To Homeschool or to Montessori School?

 Miss Ladybug turns 3 this June!!! I cannot believe time has gone by so fast! She is such a bright, happy, smart, and eager child right now I just love it! I have been thinking pre-school lately and trying to get a grasp on what the area here has to offer researching this school vs. that school and the different methods of teaching over others. I have come to a few conclusions one being that I want her to be enrolled in a Montessori type school  and that those types of schools come with a price tag that we simply may not be able to afford. And since I seem to have higher standards with all things concerning my kids that leaves me with either scrapping together moneies for school or simple keeping the kids home and homeschooling them.
 So what exactly is a Montessori type school you wonder? (or you don't cause you already know). Well is a method and set of ideas based on this lady Maria Montessori who basically in a nutshell says that children have this self will to learn, they want to learn and if you provide them in an enviorment that enables them to learn with slight directions they will excell. As in nobody actually doing traditional "teaching" that you may be used to. It's a great way of learning and one that I am all on board with actually. I would prefer if my children were left to learn as they want with little actual teaching, let them go for things they want and let the love for school and learning grow not hatred of sitting and having to memorize things daily...that's never fun. I personally was never intrested in school much because I was bored and what they were forcing me to learn I didn't care so much about. I had one teacher in high school I remember because he took the time to find a way to teach me that interesed me and I went from failing that class to loving biology in less than a semster because I felt like this was fun unlike my other classes. This probably also was the reason why college never even seemed like something for me, I didn't enjoy school because it wasn't enjoyable. I want different for my kids.
BUT a huge minus for the Montessori schools is their price tag, they don't come cheap at all. I don't think we can afford most of the schools in my area right now, especially with facing the possibility of The Marine no longer being a Marine. Another HUGE minus came while I was looking over the menu options for these school and I was just appaulled to see McDonalds on one school's list for once a week! WHAT?! Ya go ahead re-read that part I wasn't joking. Also appearing on menus was hot pizza delivered, chick fil a, and a few other fast food places. On the snacks list I saw fruit snacks, marshmallows, pop-tarts and other sugar loaded junk that we actually do not let the kids have or very very rarely let them have. I cannot tell you the last time we even smelled McDonalds in this house to think that they could be eating that once a week was fucking insanity in my mind. Give me a huge break here I know I am not Miss Perfect cook my kids nothing but solid organic meals which I grow in our backyard and kill myself they know what french fries are, Ladybug sees out the car window at a place like Arbys (my personal fav) and says "french fries please no onions or pickles" ?(I don't like onions or pickles ha ha) So they know but it's not like I feed them crap all the time let alone once a week!
 To be fair on every website I visited for these schools they stated that you can pack your child's lunch everyday they come and snacks too, but let us be real for a minute what kid is going to pick her baby carrots and peanut butter snack over a poptart and all the sugary goodness? Would Ladybug really sit there and eat her homemade lunch next to a child who had McDonalds? I would love to say yes she would but I am a real world mom and I know she would pitch a fucking fit to get those french fries. I could always make sure the teachers made sure she ate what I gave her, that would be a fun fight for them as Ladybug is as strong willed as children come. So all this leads me to this other choice I have been thinking about for a long time....
                                                     Homeschooling.

 I love the idea of keeping the kids home and letting them direct me as to what and how they want to learn. Homeschooling pre-school and Kindergarden ages seems to be easy according to methods and things I have read. I love being able to feed them healthy foods. I don't worry about their social skills as we do get out often to playgroups, the park, and other varies kid featured play zones, not to mention the massive homeschool community here and the groups for that.  Homeschooling isn't a decision I am going to take lightly and have been thinking about it for a while now, I have talked and met with other homeschoolers and even an unschooling family (and they were as normal as could be...in my opinion) I have a few books on the basics and beginning of homeschool as well as blogs of real life families and again the massive community here in town I could call on anybody for guidence pointers and tips. I do however worry about my own personal abilities to school the kids. Would I have the patience for this? Woould I know what I am doing all the time? Would I be failing their education and result them to being just another statistic? I know I can always try homeschoolling and if I feel like I am failing we could try formal schools...
 right now I am torn as to what is best for my family and our children. A cross roads that I need to focus on more, the kids are growing up faster than I let myself believe and I need to formulate a plan for their future.