Thursday, March 3, 2011

Breakfast

The girls are eating breakfast, and chatting away. 12 grain toast with Nutella and oranges for Olivia, and oatmeal and strawberries for Charlotte. Molly is grazing, as she always does. She had half a banana, and some oranges. She is trying to eat oatmeal, but really, she is just making a mess.

David was out of town last night for work. He is a rep for his union at work. I am really proud of him. Staying here with the girls alone last night makes me have far less patience. I don't know how single parents do it. Thank God they were all tired, and went to bed a little before 8:00. I sat up reading the following websites sent to me by someone who is an expert on mortgage fraud. http://www.4closurefraud.org/  and http://www.livinglies.wordpress.com/ Some pretty heavy reading. Some of it was beyond me. Some of it was all about us. Made me madder. Fired me up. I finally stopped reading, and went to bed. But every bump in the night made me wake up. I don't like being the sole parent, home alone.

Tonight is Charlotte's ceremony at Daisy's where she receives her pin. She is beyond excited. She went to bed last night talking about it, and woke up this morning, without skipping a beat, talking about it. She wants to wear a dress tonight. She wanted to know why the ceremony is taking place in the usual meeting spot of her troop, as opposed to someplace more fancy, like a place where weddings are. Oh Charlotte. So much like me. A picture painted in your head how it's all supposed to be.

More reading today. The mortgage fraud sites are frightening.

And the advertising below...sorry. My readership is up a bit. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

37 comments:

  1. look at all your followers AND advertising -- that gets a big fat "YOU GO GIRL!!!!"

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  2. I just saw a Citimortgage ad for loan modification on my blog!!! That is the ultimate irony!!!! I am cracking up!

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  3. I was greatly disturbed to read your article in the Pocono Record...how self serving can one person be ? I myself am a single mother of two and live in a rented apartment...I work full time while my children are at school and fortunately they are of age where they can be alone for several hours until I get home from work...but my children have never had extra curriculum activities...as I barely make enough to cover rent and food....I have never owned my own place and cannot believe the audacity of you begging for relief from your mortgage payments when you could cut your loses, sell your house and move into a rental like many other people in this country...Prada to payless, at least you still have shoes, fortunately for myself the Salvation Army has a generous supply of nearly new shoes. otherwise my children would be without...So please stop begging and looking for sympathy there are a whole lot of people a lot worse off than yourself and they actually work full time !

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  4. Erin, you mention that two of your children are in school, and your youngest is home, so why can't you get a job like every other woman who is even less fortunate than yourself, at least your husband is working, while your older children are in school, and put your youngest in daycare? I know women who work 3 and 4 jobs, and they pay for daycare and barely make ends meet, you are one of the most selfish people I have ever heard, complaining about a loosing your house, and in another breath, telling the world about a tea party you had with your children on your fine china, WTF? Stop looking for other people to pay your debts! You owe the money, not the mortgage company, YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND ONLY, STOP ALREADY!

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  5. So now that you r making money off your blog, maybe you should pay your mortgage payments and stop complaining and expecting handouts from everyone else. By the way, is there one ounce of truth in your blog, I highly doubt it! People like yourself are very shrewed, always searching for someone else to take from, and always searching for some else to dupe.

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  6. erin-glad you got my email, I cannot see that it was posted,or maybe it went to you directly. Don't be intimidated. Take a deep breath,and read,read,read. Take notes. I will be in touch. Regards,Ian

