After spending about 3 hours last night on the message boards, I decided I should just go ahead and join!!!
I will give you some background and then I have a few questions. Last year was my 1st year homeschooling. My oldest is a 6th grader, and then I have another son who is 5 (almost 6) and a daughter who is 4. Last year we used Bright Ideas Press' Illuminations Program (for the oldest). Now that I have my feet wet, I'm more in tune with what I actually think our family needs when it comes to curriculum and such. I HIGHLY value the Charlotte Mason approach and think HOD resembles it more than any other curriculum I have come across! That being said, I have a few questions.

My middle son is almost 6 and my daughter is 4. I am honestly struggling between using HOD or My Father's World with them (I have FULLY settled on HOD for my oldest). Could you shed any light on that....do you have any insight into MFW? They are very missions oriented, I know, but I am TOTALLY drawn to how HOD incorporates Bible into their program! I also like that in the MFW Kindergarten, each week is about a different aspect of God's creation and how the child can apply it to their life. That aspect I really love, and I also like their hands-on approach for little ones. I'm sure that HOD uses hands-on in their program as well; I'm just unsure of what they are.
My other question is about Phonics. I have researched both of your phonics programs and STILL cannot decide! Do you have a preference on which might be better? My son is extremely high strung and needs as hands-on as he can get. We are currently using McRuffy Kindergarten Phonics with him, and it's just NOT a good fit. I'm almost ready to stop until the fall. He's the type that WILL NOT do anything until HE is ready. My youngest, my daughter, can sit still for long periods of time and is VERY into school! So, you see my dilemma with trying to do school with them together. I am struggling with whether to hold him back a little (he is not very insterested in phonics) and put them on the same program next year. Do you think that would be ok? If so, I am probably going to go with Little Hearts. Again, I am VERY torn about the phonics if you could offer ANY insight on this I would love it, and I am torn as to how to combine them....like if I need to supplement him.
I might add that my middle is already using Math U See and we will be sticking with that. My youngest has done no math as of yet, so I'm up for whatever I think will work best for her. As I was looking in the catalog last night, I thought I saw something about there being hands-on activities for the math. Would it be too much if I had my middle do MUS and some of the activities within your math program?
So sorry this is so long!!!!! I am SO close to placing my order!
