The most interesting thing about fashion is that it’s ever changing. There’s always a possibility that what’s trending yesterday will be a taboo the next. And before you know it, a style that has long been forgotten has emerged once again and starts to rule the fashion space once more. If you come to think of it, it’s the like the water snake, which the Chinese believe is quite unpredictable. 2013 is the year of the water snake, and just like this reptile, you can add more fun to your year by being more adventurous and unpredictable with your style.
Create a New Fashion Statement. Creating a new fashion statement is not as difficult as it may seem. Try buying pieces from a high-end fashion shop and buy some from a low-end store. Combine them and see what you can get. With a little bit of creativity, you can come up with a real cool style that’s unique to you.
Buy Versatile Pieces. Before purchasing anything, whether it be a dress, a t-shirt, or a pair of jeans, think first of at least three ways you can match and wear it. This way, you can be sure that nothing inside your closet will be left unworn before the year ends.
Expand Your Shoe Collection. Your footwear can make or break your outfit. Expand your collection by buying at least one pair of shoe each season. You don’t have to spend thousands of bucks on several pairs, though. If you know where to look, you can definitely find shoes to match what’s already inside your closet without having to spend too much.
Experiment with Different Styles. Who says you can only have one fashion style? Again, this is the year to be more creative, so don’t limit yourself to a style you’re used to carrying. If you’ve had the same style for the past three years, it’s definitely time for you to come out of your shell and try something new. Why not experiment by mixing basic pieces with quirky ones? Or, how about you try that style you’ve been wanting to try out, but are just afraid it wouldn’t look good on you? Take the risk and see how it goes!
Just like the water snake, fashion can be very unpredictable. What is “in” now may be out of fashion the next few days or weeks. For this reason, learn to adjust and develop your own personal style, so that whatever happens with fashion this year, you can rest assured that you will have a style you can call your own at the end of the day.
Info 101 – School Bus Safety and Stopping Laws
While School Bus Safety Week is only observed during the third week of October-its message reverberates throughout the year. After all, some 25 million children ride school buses every day.
And, although school buses are said to be the safest form of highway transportation, accidents continue to happen. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seven school-age children are killed in school bus crashes every year-and 19 are killed getting on and off their school buses.
First and foremost, then, remind your child to avoid what’s called the Danger Zones-a ten foot area around the front, back, and both sides of the bus. The driver can’t see a child crossing too close to the front of the bus, and walking along the sides or back risks being hit by other motorists, as well.
Then take it further, reiterating how to get on the bus, behave while on board, and finally how to exit.
Kids should line up and board one at a time, and, once inside, quickly take a seat–and remain seated throughout the ride. To avoid distracting the driver, voices should be kept low. Should your child have a question, she should wait until the bus comes to a stop, then raise her hand, and call out the driver’s name to get her/his attention. Meanwhile, backpacks and such should be kept out of the aisle. And remember: rowdy behavior is never tolerated and is usually met by a loss of bus riding privileges.
When alighting from the bus, children should take their time and continually check in all directions for oncoming vehicles, making sure they can see and be seen by the driver. Once the driver signals that it’s clear to cross, kids should do so, steering clear of the bus’s Danger Zones.
Meanwhile, the school bus stopping laws differ somewhat from state to state. In Pennsylvania, motorists must . . .
1. STOP when meeting or overtaking a school bus whose red signal lights are flashing and stop arm is extended.
2. STOP when approaching an intersection where a school bus’s red signal lights are flashing and stop arm is extended.
3. STOP when traveling in the opposite direction of the school bus if there is only a ridged or grooved divider between the lanes.
4. Do NOT STOP when traveling in the opposite direction if there is a clearly indicated divider between lanes, such as trees, grass, etc.
5. STOP at least ten feet away from the bus and wait until both the lights stop flashing, the stop arm is retracted, and all children have moved to safety before traveling on.
Be forewarned: every year, about 1,000 Pennsylvania motorists fail to obey these bus stopping laws and receive a 60-day license suspension, five points on their driving records, plus a $250 fine.
So, for safety’s sake, be patient, obey the law, and heed the theme of this year’s School Bus Safety Week: “Avoid harm; obey the arm.”
Flatter Your Figure and Avoid Fashion Mistakes
Enter into the love of life, the glory of each new day; go forth to meet life with a smile, and life meets you more than halfway. -Helen Lowrie Marshall
Fashion is an idea that supports your self-esteem. To raise your self-esteem means to acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses. Pay attention to your fashion weaknesses first, then you can flatter more of your fashion strengths.
