Kristin Garvey with her original sign, now in the National Women's Party Museum in Washington D.C., and the redesign. Credit: jennifer rosen heinz 'I've wondered if it could make me a target' Courtney DeFeo has written the book I wish I’d had while my kids were growing up! It’s full of creativity and fun for anchoring twelve key virtues into the hearts of children. I love how her ideas lay a vital foundation for spiritual growth and development—and help families have a blast while doing it.” This spot almost went to Lon Chaney’s classic The Wolf Man from 1941, but let’s be honest here: this horror-comedy contains the scariest, freakiest, and most ferocious wolf-man combo we’ve ever seen. He’s another tragic villain to be sure, but between his first transformation, his initial killing spree, and that mayhem at Piccadilly Circus, yeah, scary werewolf. Since intentional mothering is something I aspire to—yet often fall short in—it was refreshing to read Courtney’s practical and grace-based handbook on the subject. Bob Mellish (Phil Daniels) and Ann Taylor (Lauren O’Neil) in This House. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian

Similarly, Love is Love is pretty hard to argue with. It’s a literal tautology… try getting out of that one. The argument behind this one is in favor of certain LGBTQ policies, some of which are, at their core, demands for complete repudiation of the human sexual binary. Nothing divisive about that, right? In its most innocuous interpretation, it’s a call for acceptance of the LGBTQ community (on a side note, why not keep it simple with Q?). Dig a level or two deeper, though, and you uncover far more contentious issues, some of which contradict one another ( lesbians, apparently, must now dig trans women or they’re branded as hopeless bigots — for all the talk of love, hate has been allowed to speak the loudest). Gay marriage is already settled — legally speaking, though the division lingers on. Around the same proportion of Americans ( one third) oppose gay marriage as voted for Joe Biden for president; imagine how unifying a “You’re a fool if you voted for Biden” yard sign would be. And the parable of the greengrocer reminds me that a wholesome political society — unlike the totalitarianism of which Havel wrote — does not expect its citizens to thus advertise their politics. In our recent history, heavy political signage has not corresponded with political health.

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Each chapter focuses on a virtue (like Joy, Forgiveness and Respect) and gives simple ideas to incorporate it into hearts and home for the month. My favorite aspects are the definitions and catch phrases that Courtney provides to help children understand and remember each virtue. The passionate way in which the author expressed herself about God, throughout the book, sounded beautiful to me, motivating me me to continue searching and learning from God, and everything I can learn throughout the journey of my life, by holding his hand and believing in his grace. What’s illuminating about the sign’s language is how each statement—as much as it signals a particular politics with various unhelpful baggage—at root reflects or distorts biblical truth. Let’s take each creedal statement one by one. Each chapter focuses on one virtue that is key for developing your child’s character. Along with insights into how this virtue plays out in the nitty-gritty of life, Courtney includes a memory verse, activity ideas, and discussion questions to reinforce that virtue throughout the month. Here you’ll find a full year of ways to draw your children closer to God through delightful antics like Family Olympics, One Fancy Feast, and Light ’Em Up.

I like when my beliefs are challenged. I see it as an opportunity to learn and grow in my understanding of the world. Last year, for example, I thought Universal Basic Income was one of the stupidest and most ill-conceived ideas on the planet. Give people money for doing nothing? Who could think this was a good idea? These poor creatures also fall firmly into the “tragic villain” category, and while they’re considerably more worthy of our sympathy than our revulsion — which is one of the more compelling themes in both films — there’s no getting around how creepy they look and how damn clumsy they are around us fragile humans. And the actors behind the stitches, Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester, are amazing. Women’s rights are human rights. Sadly the people who put this on their yard sign likely insist that “women’s rights” necessarily include unrestricted abortion access, which immediately undermines any moral authority they have on “human rights.” Unborn human rights are human rights too, after all. But again, the underlying notion of the dignity and equality of women is actually rooted in Scripture (Gen. 1:27, Gal. 3:28), which foregrounds and dignifies women in ways that were unparalleled in the Greco-Roman world. No wonder Christianity was so attractive to women. Further, as Rebecca McLaughlin has pointed out, the very idea of universal human rights comes from Christianity .

How scary could a girl trapped inside a VHS tape be? Oh, wait. Maybe she’s down in that creepy well. Or maybe she’s not as “trapped” as everyone thinks! Just don’t watch the tape to find out. Kudos to actor Rie Ino’o who (despite all that hair in her face) for creating a new horror icon for the ’90s, and honorable mention to Daveigh Chase for reprising the spooky role for the surprisingly solid 2002 American remake. Like Courtney Defeo, I too want, “memories of joy etched deep in the hearts of my kids.” It sounds easy, but it’s not. In This House, We Will Giggle is a navigational tool that will help every mom find the way to fill their home with love and laughter. And the joy in their family will contagiously spill over and light up the world around them.” Courtney DeFeo, in her typical style, offers us something refreshingly different, powerful, and creative: a secret weapon for parents. For me this book felt like the Swiss Army Knife of parenting, with a tool just waiting to be applied as needed to every occasion…with a dose of fun and giggles along the way!”