Courtney DeFeo’s In This House, We Giggle is exactly what I have been looking for to inject some fun yet intentional teaching moments into our family life. The prevalent idea that serving and loving God should be fun and exciting is something that I strive for in my family but often find it difficult to put into practice with a one and four-year-old. Courtney provides excellent ideas on how to show kids of all ages that faith is about who we are and not what we do. Its about how we live our lives. 

Courtney writes that she has found what she believes to be a vital piece of the puzzle that makes up our Christian homes: it is the serious business of laughter. I couldn’t agree more!  The book is divided into twelve chapters, each focusing on one specific virtue. She defines the virtues as what we are teaching, and the Love & Laughter sections of each chapter tell how we are teaching. The breakdown of each chapter and its virtue is super simple to follow and pretty easy to implement. Meaning, minimal prep work is required for most of the activities that each month/virtues uses to drive home the point. 

Because the book is divided into 12 chapter and 12 virtues, it is really easy to assign each chapter a month and just get started!  Another thing I love about this book is that sprinkled throughout the pages are 60 ways to bring out the giggles. This was a rough winter, having to be inside for months on end with two littles, and some days, we just needed more to laugh at! The ideas that are dotted throughout each chapter are simple and guaranteed to bring giggles. Some examples of the laughs are: Sing the menu of dinner in a operatic style, see who can sit still the longest with a feather being rubbed under her nose or chin, and have a puppet show. 

This book is lighthearted and yet deeply rooted in Biblical truths and has a myriad of fun & delightful means to drive home important Christian values. I’ve already recommended to at least one friend who has also bought it!

Though I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for the purposes of this review, the opinions are my own.