C Tann-Starr's Outside Blog

How to get children interested in real estate is a lot easier than most people would think. It's all about their imaginations being stimulated during playtime, the sneaking in of very complicated concepts through the manipulation of action figures, lego blocks, dirt and dump trucks. Letting them play with the video and digital cameras to "document their progress" is a great incentive to plan and produce a living environment as well. Nothing beats the cutting and pasting of prints into a salt and pepper notebook when you have an arts-and-crafty-kid.

"Bob The Builder" is also an essential conponent of our strategy, but it is not enough to watch a video while playing lego games in the house -- a parent must get them out in the field, expose them to nature and explain how different animals live and provide shelter for their young. Miniature animals are a must when building on "Zoo Ground." You would be surprised how many kids can't wait to get their hands busy building twig houses, nests, yard fences and lego barns (especially when "mud concrete" is involved) after checking out the layout of a zoo.

Today's lesson involves drawing a dirt grid to place structures North, South, East and West of "Pride Rock."  "The Lion King" is a favorite movie, so of course "Simba" and "Nala" have to be provided for. While my six year old plots and plans where to build his "jungle house" to oversee the kingdom, the two year old "surveys the forest" for food as the smell of a passing pizza fills the gentle breeze. Mmmm... Mama has produced a straw... This looks like a very good place to start building...

Daddy is going to receive some very interesting video mail this Father's Day. Enjoy the holiday everyone! Regards, C.

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"Are you still holding fast to your integrity?" That is the question the wife of Job asked when everthing was failing around them and he found himself silently sitting in ashes. His wealth was gone, his health was failing, his staff had been murdered, his children passed away... Job was suffering through his version of 911 and it was devastating. He was part of a community, yet he was very much alone.

So here he is, sitting in ashes, scraping at his sores and boils and the one person left in the world one would think could understand how miserable he was feeling strolls up in emotional outrage and advises Job to "Curse God and die!" immediately after questioning him about his "integrity."

Sometimes you think things can't possibly get worse, only to realize that they can...

Foreclosure is like that. People get desperate when their way of life is coming to an end. They do not know what the future holds, they only know they can't go back to where their life used to be. They fear becoming homeless, they fear the people depending upon them will walk out-- just leave-- because "it's better this way" leaving a person to fail on their own instead of "dragging us down with you." Some people pray for God to save them. Some commit suicide. Some people blame everyone else... Some peoples' health are failing from the stress of trying to hold onto their integrity when financially they have to choose between paying the light or gas bill this month in order to barely get by to squeeze out one more mortgage payment while desperately waiting for a buyer to "make up their mind." They want to tell their friends, but are afraid that the reactions they get may make it harder to maintain the friendship. Bad news travels fast and few people have solutions. Most duck and run the other way afraid someone is going to ask to borrow money when first hearing of someone's mortgage woes. So some owners suffer in silence, trying to hang on long enough to sell their home and start over but it doesn't always work out.

Bad things happen to good people. Sometimes it is really tough being a Realtor...

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2 Family Reverse Duplex for sale - 356A Chauncey Street Brooklyn NY 11223

RSVP OPEN HOUSE: Saturday June 7, 2008 4:30 - 5:30 PM

1996 Contemporary 2 Family Reverse Duplex located in Bedford Stuyvesant: $528,000.

Beautiful 6 bedroom, 3 bath home freshly painted and new wall to wall carpeting in the rental unit. Lower duplex has 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths inclusive of a master bath with jacuzzi tub, laundry room, under stairs storage and plenty of closet space. Main level consists of a living room, formal dining room, family room with outside entrance to backyard, utility room (boiler/HWH) and galley kitchen. Upper level consists of 3 bedrooms, 1 full bath, galley kitchen, living room and formal dining room. Assessed at $576,000.

Stephen and Noah Starr

One of the things I enjoy most is watching my children play. By the way, did I happen to mention my apartment usually gets destroyed within the first half hour? Legos everywhere. DVDs, blocks, books flying through the air. Clothes pulled from draws. Sheets and pillows being pulled from their beds...

The boys have taken to making a tent by pulling Noah's spread across the top of Stephen's bed to drape it over the crib sides so they can hide. Creating their version of the batcave, they sometimes spend a couple of hours entertaining themselves by sharing and fighting over toys. Noah usually climbs in and out to supply them with snack-age, gathering a selection of toys before turning on the T.V. so they can also peek through the folds to check out their favorite shows between parallel and interactive play. I like to knock on the door to get their attention which usually results in them popping their heads up to see who has entered their bedroom before breaking into hysterical giggles, ducking down to hide again in their self made sanctuary. On occasion, daring you to come close and find them for a tickle session.

As the days, weeks and months go by I start to realize that the little people have taken over my home. Nothing is sacred. Especially to the two year old who thinks everything is a toy. I've tried closing the bathroom door, but Stephen has mastered the art of breaking and entering. Just when you think it is safe to turn on your computer and take a moment to blog, answer some emails, or otherwise check in with the world, here he comes streaking by, trailing streams of toilet paper in his wake... I won't even mention what he does to my laundrey bags. The more mess he makes, the more fun he has, the more tired I become. The terrible twos are truly terrible, yet fascinating and sometimes funny as hell.

My boys have excellent instincts and seem to appear to know when they have gone too far. Everytime I open my mouth to "time them out" or fuss, with comedic timing Stephen starts clapping his hands, jumping up and down while declaring in a bright optomistic voice, "Good Job!" He always runs forward, then gives me a kiss, a smack and headbutt, looking very pleased that I have participated in the secret head/handshake and survived the painful terms of endearment...

With shining eyes and the grin of innocence, he bounces off to find his next adventure, crashing something else against the floor/door/wall. He is quite the bundle of energy, my little man. Why walk when you can run? Why run when you can jump, roll, swim and crawl across the floor? Why do any of it when you can "W-Sit" and bounce your butt through the door? Chasing little people is exhausting, but must be done. When you catch them and initiate a time-out, they go off to their respective corners and give you that silent stare as if asking you, "What's WRONG with you? Who's crib is it anyway? Isn't this MY house-- am I not allowed to play?"

I'm still trying to figure out how to not feel guilty for trying to enforce a few "tiny people rules." Kids are so much fun and they really make you think about what you have to do in response to their actions, whether for reward or punishment. Even when I'm mad, and I do periodically get really upset with them,  a part of me has to admire their tenacity to sticking to their guns when they want to do something, no matter how reasonable or outrageous.  I enjoy the process because they are so alive with business they actually can make me feel slothful. My kids know how to keep us on our toes.

What I enjoy even more is when after destroying my house while in Autism/PDD-NOS mode, they take a break to curl up together and cuddle. Sometimes they settle on the couch, the futon or Noah's bed to tangle up together and rest. If Stephen is already in the crib Noah climbs in to hold his hand and comfort him while they both try to find a spot to go to sleep. When I see them like this, I don't mind cleaning up the mess, even though I know when they wake up and I put Stephen back on the floor my home is going to look like a bomb went off in it and appear as if I can't ever get anything done...

Still, I thank God for my little pookies...

http://www.TannStarr.com