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  7. For all the MENTAL MIDGETS WHO CONDEM NEIGHBORS IN NEED, PAY ATTENTION : I e-mailed this homeowner a couple times. I am 100% behind her and u should be also..Anthony is my name, but will keep my last name off the blog for now. She is doing the correct thing but is facing opposition. If our gov't can hand out billons to auto companies, wall street, and the same banks who r trying to take this home, they can certianly give this family a leg up. Neighbors in mortgage trouble r not asking for a handout, just the opposite, they want to pay. It is hard with gas at 4 bucks a gallon, electic bills through the roof, school taxes out of control, and much more, which is not the fault of homeowners in trouble. Bernie made off and others did that. That is a whole different Blog. People(neihbors), who r not behind on there mortgages better wake up and realize that EVERY foreclosure that turns around and sells(transfers deed through courthouse) for pennies on the dollar drags every home VALUE down the tube with it. Every home sale must include an appraisal using comparasions from recent surronding home sales! So, ney sayers, if 2 of ur neighbors keep there homes that u all paid 500,000 for, then everyones value stays up. However, if those 2 neighbors lose there home to foreclosure and someone buys it for 200,000, guess what: Your 500,000 home is now worth only 200,000. Do not knock ur neighbor who is having problems, reach out and help them. FDR SAID "A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link"

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  8. Erin,
    Jim travels a lot so I know how you feel about being the only parent home...sometimes I wonder if something was wrong with one of them in the middle of the night...what would I do? Call a neighbor or my sister-in-law to come and stay with the other, call 911, take both to the er....not quite sure! It's a little more peaceful but sometimes lonely!
    Hope Charlotte enjoyed her night! :)

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  9. Couldn't have said it better myself Big C!

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  10. Writting about your thoughts and feelings is a great form of therapy ( knowing you're not alone in this situation) but at the end of the day, it does little to "improve" your situation. These are the moments you have to be pro-active with your own finances.May I make just a couple suggestions? Assuming you said yes. Save just one pair of your name brand shoes as a memory of where you have been and the life you once had ( keeping in mind what you could have done with that money) and sell the rest. Sell all this name brand "stuff" that in the end did NOTHING for your "status". Some extra cash in your pocket that can be used for more important and needed things. As your "following" grows, find out who lives in your area and offer babysitting trade off days so you my dear can go look for a job (even part time, even at minimum wage). Desperate people are willing to do any job. Try these two steps and see yourself two steps ahead.

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  11. Erin, thank you, thank you, thank you for posting the two mortgage servicing fraud sites!! The more we educate people, the more the banksters have to fear. In all States across the country the banksters are stepping up their lobbying, and have posted warnings in their 10K's filed with the SEC because of what we have uncovered. Funny, but a mistrial was just declared in a high profile case in Pittsburg because of "robo-signing".

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  12. Big C, what you say is very nice and does pertain to certain people, but do you realy know the people you are defending? Ask yourself why Mrs. DeRosa does not find employment, and I do not want to hear that she cannot afford childcare, that's just an insult to all parents all over who both have to work to just make ends meet, I myself included. I don't make a very large salary, and either does my husband, but the money we do make, we pay for our childcare, and the little extra money we have goes to our bills. Mrs. Derosa states in her blog that her husband is a union rep for the Army Depot, come on now, my husband works in a factory making $13.00 per hour, so you may want to think about what you say when you lower yourself to calling people "MENTAL MIDGETS". I do not mind helping people who at least try to help themselves, but I do not,and will not help people who sit around waiting for other people to help them!

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  13. Isn't this supposed to be a fair discussion, well where r all the comments. Erin, it looks to me like you have chosen the few that make you shine, why don't you put everyones comments up so people can read them, or is it your intention to always make yourself look perfect.

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  14. Maybe if people took time to read the blog, they would see that in addition to working as a mom, I clean houses. I have a small cleaning service. The work is a bit slow right now, reflecting the economy. My husband is a union rep. You don't get paid for that. He also is making not much more than your husband. Childcare for three children cancels out the minimum wage that is paid around here. I find that an honest discussion would also be more fair if all of these criticisms came from people not signing their names Anonymously. If you don't like what I have to say, then don't read my words. It is very easy to pass judgement on people when you don't know all the facts.

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  15. I passed judgement when you stated that your family would eat dog/cat food to stay in your house. I passed judgement when you were shocked to be asked if you knew what a "proposal" was since you obviously didn't know what "ARM/ARMs" meant!

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  16. Huh? Adjustable rate mortgage? Not sure what you are saying here "Anonymous". That's fantastic that you can pass judgements on people. You must be without flaw.