When fashion styles are created, designers depend upon certain lines to achieve a distinctive purpose. To give height and length to your figure, select a style with vertical lines. A style with horizontal lines adds width and makes you appear shorter.
Styles with curved lines make your figure appear rounded or full. Garments that have a line or pattern that repeats itself maximizes the effect. Whether the lines are vertical, horizontal, or curved, the effect increases the impression of height, length, width, or fullness. A shorter, more rounded appearance is also increased.
For major figure flatters, the following suggestions may give you a more suitable look.
A SHORT FIGURE
A suitable look for persons who stand five feet or less in height includes wearing
quiet prints, tops with small collars, and fabrics with vertical lines. Other styles
include, short jackets and bolero jacket styles, lightweight jewelry, fabrics in soft colors, and medium-full skirts.
Avoid wearing horizontal stripes and belted dresses that break the figure in half. Bulky knits, pointed collars, two-piece dresses, and very long jackets are also to be avoided.
A TALL FIGURE
Tall figures may wear clothing with horizontal lines, and fabrics with contrasting colors. Adding a wide belt, large and chunky accessories, and jackets with three quarter lengths, fabrics with large prints, and boxy pleated skirts also flatter your figure.
To make the taller figure appear more flattering, avoid wearing small jewelry, fabrics with small patterns, thin and sheer fabrics, tight skirts and skirts with vertically placed tucks.
A FULL FIGURE
Suitable styles for a full or heavy figure include wearing vertical lines, tops with buttons down the front panel, small prints and checks, garments with straight hanging hemlines. V-shaped necklines are good, narrow belts on dresses, and jackets that fall no more than two inches below the hipbone are other wearable styles.
Patterns and styles to avoid include those with horizontal lines, round necklines and collars, skirts with full pleats, very long or very short jackets, and two-piece dresses.
A THIN FIGURE
Thin figures may appear more flattering in patterns with horizontal lines, two-piece dresses, bold colors, plaids and large prints. Dresses with large pockets add the appearance of weight. Full skirts, and tops with rounded shoulders, and belts in contrasting colors are also good.
Styles to avoid are slim and tight fitting clothing, clinging and flimsy fabrics, dull and pale colors, and accessories that are not in proportion to your height.
A MODEL FIGURE
Having the figure of a model seems ideal, however with the news today being focused on anorexic-like thinness, this figure type may not be so perfect when your health is threatened by trying to remain too thin. Staying healthy is a constant struggle, yet necessary. Besides being blessed to be able to wear almost any style, if you have the figure of a healthy, well-fit model, wear styles that are pleasing.
No matter what figure type you have, it is important to experiment and find a look that is uniquely yours. Select styles that are flattering and perfect for you. By choosing styles that are recommended for your figure, you not only flatter your figure, your satisfaction improves from your clothing selections. Only then can you love the way you look and feel when wearing them.
Know More About Types of Health Insurance Plans in Florida
Individual, families, groups, and businesses need customized health insurance plans to ensure that they have to spend minimum out-of-the-pocket money for their healthcare needs. With the implementation of healthcare reforms, the options for buying health insurance are widened.
With the advent of internet technology, the concept of transparency of price is gaining momentum. Insurers in Florida health insurance are facing a compelling need of price transparency when they offer health insurance quotes to their clients. At the same time, application time and waiting time for health insurance has reduced significantly as compared to earlier times.
Types of health insurance plans offered in Florida
Apart from State and Federal governments’ sponsored program including Medicare, Medicaid, etc., there is an option of buying health insurance from private companies. Like many other states, health insurance plans in Florida are offered to the residents in traditional format. These could be classified as:
1. Individual health coverage
2. Family health coverage
3. Group insurance
4. Student health coverage
5. Dental health insurance
6. Low cost insurance
7. Low-income families insurance
8. Short-term insurance
9. Small business insurance
Companies offering health insurance Florida
Below is the list of health insurance companies offering health insurance to the residents of Florida:
• Aetna
• AMS
• Assurant
• Avalon Healthcare
• AvMed Health Plans
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield
• Celtic
• Cigna
• Coventry
• Golden Rule
• Humana One
• IAC
• Solera Dental
• Vista
Types of health plans offered in Florida
A lot of consumer end up having discount coupons, which sometimes are termed as health plans; however, it needs to be understood that these discount coupons are not insurance. To buy affordable health plans in Florida, consumers need to equip themselves with proper knowledge about the same.
