We have been moving toward HOD for the past year and would be "home" except for this Mama's insecurities and ignorance 
. God is taking me through the wringer and teaching me so much about Him, His faithfulness, my GREAT need of Him, etc. in the process. Who knew that home schooling would have so many awesome side benefits for Mom (and Dad my dh would say)?! 
Several months ago I wanted to use BHFHG with my DS8 as he placed perfectly in the guide. At that time I just did NOT understand how to combine children, how easy it would be to put them in separate guides, how amazingly planned/organized HOD is, etc. I backed out because I thought I HAD to combine my boys and I didn't know how to do that with HOD. I have learned so much since then.
Recently I was able to purchase LHFHG, BLHFHG, and BHFHG guides used and they're wonderful. I LOVE what I see and it confirms what I've been learning about HOD over the past few months via the boards here, the catalog and the generous samples. I've spent hours reading and researching and comparing!
Presently, we are using MFW Adventures which is a great program. We are enjoying it and it's a good fit for my boys this year. HOWEVER, I don't plan to continue with MFW but to switch over to HOD.
My oldest is a GREAT student. He is quick in the mind and understands concepts with very little effort. In fact, though the boys are only a grade apart "technically" I think they are more like 2 grades apart developmentally. My DS6 is a first grader but on the YOUNG side. He may benefit from a slower pace while the older is moving quickly in all areas. If I were to switch to HOD right now (I'm not planning to just yet
) my DS6 places in Beyond and my DS8 places in Bigger. As I look ahead to next fall (yes, it's many months away and lots of stuff can and will happen in their little lives) I am wondering how to "think" about preparing for the transition to HOD. I want to make sure that the things we're working on THIS SCHOOL YEAR (since we're not using HOD right now) will insure a good transition to HOD this next year.1. Is it silly to consider combining my DS6 with his younger sister in LHFHG although he'd be a 2nd grader? He's doing fabulous with the emerging readers (we are using that part of Beyond and it's wonderful) and will be strong in reading. He may not be ready for the work of DITHOR but could work on reading through the books (at a minimum). As far as content subjects and attention span I expect he'd combine better with his sis. Does anyone DO that? The two drawbacks are 1) He'd rather join in with his brother. 2) He'd be "off" a guide and end up with LOTS of American history (since he's studying that this year with Adventures).
2. I do WANT to place my oldest in Preparing for 3rd grade (and it would dovetail beautifully with the younger/s doing Little Hearts). On the placement chart I feel confident he'll fit squarely in that guide. HOWEVER, if I decide to wait for his younger brother to work his way up a bit is it silly to consider doing Bigger with the boys although the oldest is "past it" skill wise? The lovely thing about this scenario is keeping the boys together through the next few years. I think they'd like that and it would simplify things just a bit for me.
3. If a 3rd grader uses Bigger but would place BETTER skill wise in Preparing (using the placement chart) what is the recommendation for grammar? We're using FLL 1 and 2 now. Would we still benefit from using R&S 2 even though much of the content would be review? Perhaps the writing lessons would challenge him? Would we work ahead by using the Preparing Guide's grammar schedule? This boy wouldn't have used R&S 2 for writing. I do see that using DITHOR with the 3rd grader would add some challenge for him alongside Bigger if we go that route. I am looking around for a used Preparing Guide and hope to get my hands on one. Praying for that to come soon! It helps to see the guides IRL.
4. My daughter will be a K'er and will definitely use LHFHG, following the HOD sequence year by year. I can't wait to begin with her
. ALL of my children would LOVE it right now. The books are lovely.5. I have considered placing each child in their own guide. It's a lovely thought BUT I would be spread too thin (I think). Thoughts? I do have a little one coming up the ranks and he'll be schooling in a few short years.
My MAIN reasons for asking these questions are "being ready and prepared" and knowing what to work on NOW. Admittedly, I am discombobulated
with Language Arts because when we switch to HOD I'd like to use HOD's scheduled LA. It's so much simpler to just follow the guide day to day! I LOVE the lay out and so will my children. I have to consider these issues carefully and decide whether to stick with what we've started or switch over to HOD's recommendations now in order to be on track (I do have those guides for reference which helps.). Any recommendations, thoughts or "threads to read" to shed light?I am using a phonics/rules based spelling program and the idea of studied dictation TERRIFIES me. Truly. I'm sold on dictation but as spelling instruction? Oh boy. Is it effective? Really? I've been researching and trying to read more about it. My kids seem to thrive with learning phonograms and analyzing words. Would they thrive with studied dictation (for spelling) as well? I need to hear from LONG TERM users here. It's scary to leap into the unknown!!
The idea of using studied dictation is LOVELY to me because of the number of skills being handled in one exercise (dictation). Can it be that easy? If you're read this far then BLESS YOU
. I tried to condense and I think I probably forgot something really important . Thank-you for helping me to think through this and lay down a plan. I can say that it's hard to have these lovely HOD guides under my roof and NOT be using them day to day. I truly cannot wait. I keep reading the catalog and the guides.May God bless your efforts in the home today!
Katrina
"abrightmom"
Maybe that's why I like using Carrie's guides so much! 
I can't wait for you to start HOD, and hope you enjoy it like we do!