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  17. Erin, people can be so rude, ignore them the best you can. I find it laughable that people say you're just looking for a handout - give me a break. Keep moving forward!

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  18. Erin, regarding your comment, childcare for three children cancells out the minimum wage here, stop, stop, you are making a mockery of all the working parents in this country. You say your two older are in school, so what about after school programs, pay for them out of your salary like everyone else does, and find a sitter for your youngest. Even minimum wage should cover that, because I know, I am in the same position as you are, but I DO NOT, AND WILL NOT EXPECT OTHER PEOPLE OR BLAME MY MORTGAGE COMPANY FOR MY DEBTS. SHAME ON YOU!!!

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  19. Erin and Big C, if you can't afford it you shouldn't have it!

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  20. If any of the" anonymous " commentators had any conviction in there beliefs wouldn't they leave a name and be proud of their stance? The silent hatred and anger is the anger that I fear the most. If my wife and myself ate so vile to certain people step up and state your name. If one wants to truly believe in oneself give a face for your fight.
    I am also failing to see where it states that we want a handout? I want nothing for free. Everything that we own we worked very hard for.
    This is a problem all over America. Not just here. All we want is for the banks to be held accountable. They took millions from all of us in the form of bailouts. Let us hold them accountable.

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  21. Erin, don't pay attention to the ramblings of "trolls". As you continue your fight, your mortgage servicer itself will have trolls post to draw you out. Do you know that in the not so distant past, "we" (meaning the people who have been yelling that the ship is sinking for over a decade) could not post our real names? Do you know that some of our crusaders suffered from break ins, with only their computers and auxiliary hard drives stolen? We actually had one house burnt to the ground. Other people suffered from computer virus attacks. All of this is documented. All of this can be found on the internet. I myself had to use a "pen name" and it only when I testified before the Financial Services Committee did I allow my identity to be known. You are not a "deadbeat". You are a "victim". As you continue your research, you will understand more clearly what was perpetrated on you, your family, your neighborhood, your country.

    Just keep researching, and know that you too will probably wind up attempting to educate people. I guarantee that in Monroe County alone I can find 3,000 homes that were illegally foreclosed on. I can find 3,000 mortgage that were illegal, and I can find 3,000 notes that were purportedly "securitized" that were not, and have been paid off by the government, with the "pretender lenders" receiving a "windfall" by taking possession of homes in which they had no "skin".

    Maureen McGrath
    National Advocacy Against Mortgage Servicing Fraud

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  22. dgderosa...Are you really looking for the banks to be held accountable, or are you looking for a bailout for yourself? You are responsibe for your mortgage regardless of the banks actions. Who is holding you accountable? Millions of homeowners are current on their mortgages, and work very hard in this economy to stay that way, many working two and three jobs to do so.
    I understand you situation may be difficult, but have you ever considered a two income family like the rest of us have to in order to survive? Please don't tell me you cannot afford daycare, because we do it on a very low income and pay for it ourselves with 3 young children in NJ. We don't like it, but in order to pay our bills, and meet our obligations, we have no choice.