Traditional categorization of health coverage in Florida offers indemnity and managed care health plans. Indemnity health plans have the insured file claims for reimbursement. While managed care health plans allow the providers to file claims for the insured person.
Managed care health plans are further categorized as HMO, PPO, and POS.
Impact of the Affordable Care Act on insurance in Florida
• 290,000 small businesses in Florida will be offered tax credits for offering health coverage to their employees.
• Medicare beneficiaries in Florida will be automatically mailed a check of $250 to defray the cost of their prescription drugs.
• Early retirees will be offered reinsurance options.
• Uninsured Floridians with pre-existing condition will have a huge boost with $351 million federal dollars made available to Florida starting July 1 to provide coverage.
• Like many other states, for the first time ever, Florida will have the option of Federal Medicaid funding for coverage for all low-income populations, irrespective of age, disability, or family status.
• 8.8 million Floridians will no longer have to worry about lifetime limits on the coverage.
• Around 1.1 million individuals will not have to worry about getting dropped from coverage when they get sick.
• Children in Florida will be able to stay with their family insurance policy till the age of 26 years.
Costs involved in a health coverage plan in Florida
It is important to understand types of costs involved in a health coverage plan to make sure that Floridians have assessed everything before they finalize a health plan. We talk about the types of costs involved in a health coverage plan:
Premium-premium is the amount of money to be paid on monthly basis. Premium is the main cost that a health plan constitutes. It could vary from person to person and in plan to plan. It mainly depends on the age, gender, and health status of a consumer applying to get health coverage.
Deductible-deductible is the second major cost involved in a health plan. It is the amount of money that a consumer pays before the insurer actually begins to pay for the coverage. With higher deductibles, premium costs are reduced.
Coinsurance – coinsurance, as the name explains itself, is the amount of money that the consumer agrees to pay in percentage of the total cost of medical service after the deductible has been paid. Generally, it is usually 80/20 of the total value where 80% of the cost is paid by the insurance companies while the 20% is by the consumer.
Copay – copay is like coinsurance but it is not represented in percentage but in real value. Moreover, there is no consideration of deductibles in copays. Supposing a consumer needs to pay $70 per visit for the doctor: with copay, consumer will be paying $40 and the remaining $30 will be paid by the insurer. However, this copay facility will have some impact on the premium costs.
Men's Fashion Styles That Women Absolutely Hate
Men and women have different fashion sense, and that’s the norm of course, but sometimes we need to take a cue from each other. Most men, for example, are known to have lousy taste when it comes to their fashion choices. That’s why they would be able to benefit tremendously from some real tips and advice from women.
There are choices of style and clothing for men that are totally frowned upon by the opposite sex. It would come in handy to know about these fashion violations especially if your aim in trying to be fashionable is to attract females in the first place.
Here are just some men’s fashion styles that women hate:
Socks and Sandals- There is never a good reason to wear socks with sandals. Socks are meant for shoes and closed footwear and sandals are meant for bare feet. Pairing these two together goes against their very nature.
Wearing them makes you look like a fool and women would rightfully think that you have no sense of fashion at all.
Mesh Shirt- Try to think of ways where wearing a mesh shirt can be considered to be hot. If you can think of any situation then that means you have an absolutely horrible fashion sense and that you have been committing equally horrid fashion crimes all your life. Try to rethink your whole idea of fashion.
Fanny Packs- Admittedly, the idea for the fanny pack is quite a good one, especially for a practical fellow who’d like everything handy. It’s kind of like Batman’s Utility Belt. Unfortunately, wearing a fanny pack in reality is a bad idea and could make you look like a total dork.
Skinny Jeans- This is one of the instances where we would see the vast difference between men’s and women’s fashion. Girls wearing skinny jeans is simply hot. The tighter the jeans, the better.
When a guy wears skinny jeans, it never looks right. It especially looks odd when we see the guy struggling to move around since the pants are obviously way too tight for what is considered comfortable.
Short Shorts- Do we have to explain this? Grown men walking around wearing short shorts is not something that we want to see in our normal waking lives. Hairy fat legs is a little but more than we can take.
There is really no situation that would justify that. Even the most intense weather is not good enough.
