
We've also decided that it's time to give away a few copies of What Really Happened in Ancient Times. Would you like to win a printed copy of your very own? Enter our drawing and you may be one of three winners randomly selected to receive a copy of the softcover book (not the ebook) delivered via US mail to your mail box.
Here's how to enter:
1. Click over to our website - www.knowledgequestmaps.com/wrhancient.htm
2. Read through the sales page and take a look at the fantastic illustrations by Darla Dixon
3. Come back here and post a comment about what looks interesting to you about the book
4. Be sure to leave us contact information (either an email or blog address will do)
That's it. We'll hold our drawing next Tuesday, January 13th and notify the winners by email. We'll also post their names for you here. So be sure to check back if you don't hear from us!
You may have noticed that we are also having a sale on this book and the 3 book series. Don't worry... if you DO buy the book NOW so as to not miss out on the sale and then win the drawing, we will refund the amount that you paid for your book including shipping.
Great! Leave us those comments and we'll look forward to holding our random drawing on Friday. Don't forget... there will be 3 winners!
Click here to participate in our 2-5 minute survey:
www.knowledgequestmaps.com/survey.htm
We've also decided that it's time to give away a few copies of What Really Happened in Ancient Times. Would you like to win a printed copy of your very own? Enter our drawing and you may be one of three winners randomly selected to receive a copy of the softcover book (not the ebook) delivered via US mail to your mail box.
Here's how to enter:
1. Click over to our website - www.knowledgequestmaps.com/wrhancient.htm
2. Read through the sales page and take a look at the fantastic illustrations by Darla Dixon
3. Come back here and post a comment about what looks interesting to you about the book
4. Be sure to leave us contact information (either an email or blog address will do)
That's it. We'll hold our drawing next Tuesday, January 13th and notify the winners by email. We'll also post their names for you here. So be sure to check back if you don't hear from us!
You may have noticed that we are also having a sale on this book and the 3 book series. Don't worry... if you DO buy the book NOW so as to not miss out on the sale and then win the drawing, we will refund the amount that you paid for your book including shipping.
Great! Leave us those comments and we'll look forward to holding our random drawing on Friday. Don't forget... there will be 3 winners!
Sending kids back to school tomorrow?
Today is the last day of Christmas break and I cannot tell you how often I have heard tired out moms say, "I am so glad that I can send my kids back to school next week and get them out of my hair!"
And then, of course, the next statement that follows is... "I don't know how you do it, homeschooling six kids and having them home all day long!"
I think the emphasis in this statement is the "having them home all day long" part.
Now, don't get me wrong... I am a normal parent and there are definitely times when my children drive me up the wall. I didn't choose to homeschool them because I have some amazing supernatural ability to put up with chaos any more than anyone else. I didn't choose to homeschool because I have no hobbies and no interests and don't know what else I would do with my time all day long. I didn't choose to homeschool because I have "no life" outside of my children.
No, the reason that I chose to homeschool has nothing to do with me. In fact, I learned a long time ago that I have to die to myself in order to be the woman that God wants me to me. To be truthful, I have to do this every day. It begins with marriage and continues all through the parenting years. My life isn't about me anymore (I guess it never was!).
The reason that I homeschool is because I believe that it is the best educational option for our children. The reason that I homeschool is because I want to have an impact in their lives. The reason that I homeschool is because I don't want my children to be peer driven. The reason that I homeschool is because I want my children to think for themselves. The reason why I homeschool is because I want our family to function as a cohesive unit, to love and care for one another. The reason that I homeschool is because I want my children to understand that life isn't all about pursuing our own personal hobbies at the expense of others. Life is about becoming more like Christ - dying to ourselves and giving to one another. That's why I have chosen to homeschool and that's why I won't be putting my kids on the big yellow bus that will be coming down the street tomorrow.
I may not be sending my kids off to school tomorrow, BUT I am looking forward to getting back into our school routine. It will be good to be more productive and have less idle time on our hands.