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  23. Erin- the reponse from people regarding your 'short sale' proposal is quite common. The reason that most banks prefer foreclosing on a homeowner rather than agreeing to a short sale is that when a loan goes into "default"(more on that term later)the default,usually at 45 days late for PMI(private mortgage insurance) to 60 days or more for lender's title insurance,Ambac,MBIA,Assured Guaranty. And of course we have CDS(credit default swaps) CDOs(collateralized debt obligations),Fed toxic asset facilities, crosscollateralization,overcollateralization,and a dozen other ways that the "lender"(but not really) gets paid when a homeowner defaults.AND THEN THEY GET TO SELL THE HOUSE AGAIN,AFTER THEY PURCHASE IT ILLEGALLY AT AUCTION ON THE COURTHOUSE STEPS BY A RIGGED "CREDIT BID". Plus,your mortgage note was sold 5 or 10 times before you even bought your house. To 5 or 10 different owners who thought they were the sole owner. Why I'm surprised there aren't 2 or 3 different entities demanding payment.
    Now,if they just accepted your short sale offer, they wouldn't be able to make any money,and they would have to wait out the 30 year term to get it back.
    In a recent case of national importance, the plaintiff,Wells Fargo Bank,refused a short sale where the homeowner offered and could afford payments if the bank accepted 279,000 instead of 293,000. The bank said no, and foreclosed.Case closed? Not quite. 1 yr goes by,the homeowner reopens the case,court finds that the foreclosure was improper,and gives the house back to the homeowner. The bank cannot reopen the case. It came to light during the court proceedings that the bank sold the property to Fannie Mae for? $1.00 That is one dollar. This kind of behavior is just the tip of a very,very large iceberg. The appraisal fraud. The mortgage broker fraud. The underwriting fraud. The SEC violations.(securities and exchange commission)The non-existent "Trust" fraud. The predatory servicing fraud.
    I would rather see someone taking care of their children than going to work outside the home and letting the kids "fend for themselves". So I feel like you are doing the right thing. Don't be as gullible next time you speak with your bank,or listen to the patronizing drivel which spews from the mouths of the people at CCC. They haven't a clue as to what is going on. Keep smiling. Nice blog.

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  24. In reference to anonymous regarding the short term sale, while you are 100% correct, you are forgetting that these people are not ingnorant, they knew what they were doing when they took this mortgage out, please, do not fool yourself, that's the problem here, do they seem ignorant to you? The seem like well educated people to me! So, while their house was in jeopardy for several years, why did they not work hard to fix the problem then, why did they not get several jobs to meet their obligations then, what did they do with the money that they were supposed to pay their mortgage with and did not because in their own words, they were told not to pay it. These are questions I cannot get over, and I am sorry, because under normal circumstances I would agree with you, but these people seem to have shrugged their obligations to pay their mortgage, and now seem to be looking for help at the very last minute blaming the bank. Sure, the banks, the mortgage companies are at fault, but why should they pay for the this family's lapse in judgement. When they knew they were in trouble, why didn't they get several jobs to cover their mortgage, because that is what my husband and I would do in order to keep a roof over our children's head, we would not sit around and make excuses about not being able to afford childcare, there is always a way if you try hard enough!

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  25. Here is the last time that I will comment on this.
    Did any of the people who post "anonymously" actually read anything beyond the newspaper article? I doubt it, because if they had they would know the chain of events that led us here.
    Citi moetgage told us to stop paying in order to receive help via the governments HAMP program period. What would I have to gain by making any of this up? I have the paper trail and email trail to prove the negligence of this company.
    Also, my wife cleans houses to make some extra money. Once again "anonymous" please have some conviction and let us know who you are. My wife was brave enough to share our life with all of you. Please be brave enough to believe in yourself and your comments. I doubt that you would have the same fortitude that it takes to share your problem free life with all of us.
    Peace and love to all of our neighbors. Especially the few that hold us in such contempt.

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  26. Erin, who's picture are you using? The picture looks nothing like the picture in the Pocono Record of you!

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  27. People have trouble feeding their families. Soup kitchens and food pantries struggle to keep up with the demand. There are families who are facing true difficult times. While you want to keep your "house", remember ... that is what it is, just a house. Your home is where you love, laugh and cry together. To say you would have everyone eating dog food before you gave up the house is to say you value this structure over your families well being. Think about what has TRUE value. You'll see it's not a structure or man made things.

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  28. To all of the nasty people who think they need to make ridiculous and mean comments to this family: THIS IS A BLOG. That's it. If you don't like it, or you disagree, then don't read it and move on. It really is that simple.

    Unfortunately, the anonymous posters feel the need to spew their ugliness and negativity for all to read. Why? Seriously, why? It makes no sense and has no positive impact on ANYTHING.

    Has this family asked you for anything? Have they caused you distress of some sort? Has your life been impacted by a blog you don't need to read? Or do you feel it's necessary to make vicious comments because it makes you feel better - for some strange reason?