Logos Everywhere– Some guys are just way too drawn by the power of logos. They wear anything that has a huge logo emblazoned on it. Somehow, that makes them feel trendy and classy
It gets worse when you buy everything from the same brand. Even product endorsers don’t wear everything from the same company.
Sideways Baseball Cap- The wearing of a baseball cap is already questionable when you are not engaged in any sport or any activity that requires you to have sun protection. Wearing it sideways is just the height of being crass. You should never wear it that way.
How To Produce Taxi Driver Accounts Plus Tax Returns In Less Than 2 Hours
Since the majority of taxi drivers, but certainly not all, have little accounting or bookkeeping knowledge the lower the level of expertise required the more suitable such an accounts package will be. Data entry basically consists of just 3 records, being an excel spreadsheet for taxi receipts; another for taxi expenses plus a further worksheet in which assets such as a vehicle can be recorded.
Taxi receipts are entered on a series of excel worksheets within the taxi income work book preset with each day of the financial year. Weekly and monthly totals are added and transferred through the linking system from the taxi bookkeeping sheets to the taxi financial accounts sheet.
Taxi expenses are listed on a series of twelve monthly spreadsheets which have preset columns with appropriate headings for taxi drivers to record office and rental costs, fuel bills, other vehicle costs and license fees. The total of each expense is entered on each row and a single letter used to then analyze the taxi expense to the column required. As with the taxi income sheet the columns are then automatically added which includes a check on data entry accuracy before being transferred to the taxi driver accounts sheet.
Cash and bank spreadsheets are not provided as not required by taxi drivers as taxi drivers do not need to produce a balance sheet.
In addition to entering purchases on the taxi expense sheet the only other entries required from the taxi driver to produce a set of taxi driver accounts is to also enter vehicle and any other assets purchased on the fixed asset spreadsheet. The fixed asset spreadsheet having already been preset with both depreciation rates and the capital allowances that taxi drivers can claim. The taxi accounts software is then complete.
The financial accounts file contains formulae to produce a monthly profit and loss account that includes the taxi capital allowances from the fixed asset schedule.
A unique feature is that both mileages covered and vehicle running costs can be entered. The tax rules in the UK state that drivers cannot claim both mileage allowances and vehicle running costs. It has to be one or the other and only at the end of the financial year when it becomes clear which is the most tax efficient.
This taxi accounts package compares both the mileage cost and the vehicle running cost and automatically selects the most expensive. This ensures the highest costs are selected into the calculation of the net taxable profits and highest cost equals lowest tax bill.
Also in the taxi accounts file is an excel spreadsheet designed with the same layout, color codes and box numbers as the inland revenue self assessment tax return. The taxi self assessment tax return is completed automatically by the cabsmart taxi accounts software. No entries are required leaving the taxi driver only to click print to produce the self assessment tax return.
Finally having calculated the net taxable profit for the year the accounting package also has a tax calculator that calculates the amount of income tax and national insurance to be paid.
The taxi driver accounts package has been tested many times and the annual receipts and expenses for a full year take approximately 2 to 3 hours to enter, and have been completed in less than 2 hours. The end product is a full set of taxi driver accounts including the self assessment tax return.
Both couriers and van drivers have similar businesses to taxi drivers in that they move items from one place to another in a similar way in which taxi drivers move people from one location to another. And because of the similarity in business activity then this taxi accounting package would be equally suitable for couriers and van drivers.
Use Specialized Mental Health Treatment Training – Build Your Private Practice
How to use specialized mental health treatment training is an important area for you to explore. As I opened a recent SAMHSA newsletter, this headline stopped me in my tracks. “New Nationwide Report Reveals That More than One in Every 10 adults Experienced Serious Psychological Distress in the Past Year”! After close to 30 years as a practicing professional counselor and Mental Health Treatment Trainer, I knew there were many folks who were in emotional pain we never reached. I read the full text of the article looking for clues to who these potential clients were and how we might reach them.
When I think back to my counselor education programs at the master’s and doctoral levels, I know there was no time to educate new therapists to work with specialty populations, especially to the depth needed to build a private practice niche. Therefore, it is a given that any therapist who wants to go beyond a generalist practice must seek Mental Health Treatment Training in their specialty area of choice. How does all this relate to the SAMHSA article?
Most therapists and counselors look at specializing in a selected diagnostic area on Axis I disorders, for example, anxiety or depression. What is often neglected are specialty areas on Axis IV issues like domestic violence treatment, sex offender treatment and child abuse treatment.
