Laurie Childree

The dream to become an author with your name on the cover of a book you wrote is held by many. My dream recently came true with the help of some amazing people.

There are times when necessity is the only thing left to reduce the budget. This can lead to difficult decisions and an increase in the amount of time required to finish daily tasks.

Kindergarten is a scary step, but when your Autistic five year old decides they want to do all the things that the other children do, scary can take on a whole new meaning. The time it takes to get an Autistic child to cooperate to do what they have to do instead of what they want to ...

The first week of Kindergarten is an exciting time. It is filled with first for little ones that are not accustomed to spending the entire day away from home. My youngest started school going half days at the age of three because of her Autism. Three years of therapy later she is in a...

The youngest is starting Kindergarten and schedules have to be arranged. Finances have to be re-examined to make room for everything too.

Sometimes sleeping the day away is what you have to do in order to revitalize for the week ahead. The problem comes in when you wake up and realize just how big of a mess you have to clean up.

Normal is a word often overused since the definition of normal truly depends on who you would ask on any given day.

I woke up to the sound of the rain pounding gently on my roof. There was no thunder or lightening only the peaceful sound of the rain to make me relaxed enough to work. The rain was heavy but since I had no where to go there was no frustration at it.

The end of the year brings holiday gifts and increasing expenses. The income does not always keep up with expenses however and that can make things scary. When income continues to decline it can become terrifying.

Death is unavoidable. Live long enough and you will bury someone that you care about. The recent death of a longtime friend in a tragic accident left me to ponder the true meaning of "death is the only guarantee in life."

The New Year is here once again and it is bringing about changes of all sorts. Ready or not here come the changes and they are all positive. I hope.

The decision to divorce is not one that is to be taken lightly. It is a decision that will have a lasting effect on not only your life but the life of everyone involved.

Friends are something everyone needs but there are friends that do more harm than good. These friends are toxic. How do you know when supposedly well meaning friends are actually toxic?

Saving money can aid the feeling of financial security. There are several ways to save money, some of which require nothing more than a little bit of time and attention to detail.

Thanksgiving is almost here and I have no idea what we will do. Past holidays are making me wonder what to do, if anything for this holiday that is getting closer every day.

Life is a struggle, no way around it. There are times when we go through are days merely on instinct and function strictly on routines. It is a delicate balance but somehow we make it through the day even if auto pilot is the only way we function.

A diagnosis of Autism for your child means the rules change and nothing is black and white or crystal clear anymore. Each day is filled with tiny battles that can change the outcome of the war. Choosing battles carefully is vital to ending the day with your sanity in tact.

The year would appear to be attempting to end just as roughly as it began. Debts, repairs and other issues have made this a roller coaster ride that is coming to an abrupt halt only for temporary repairing of the tracks.

When you have nothing but time on your hands it can allow you to think. The thoughts come without warning or filter and can lead you to some stunning conclusions.

Divorce is never easy but when you find yourself suddenly unemployed and unable to take care of even basic needs it gets scary. Finding the strength to carry on and follow through can take a bit of a nudge from your friends.

When you get married to vow to love, honor and cherish each other until death separates you. There are times when no matter how much effort you put forth you have no choice but to break those vows and get a divorce. When you love someone, truly love someone you want them to be happy w...

Changes are a part of life but to a child with Autism they can devastating when there is no time to prepare for them. Sometimes it is best to keep your children from moving forward too fast.

The new school year was causing a great deal of stress and frustration. Now it's causing feelings of guilt even though I know that the decision we've made if for the best. The decisions were not made lightly in fact a lot of thought, frustration and tears went into making them.

Getting ready for the school year is presenting new challenges. Preparing for this year is causing financial strain the we hope to push past. Ending the year on a positive note is the goal at this point.

As gas prices continue to yo-yo there isn't any real relief in sight from them. Dealing with the increasing prices at the pumps can be stressful but sometimes dealing with it is your only option.