    The only thing I have been able to determine by reading the negative anonymous posts is this: the lack of compassion and empathy in this community is appalling. You should ashamed. However, I realize you lack the social skills to even comprehend this. Remember, karma can be very unkind. Your nasty comments help NO ONE in any way. This is a blog. A BLOG.

    This family is not asking YOU for anything. Why is this so hard for you to understand? Why does it upset you? I don't get it. Totally bizarre. You don't like it, don't read it, and move on with your miserable life.

    On the bright side, your absurd comments have given me a good chuckle this afternoon. If you put just a fraction of your negative energy into doing something positive...forget it, I don't think your heart can compute kindness. My bad.

    Truthfully, I NEVER comment on this "stuff", but when I read through these comments, and find nothing other than maliciousness from some people, it's unfortunate. Luckily, most of us don't let a few bad apples spoil the bunch.

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  29. ROTFL ... coming soon
    " PRADA TO PAYLESS" collection cans?

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  30. I love all of these comments. Keep them coming. Each one is further proof that no one has read past the fluffy title of my blog or beyond a newspaper article. If you are leaving a comment here, at least read my blog, and at the very least, have the courage to sign your name. I had the courage to. I am reading a lot posts from nameless faceless people throwing stones into my house, and running very quickly back into their glass ones.

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  31. Erin, be very very careful!! You have a "troll" here!! Ignore its comments - it could just be the "troll" under the bridge, who gets great joy in being "tough" and "negative", or it could be a "troll" hired by the "banksters" coming to draw you out. If you are not being monitored yet, you will be - the "banksters" will actually use what you post here as evidence against you in a court of law - which may explain the constant reference to what you "eat", what you "will do to save your home", etc. My advice to you is ignore them!!! Do not respond to them, I've had 10 years dealing with them, and the best antidote is "knowledge"!!

    Maureen McGrath
    National Advocacy Against
    Mortgage Servicing Fraud

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  32. Here you go Troll - chew on this!!

    The GREAT SECURITIZATION PONZI SCHEME has had victims and consequences far beyond the usual loss of life savings of suckers who went for the bait. This is a cancer growing on our society that will have consequences greater than Watergate and even greater than slavery. Our country is at great peril and while we can talk about it, debate it and call to action — the consequences could be very grave unless there is ACTION in the streets and the halls of power, unless people realize that we are all being victimized by this scam even if we never took out a mortgage.

    Maureen McGrath
    National Advocacy Against
    Mortgage Servicing Fraud

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  33. Everyday I would look forward to reading your blog, thinking, what beautiful words this woman is writing. I am not writing this to condemn you or your actions, but I feel what started out full of character and light, has lost it's ingegerity along the way. The moment the advertising started, I began to question your modus operandi. Your husband states that you house clean, I now question the fact that you even pay your taxes on that income, I highly doubt it. One of your responders writes that she would rather see you at home taking care of your children than going to work outside the home and letting your children fend for themselves. How ignorant is that? I realize those are not your words, but do you see what is happening here. How dare she downgrade all the working parents of America who must work to afford their homes, being a mom, do you realy think any mother wants to leave their children in someone elses hands? Erin, you say it's a blog, and if you don't like it don't read it. It WAS a blog, because of your advertising, what you are doing now is using your words for your financial gain, and that is my opion. I think it is only a matter of time before people see you with your mask off like I see you. I am so dissapointed, and truly sorry for you. I am a local Dentist in the immediate area, and choose to remain annonymous and that is my choice.

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  34. Erin, I can't believe the mean-spirited, petulant comments I have read here. At no time should you or anyone ever let go of what you had without struggling for it. One person may choose to cut her losses, but that is her choice, and not yours to feel sorry about.
    No one is ever made better by spewing angry criticism. I hope you benefit from the advice I also see pouring in.
    It sounds like one anonymous person is hurting out there. Maybe something in your blog will help her too.

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  35. Oh God, did this anonymuos actually pick on your picture. I don't feel sorry any longer -- that's the small-mindedness of someone who just wants to hurt you. People don't act this way unless they hurt too.

    David, I agree that the person probably read just the news article.

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