These are often the clients who most need Mental Health Treatment for dysfunctional family issues. And, this is the best time in their lives to obtain this type of specialty treatment to interrupt the dysfunctional family cycle. Mental Health Treatment Training is available to address Adult Children from Dysfunctional Family issues. Use this specialty area to build a successful private practice. You can be the leader in your community to provide Mental Health Treatment to this population and become the “go to” person for other therapists in your area as well.
Start your specialized mental health treatment training now.
Cleaning Procedures for Different Wooden Home Furniture
Wood furniture can be painted, polished or oiled. How you clean your furniture depends on the variety of wood it is made up of. For example, some types of wood are lightly lacquered and do not absorb oil, while others like rosewood and teak do not have any finish and can be handled with annual oil application.
Let us see how you can clean different types of wood home furniture be it wooden beds, Almira, sofa set or cabinets:
Painted Wood
Excessive rubbing and cleaning can damage the decor, color and finish of furniture. If your wooden beds and other furniture pieces are of painted wood, least care and maintenance is needed for them round the year. You can clean your painted wooden Almira and other furniture regularly with the help of a brush. Wiping occasionally with sponge can help in removing finger marks and smudges. If you feel the need of wax, use of hard paste wax once in a year can serve the purpose.
Oiled Wood
Oiled wood furniture has a soft, warm glow which requires only occasional oil application. For example, if you oil your wooden sofa set once in a year, it will retain the shine for a long time to come. It is important to note that you should never wax an oiled wooden surface. Wax can block the pores making the wood dry and brittle. If there are white spots on your oiled wooden furniture, rub them with tooth paste spread on a soft cloth. You can also use oil and a mild abrasive to rub those white spots. Such abrasives may be pumice, baking soda, salt or ash. The oils that you can use may be cooking oil, olive oil and petroleum jelly.
Polished Wood
Polished wooden furniture pieces are usually finished with wax, lacquer or varnish. Any wood polish can clean a wooden surface quickly. You have to choose the one which is appropriate for the kind of finish done on your wooden furniture. For example, wax in paste form gives a long lasting finish to the furniture, as compared to liquid or spray polish. This kind of finishing is usually recommended for antique wooden pieces.
Always wear cotton gloves while waxing the furniture, as this will not leave any fingerprints on the surface. Sprinkle some corn starch on the recently polished wood surface, and rub it for better gloss. Corn starch absorbs the excess wax or oil from the surface, leaving a glistening wooden surface free from any fingerprints. If there are white spots or rings on your wooden sofa set, you can apply mayonnaise, allow it to sit for around 60 minutes, wipe it off with a cloth and then polish. All these are terrific techniques to keep your wooden furniture glowing like new.
Specialty Wood
Specialty woods can be bamboo, rush, cane, rattan, wicker etc. These woods have natural finish, but some of them may have shellac or varnish coating. You need to vacuum them regularly with a brush attachment.
With all these steps, you can keep your home furniture as shiny as new.
Why Home Furniture Made in America Is Not Only Patriotic to Buy
When you buy home furniture that is Made in America, you are being sensible, not just patriotic. Sure, its good to buy stuff that has been made in your own country, and the ‘Made in America’ push is intended to help give the American economy a big boost (it sure needs it), but often you will find the quality of items made in the USA is just as good, and often better, than their equivalents manufactured elsewhere.
Why buy solid wood furniture made anywhere else when the USA offers such a fabulous range of hardwoods such as American black walnut, maple, American cherry, various oaks, beech and many others? Not just solid wood, but some fabulous veneers cut from the root bole of the American walnut, or with the beautiful burl ash, plane or any wood thinly cut where major branches intersect with the trunk.
It is difficult to beat the beauty of quarter sawn oak with its beautiful flecks and medullary rays, and all of this can be incorporated into solid wood or veneered home furniture made in America. When you purchase such American-made products, yes, you are contributing to the economy of your own country, but you are also buying quality and a product that will last.
Have you even visited an old American house, such as Paul Revere’s house in Boston? If so, did you notice the furniture, particularly in the two rooms upstairs in his house? These pieces are believed to have belonged to his family – all solid as a rock and still as functional today as it was back on that April day in 1775 when he jumped on his horse and made that famous ride.
