Late August... School starting... The whole back-to-school whirlwind. What did you think I meant?

I feel so scattered. I am usually a fairly organized person. Not nearly as much as I'd like to be, but every so often I'll impress myself with some fantastic organizational feat. Or someone (usually someone who doesnt know me well) will say, "you're so organized!". Ha!

But today, I was rediculously scatter-brained. And I'm not even pregnant. What's up with that? I am dieting. Only consuming 1000-1200 calories per day does seem to make me a little spacey, but today was embarrassing. I'm not even going to go into details. It involves lost paperwork, registration to Charter School, and 2 very tired and cranky children.

We named our school. It's called Manor Green School. My son seems to like it. I cant seem to find a background template that I like. I want something garden-y, but not farm-y.

I REALLY need to get into the groove of reading blogs, commenting and blogging more. I actually just need to get into a groove. Period. There is nothing consistent in our lives as far as routine or schedule. We barely make it to our weekly class times. Again, what is up with that?!   I think I need a day to myself, no household chores, no children, no husband and just get my stuff together. I'm going crazy, drowning in my own chaos.

Oh, yeah. And by the way, it's also that time of the month. 

I've been tagged by Christlike. Thanks! This is fun and I enjoy wasting time getting to know my fellow HSB bloggers!

The Rules:

1~The player starts with 8 random facts about themselves.

2~The person who is tagged must post on their own blog the answers and they must post the rules first.

3~Then the player must pick 8 people and tag them.

4~Then leave them a note so that they will know that they have been tagged.

8 Random Facts about Rachael:
1. I love to garden, especially cottage-type plants and flowers, but I hardly ever have time.
2. My middle name is Orian. My mom thought it was my great-grandmother's middle name, but it was actually Aurelia. My younger cousin's middle name is the right one.
3. I was in the Air Force for 3 years before being discharged. It was a mutual decision.
4. I am considering that maybe one day my husband and I might adopt a baby.
5. My father is Jewish and my mother was Christian Scientist, but I was raised faith-less. I didn't even know who God was until I was 15 when my cousin introduced me Christianity. I didnt know true faith until I met my husband 8 years ago.
6. I am a Cat Person. Currently feeding 2 strays: pregnant female and a tom.
7. I am on a diet to lose a total of 46 pounds by December 30th. I've lost 14 so far. AND THE FINAL RANDOM FACT:
8. I love strong coffee and love it any time of the day.

Those I have tagged:
hometorome
ednella
nancysnook
Braylin
iluvbnamom
LadyMadelon
SusanSeaman
Littlelight

I am a brand-new homeschooler and have had very limited exposure. But one thing that  I've always heard is that for every hundred homeschooling families, one will find a hundred different ways of homeschooling. I think the idea of educating my son (and eventually my daughter) is becoming more unsettling to me as I discover more methods, books, curricula, etc. I know that I need to get back to the root idea: educating my son at home. However, that is easier said than done.

I'm caught in a vicious cycle. I feel overwhelmed. I try to focus on what curriculum(s) we'll be using.  I learn about something else and become intrigued so I try learn about that.  I get overwhelmed again. But the truth is, I actually love it.  I am finding that I myself have a thirst for learning, and my prayer these days is that I can instill that in my kids.

In my research, I kept running into Susan Wise Bauer's name. I went her website and was SO impressed by her. I love the way she writes; I even love her face. I read that she will be in my neck of the woods (about an hour from me) in a month at a Classical Christian Home Educators seminar. I plan to go, even though it'll be $45 we don't have. Of course, I should read her books The Well-Educated Mind and The Well-Trained Mind to prepare for her discussion. I went to the library with the intention of only getting those. What did I walk out with? Those two, plus five more different books on homeschooling!  (Hmm... Charlotte Mason...)

I know, those of you seasoned homeschoolers are chuckling at me.  I do welcome any and all advice. I'm sure one day I'll sit in your spot telling a young tenderfoot of my own experiences.

I just signed up for an account here on hsb, so I guess it's official: I'm a homeschooler. Yea, me!  And yea for my kids, who I think will be the blessed ones for being able to stay home and learn. Just some background of us... My son is 5-1/2 years old. He just completed his one and only year of preschool. He loved it, but we hated it. He completely changed. The sweet little boy who was so excited to go to "school" because he loved learning, came out of it more violent, more prone to tantrums, whinier, and more demanding. Thomas the Tank Engine was replaced by Power Rangers and he was longer excited to "sound it out" when reading a tough word. Maybe this was due to age. Maybe he was bound to get somewhat bored with the newness of being able to read. Maybe he would have outgrown Thomas at this point in his life. Regardless, my husband and I saw very little benefit to the traditional school experience. Funny thing was that this particular preschool was supposed to be the creme de la creme of preschools in our area. The wait for the pre-K class is notoriously long, and we just happened to get our boy in due to our family connections. Lucky us. The signs were all there, I should have seen them. But I listened to the crowd instead of my heart and committed him to 9 months+ of brainwashing. Not to mention near-poverty for us in order to make the monthly tuition. Thank Heavens it's over!! Now I can begin this new journey.I just hope this is the right decision. I thought the one I made a year ago was just as right.

I'll be giving updates regularly. And praying.