Hi!  I’m Allie Smith.  Thank you for visiting my site.  I’m the married mother of four children, living in suburban Atlanta.  If you’re a mom, have a special needs child, care about your legacy, love to read, write, travel or have an unhealthy appetite for pop culture and good TV – this is the place to be.

I blog about many topics:  Autism, books, reading, entertainment, parenting, gratitude, travel, aging and writing.  I don’t have a niche – I may have adult ADD (self-diagnosed, of course).

“Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.”

When I was growing up, I thought all my friends had the perfect life.  As an adult, I realized that really wasn’t the case and I didn’t feel so alone anymore.  We all have a story, we all have some kind of battle to fight.   I truly believe that if we share our stories, we’ll be free.  Free to live that life we want to live.  That’s what I do here, share my stories.  Some are funny, some are sad, but they’re all full of hope.

“Without hope, the heart would break.”

And when I get sick of my own stories, I read the stories of others.   I love blogs, books and magazines.   I’m a voracious reader and love many genres: woman’s fiction, chick lit, literary fiction, memoirs, biographies (everything from presidential to Hollywood), and nonfictions books about grief, parenting, health and wellness, aging, writing and travel.  See?  I really am kind of all over the place.  If you’re on Goodreads, I’d love to be friends.

You can reach me on my Contact Me page or by email:  allie@thelatchkeymom.com

The Latchkey Mom

I bet you’re wondering about the name, aren’t you?  Naming a blog is not fun – at least it wasn’t for me.  You can read about how the name came to be here.  However, my latchkey has come to symbolize a lot more in my writing journey.  Writing the blog has unlocked many memories, feelings and desires I didn’t know I had.  I also believe this blog is key to my becoming a better person, living the life I want to live and achieving the dreams I have for the future.

My Journey to Blogging

When I was younger, stories and ideas filled my head.  Sometimes I’d write them down, but most of the time I just daydreamed.  When I started college I was a Communications major, with aspirations of being the next Mary Tyler Moore, a producer, writing in the newsroom.  I had no desire to be in front of the camera.  But here’s a little secret – when you major in communications, you’re expected to give speeches, lots of them – no thank you.  So, I switched majors.

I will spare you the long story, but I ended up earning a B. A. in Business Administration and a Master of Accountancy.  I passed the CPA exam on my first try (which actually kind of makes me a bad ass) and entered the corporate world, working at a series of accounting jobs, each one better than the next.  But I wasn’t happy. I kept hearing a voice in my head say, “Do what you love!”

Still not ready to make a professional move, I did the next logical thing, I had a baby.  Only that baby turned out to be twins.  I was staying home, whether I wanted to or not.  Although I loved my boys more than anything, I was at times a little bored.  I started writing.  I was happy and excited.  Then I heard the words, “Your child has autism,” and everything fell apart – literally.

Over the next few years, I had a couple more children, moved a few times and experienced many of the ups and downs we all do on the journey of life.  But I still harbored the desire to write.

One summer, I hit the road with my four children for a thirty day road trip.  I started the blog Road Warrior Momma to document the trip for family and friends.  Road Warrior Mama is still alive and kicking, because that one road trip led to another and another.  We’re on a quest to travel together to all fifty states (we’re at 36 and counting).  I also started reviewing books for a couple of blogs.  After I landed my first “official” writing gig – as a columnist at the magazine, My Forsyth, I jumped into the blogosphere for real in February of 2013.

Some of my favorite posts:

My most popular:

In additional to this blog, I’ve also had the honor of having my essays featured at other sites.  You can read my words at The Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, The Family Legacy Center, The HerStories Project, the Forsyth Herald, My Forsyth Magazine, Full Grown People, The Mighty, Autism Speaks and hopefully many more to come.

 Other Things to Know About Me

I’m a mother of Four, Wife, Sister, Friend, Autism Mom,

Special Needs Champion, Writer, Voracious Reader, Part-time

Exercise Enthusiast, Recovering Vegetarian, Kid Rock Fan,

Dreamer, Beach Lover, Former Sun Worshipper, Wine Drinker,

Coffee Addict, Patriots and Red Sox Fanatic,

Politically Independent,

Road Warrior with a BAD Case of Wanderlust,

Believer in happy endings & a woman who’s hopefully

optimistic about the future!