Kathy Landin

5 Things You Might Not Know About the Elf on the Shelf
The Elf on the Shelf—whether you find him cute, annoying or somewhere in between, he's everywhere these days, making the holiday season even more complicated for parents. We did a little investigating on this elusive creature that has become a phenomenon, and discovered a few things we didn't expect.

10 Festive (and Brilliant) Christmas Tree Alternatives
The Christmas tree is a classic symbol of the holiday season and sometimes, maybe the best way to get in the holiday mood. You put an evergreen tree in the middle of your living room, decorate it with lights, ornaments and tinsel, and—boom—Christmas spirit...

15 Addictive Ways to Waste Time Online Now That the Kids Are Back at School
The school buses are running again, and the kids are out of the house. Finally. With the end of the far-too-long summer break, this return to school days can leave you with a little extra time on your hands during the day, right? Well, maybe not too much, but your daily schedule should ease up a bit, so now what do you do? You get back on the Internet, that’s what.

See the Orphans From ‘Annie’ Then and Now
All the orphans from the movie ‘Annie’ lived a hard knock life — considering audience members really only gave their two-cents to the title character — and were always looking forward to tomorrow. By the end of the flick, it looked like they had a brighter future, but what really happened to those orphans from the 1982 movie ‘Annie’?

10 Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Order to Have the Best Summer Vacation Ever
At last, summer vacation time is here. If you haven’t started planning, it’s not too late. There’s a lot of summer ahead of us, and you can still find time to get out of town with your family before school starts back up again. Just make sure you you don’t fall into a few common traps and you’ll have the best vacation ever.

10 Great Online Stores Where You Can Buy the Perfect Last Minute Father’s Day Gift
Wake up. Sound the alarms. Father’s Day is on Sunday. It seems like we talk about Mother’s Day for a month before it actually happens, but Father’s Day just sneaks up on us every year. If this has happened to you and you aren’t prepared with a gift, it’s not too late.

10 Creative Ideas for Keeping Your Kids Busy This Summer
Even though you love your kids dearly and want to spend time with them, the months that kids are out of school can be the longest of the year for any parent. The key to a peaceful summer household is keeping the kids busy and entertained.

Get a Virtual Makeover With 15 ‘See What You Would Look Like’ Apps
Admit it — at some point, you have wondered what you would look like with a different hairstyle, or if you were older, or if you were a zombie, or had any other random trait you can think of. Enter the internet and the world of mobile apps. With these fun apps, the possibilities of seeing yourself as someone else are limitless.

8 Surprising Facts About Pinterest You Really Need to Know
We all like to share our opinions and “likes” all over the internet, so the geniuses at Pinterest created a way for us to just clip, collect and post the things we see and love, and then share those seemingly interesting things with anyone who’s…well, interested.

Woman Gets Surprise Marriage Proposal at College Graduation
Usually when a person is graduating from college, she’s thinking about what kind of job she’ll get after school. This woman gets a surprise offer during graduation and suddenly has a different job to think about — the new and unexpected job of planning her wedding.

This Day in History for May 10 – J. Edgar Hoover is Appointed to the FBI and More
Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history:
1863 – Confederate General Stonewall Jackson dies, eight days after being accidentally shot by his own troops (More info)
1869 – The First Transcontinental Railroad, linking the eastern and western US, is completed with the driving in of a golden spike in Promontory Summit, UT (More info)

Hairstylist, Entrepreneur and Fashion Legend Vidal Sassoon Dies at 84
This morning, legendary hairstylist Vidal Sassoon passed away in his home at the age of 84, according to a Los Angeles police department spokesperson. The renowned salon kingpin died of “apparent natural causes.”

Celebrity Birthdays for May 10 – Bono, Young MC and More
Here’s a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today:
Bono
Age: 52
Occupation: Singer
Known For: Being the outspoken frontman for U2 and the world’s richest rock star, leading the group to 22 Grammys (more than any other rock band), being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, and tirelessly tackling many humanitarian causes.
![800-Pound Bride Susanne Eman Bulking Up for Her Big Wedding Day [VIDEO]](http://townsquare.media/site/29/files/2012/05/Susanne-Eman.jpg?w=980&q=75)
800-Pound Bride Susanne Eman Bulking Up for Her Big Wedding Day [VIDEO]
It’s pretty common knowledge that most brides will stress out about losing weight before the wedding in an effort to fit into that perfect dress. For this Susanne Eman, however, fitting into the perfect dress means not losing sight of her goal and keeping her weight at 800 pounds.

New Survey Reveals Parents Have Tough Time Finding Qualified Babysitters
Any parent will tell you that it is tough to find a good babysitter, and even tougher to find that good babysitter available when you need him or her.
Even so, parents would rather have a qualified sitter stay with their children, or no sitter at all.

Celebrity Birthdays for May 9 – Billy Joel, Rosario Dawson and More
Here’s a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today:
Billy Joel
Age: 63
Occupation: Singer
Known For: Winning six Grammy Awards out of 23 Grammy nominations, well-known and timeless hits like ‘Piano Man,’ ‘Only the Good Die Young,’ ‘For the Longest Time,’ ‘She’s Always a Woman,’ and ‘You May Be Right,’ and getting kicked out of Christie Brinkley’s uptown world.

Celebrity Birthdays for May 8 – Enrique Iglesias, Alex Van Halen and More
Here’s a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today:
Alex Van Halen
Age: 59
Occupation: Rock drummer
Known For: Being one half of the brother duo who created the rock colossus that is Van Halen, winning a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for the album ‘For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge,’ and for being an ordained minister, having performed marriage ceremonies for both his brother and f

This Day in History for May 8 – First Westminster Dog Show Opens and More
Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history:
1877 – The first Westminster Dog Show is held (More info)
1902 – On the Caribbean island of Martinique, Mount Pelee erupts, destroying the town of St. Pierre and killing nearly 40,000 people (More info)

Celebrity Birthdays for May 4 – Mike Dirnt of Green Day, Lance Bass and More
Here’s a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today:
Mike Dirnt
Age: 40
Occupation: Rock musician
Known For: Co-founding and playing bass for Green Day, co-writing lyrics for some of the bands songs, creating the baselines for all of the bands songs, and making the noise “dirnt dirnt dirnt” while plucking an air base in high school to earn the creative nickname “Dirnt.”

10 Mouth-Watering Alternative Cinco de Mayo Treats
It’s May and that means that soon we’ll be celebrating our Mexican heritage, much like we all celebrate our Irish heritage in March…even when we have neither. Cinco de Mayo is a great excuse to leave work early, eat tortilla chips and drink more tequila than sanity allows, but is it starting to feel just a little bit like the same old thing?