And to all of you, be encouraged and have a great week!
And then, of course, the next statement that follows is... "I don't know how you do it, homeschooling six kids and having them home all day long!"
I think the emphasis in this statement is the "having them home all day long" part.
Now, don't get me wrong... I am a normal parent and there are definitely times when my children drive me up the wall. I didn't choose to homeschool them because I have some amazing supernatural ability to put up with chaos any more than anyone else. I didn't choose to homeschool because I have no hobbies and no interests and don't know what else I would do with my time all day long. I didn't choose to homeschool because I have "no life" outside of my children.
No, the reason that I chose to homeschool has nothing to do with me. In fact, I learned a long time ago that I have to die to myself in order to be the woman that God wants me to me. To be truthful, I have to do this every day. It begins with marriage and continues all through the parenting years. My life isn't about me anymore (I guess it never was!).
The reason that I homeschool is because I believe that it is the best educational option for our children. The reason that I homeschool is because I want to have an impact in their lives. The reason that I homeschool is because I don't want my children to be peer driven. The reason that I homeschool is because I want my children to think for themselves. The reason why I homeschool is because I want our family to function as a cohesive unit, to love and care for one another. The reason that I homeschool is because I want my children to understand that life isn't all about pursuing our own personal hobbies at the expense of others. Life is about becoming more like Christ - dying to ourselves and giving to one another. That's why I have chosen to homeschool and that's why I won't be putting my kids on the big yellow bus that will be coming down the street tomorrow.
I may not be sending my kids off to school tomorrow, BUT I am looking forward to getting back into our school routine. It will be good to be more productive and have less idle time on our hands.
And to all of you, be encouraged and have a great week!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Dining on a Dime
We were snowed in for two weeks, but had a wonderful Christmas nonetheless! I hope that you, my readers, had a great Christmas and New Year yourself.
I am so excited to be offering another giveaway. This time it is a book written by my efriend, Tawra Kellam, entitled "Dining on a Dime".
You can read the full story here - http://www.livingonadime.com/books/nys.html - but basically, they are overstocked and are having an amazing sale on this title as well as some others. You see, Dining on a Dime is such a popular book that it sells for full price every day of the week and so you will rarely find it on sale. But now you can get a copy for HALF PRICE! I'm purchasing one!
AND I get to give away a copy as well. Here's what you need to do:
1. Go visit the website and then come back here and post a comment telling me what looks interesting to you about the book (or set of books).
2. Leave your name and a way to get in touch with you - either an email address or blog address.
3. Enter once per day until January 7th.
We will randomly draw a winner on January 8th and notify you by email. We'll post the winner here also. We can only ship to an address in the United States.
And don't forget to sign up for RSS feeds on this blog because we have another giveaway next week and have been doing monthly drawings since October. We're getting addicted to giving stuff away. It has been really fun. The old saying is true... It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Happy New Year,
Terri
I am so excited to be offering another giveaway. This time it is a book written by my efriend, Tawra Kellam, entitled "Dining on a Dime".
You can read the full story here - http://www.livingonadime.com/books/nys.html - but basically, they are overstocked and are having an amazing sale on this title as well as some others. You see, Dining on a Dime is such a popular book that it sells for full price every day of the week and so you will rarely find it on sale. But now you can get a copy for HALF PRICE! I'm purchasing one!
AND I get to give away a copy as well. Here's what you need to do:
1. Go visit the website and then come back here and post a comment telling me what looks interesting to you about the book (or set of books).
2. Leave your name and a way to get in touch with you - either an email address or blog address.
3. Enter once per day until January 7th.
We will randomly draw a winner on January 8th and notify you by email. We'll post the winner here also. We can only ship to an address in the United States.
And don't forget to sign up for RSS feeds on this blog because we have another giveaway next week and have been doing monthly drawings since October. We're getting addicted to giving stuff away. It has been really fun. The old saying is true... It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Happy New Year,
Terri
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