Solid wood home furniture, made in America using traditional carpentry techniques, and using genuine American hardwood. Furniture crafted by American carpenters and cabinet makers, men and women, who are proud of their work and also innovators who are unafraid to try new techniques and use new methods, such as the Stickley way of use quarter sawn oak for center-posts.
While it is patriotic to buy furniture such as this from American firms such as Stickley, Sherrill, Simply Amish, Southwood and American Craftsman, it also makes sense if you want value for money. Why pay the transport of furniture from China or even Europe when you can get the same or even better quality from home? Every penny you spend on home-built furniture is on the product, not on paying for it to be shipped half way round the world.
Take these furniture manufacturers mentioned above, and add to that list firms such as The Custom Shoppe, Cambridge Mills and Nichols & Stone. Every one of these uses traditional carpentry joints in their construction, such as dovetails for the drawers and mortise and tenon for most of the cabinetry. Dovetails are use for stretchers, where no glue is needed – the joints are strong enough without glue, nails or screws.
When you buy home furniture that is made in America you are not only investing in your country’s financial well being, but also in your home and the enduring quality of the furniture that graces it. You are investing in solid American furniture that you can pass on to your children. You are investing in your own and their future. Why spend your money elsewhere when you can be both patriotic and sensible by purchasing the best quality furniture you can get for your money.
Let’s have a look at some examples. Gustav Stickley made use of quarter sawn oak and its beautiful flecks created by the medullary rays of the natural oak. Leopold Stickley used panels of this oak to show these flecks on all sides of a post, rather than on just the two sides as was possible previously – an example of ingenuity! However, it is the Stickley carpentry that makes their American furniture so strong and enduring.
They use no glue unless essential, but high quality jointing techniques such as dovetailed cross rails that offer strength without glue or screws, pinned tenons on door frames that can never come loose and even pinned miter joints on mirror frames. Others, such as Sherrill and Simply Amish employ similar traditional carpentry techniques – the same methods used by your forebears when all their furniture had to be hand-made!
The standard of workmanship of genuine hardwood furniture made in America by craftsmen and women is obvious. Everything fits, everything works and if it doesn’t then check the label or the stamp on the wood. You will likely find it made outside these shores, because American-made furniture is made to last and to look good – invest in your own country and not in somebody else if you want genuinely high quality home furniture.
Is Cord Wood Construction a Great Green Construction Option?
Modern construction methods are extremely efficient and safe. Many homeowners and renters enjoy the protection from the weather and the hazards that run through nearly every home, with near complete immunity. The most frequent criticism of modern construction that many people have is that the materials and substances that go into creating the modern home are harmful to the environment, and sometimes the occupants.
There are many ways to limit the risk and harm that people can be exposed to with modern construction methods and one is to use ecologically friendly construction means, as called “green construction”. Green construction is essentially the endeavor to use material that will not emit chemicals or substances that are harmful to the environment or life. One of these green construction methods is called “cord wood” construction or stack wall construction.
Cord wood construction is basically using firewood that is cut to a specified dimension as fill for a mortar supported wall. Think of it like this, instead of using bricks, you use wood. Cord wood walls vary in thickness from 8 to about 16 inches depending on the weather conditions prevalent in the area. In colder areas, a thicker wall helps insulate from the cold, but where the cold is not as big a concern your resources can be used in a more frugal manner by making 8 inch walls.
The biggest benefit of building a home out of cord wood construction is the price. Typically a 2000 square foot home can be built out of about 5 cords of firewood, which may cost less than $1000 depending on your location. When placed inside of a frame of post and beam structure the cord wood wall is one of the most beautiful and rustic looking forms of construction in the world.
The second biggest benefit of cord wood construction is that it is something anyone can do with a little effort. It takes time to build a cord wood wall straight and true, but it is not that hard so any novice builder can have a decent home erected safely. Since the mortar takes time to set up and harden you can only go at a certain pace of construction which allows you to rest and plan before getting too far ahead of yourself.
The most important benefit of cord wood construction is that you are creating a home which does not release toxic chemicals into the home environment. Once the mortar is dried the home is done releasing any gases or chemicals, so you do not have to worry about your kids inhaling formaldehyde for 2 years afterward like you do in new construction. Keep in mind that is does take a deliberate effort on your part not to put in any chemicals as well. This can be avoided by choosing to decorate your home with something other than paint and glue down your rugs with a substance that does not emit formaldehyde.
With a little conscious planning and thought you can use green construction techniques to completely prevent a dangerous environment for your loved ones, and yourself.