My name is Kristi Lawrence. My husband Dan and I have been married for 15 years now. We live in Salem, Oregon. The Pacific Northwest is beautiful, and my husband loves to be out in nature hunting, fishing, and anything else with our boys. I, on the other hand, am usually found at home curled up next to the fireplace with a good book. We have 3 amazing kids. Our oldest Tommy is 13 and in 8th grade. His favorite subject is Pre-Algebra, and he is interested in drawing. Isaac is 10 in 5th grade. He has ADHD and likes to say that he doesn't like any school, but he is always showing me cool facts and funny things from his lessons so there must be something good. Then there is Sarah, age 6. She loves reading and has taken off in her schooling and finished up most of her 1st-grade subjects very quickly. The freedom of homeschooling allowed us to let her go at her own pace and move straight into 2nd grade already.

My parents were both teachers, so I grew up in public school until 7th grade when they brought my brother and me home. I enjoyed homeschooling and the independence it gave me with my learning. In high school, I spent some time with health issues that homeschooling allowed me to put my lessons on hold. When I was in 11th grade I enrolled part-time at our local high school taking some college credit classes. I especially enjoyed medical studies and was able to get training through school to be a nursing assistant. I spent the next 6 years working as a CNA mostly with Alzheimer's patients. I never officially graduated high school but jumped right into the college courses I would need to be a nurse. God had other plans for me! My husband has always been so supportive, helping me realize that with my chronic health issues, I would much rather put my energy into being a stay-at-home mom. So I put my skills to use in a different way and started in-home daycare. I have been blessed over the years to have just the right families/children come into our home at the perfect times.

We chose to homeschool when our first son was due to start kindergarten, and we just weren't comfortable with the school where we lived at the time. I was happy to be the one to teach my kids. My husband was hesitant after struggling with his own brief homeschool experience as a child. We agreed to give it a try and re-evaluate what is best for our kids each year as we go. Our first couple of years were rough. I had attended our local homeschool convention and picked an eclectic mix of curricula that I thought would be best for my son. Unfortunately, I forgot to take into consideration his learning style, and we were all frustrated with the lack of progress. That's when we cut back to the basics and found BJU Press homeschool materials. I started teaching him the parent-led math and English courses, and it worked! He was in 2nd grade and finally reading and excited about learning. The next year we made the decision to try video lessons. Our younger son was ready to start kindergarten, and I didn't know how else to juggle teaching two grades. I honestly wasn't sure that it would work since my boys are very different. Here we are years later, and they have both loved this curriculum and their video teachers. When our daughter was ready we added fun school activities with BJU preschool for her and a daycare child that I tutor. I know that without the organized resources BJU Press provides I would not be able to keep up with all 4. We have our chaotic days, and I am constantly learning new ways to adapt to our children's needs, but I am grateful for it all.

When the opportunity came up in 2016 to become a consultant I saw a need in our area and was excited to be able to share what has worked for my family with others. I had no idea at the time the path it would take me. I have been lucky to be able to host curriculum displays and help out at homeschool conventions. These events have pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to get to know some amazing homeschoolers. They have encouraged and helped me in so many ways. I just hope I can do the same for them.