I will just quickly list the things that I saw as differences between the two. I used MFW ADV, ECC, CTG (didn't complete). I have LHTH and PHFHG and the Guide for LHFHG. I am using LHTH and PHFHG right now.
The things I like about HOD:
1. It is more Christ centered in every subject. (MFW had Bible as the core but there were subjects I wanted to see more ties with the Bible)
2. HOD is open and go. Your materials are just everyday basic households supplies. (With MFW I was searching at hobby stores for special beeswax, candle wicks etc.)
3. Everything is written out for you. Your key ideas to be taught are written out for you. All the work is done for you, thus much less teacher intensive. (Like in MFW K you have to present info on insects etc. MFW requires searching for a topic or having to add in or take out stuff.)
4. Your dc is taught gradually to have their own Quiet Time.
5. The Guides are age appropriate. (In MFW I was having to tweak, leave out or edit on the fly books that were really intended for an age group three or fours years older, especially in CTG.)
6. The Memory work is set to music! That is a huge hit in our house!
7. The guides build skills gradually from one year to the next. So that means my dc is learning gradually to move toward independent work, while the TM does all that work for me.
8. The lesson times and work load are very doable.
9. You can choose your own English, Math and Phonics programs. So it is flexible, similarly to MFW.
10. Spelling is included in the guides- I don't have to buy a separate spelling program.
(no more Spelling Power headaches)
11. Creative writing, poetry and music are included in the programs. I don't have to add it. I would never have done poetry on my own as an additional program. I love the poetry studies and my daughter is learning some wonderful skills. Come to find out she is actually really good at it!
12. HOD is not hard selling you on the program. They are about helping you find the best fit for your family needs and the ladies are truly ministering to others. I saw that this weekend at our local convention. (I've been in other booths where that was not so, even though those other people were selling a Christian curriculum. You could see they were encouraged to really push their products. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth.) HOD is truly about glorifying God in all things, even how they handle their business and selling. I want to be a part of something like that!
13. You get very personal service with HOD. They are a Christian family business. And first and foremost they are a Christian homeschooling family and then a ministry. (They are not some huge curriculum company that is hiring 100s of people to push their products.)
There is much more that I could say about this curriculum, and I have only been using it since December of 2010. You will find HOD a breath of fresh air in your homeschooling. I made the switch and am sooooo glad that the Lord led us here. It has changed the way I homeschool and freed me up to do all the other things that I couldn't get to when I was doing the older guides of MFW. I have little guys also and what I have from HOD is meeting their needs too (and still leaving me time to take care of all the other household and family needs and not wear myself into the ground while trying to do it).
There is a learning curve when switching from one curriculum to another. But really it took us only about a week to get use to the change. I think you will be very pleased with it.
I am looking forward to doing HOD LHFHG and CTC next school year. And in the future when I am up to three guides, I know it will still be manageable. I will know that my children's individual needs are still being met and I am not just smashing them in with their siblings for the sake of "combining". IMO, I am not for combining my 8th grader and 2nd grader. In my experience, with the last guide of MFW-CTG, the older guides in MFW were more written for the older children; and you had to work hard to fit in your younger child (while in reality their needs don't get met really well). It was more work for me and the day was loooong. Now I can look forward to having my day still be a reasonable amount of school time and all my children will be met where "they are at" and the material will be age and skill appropriate. That is huge for me, especially when I have five years between my oldest and my middle. And I am praying that the Lord will continue to increase our family!
Just my two cents!
Edie
Edited to add: I HATED the science in CTG. The science experiments and science in general was tons of work for me as the teacher. Science is sooooo much better in HOD. Experiments are done with household supplies and the work for the teacher is minimal. The science is presented in small doable chunks and very thorough. My daughter has learned allot and I have had to work very little to have that happen. I am not a big fan of science, but HOD is changing my mind on that and I am enjoying it along with my dd. In MFW-CTG I got to the point where science just was not getting done. My daughter does her HOD science completely independently now, even the experiments (with permission of course). I love that!!!
It is a great program, just not a good fit for us. I should sell it and may do so soon as I try to raise funds for our new curriculum and other financial needs. Anyway, it does move rapidly in the phonics. The way everything is tied together if you try to slow down the phonics, you also have to slow down the Bible (which is the history.) You could keep moving in your math and science. That being said, I think the authors of MFW are wonderful people who love the Lord and have written a nice program that works for some. I am glad we have lots of options in hs'ing.
Me either.