Kathy Landin

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.

Christmas is a time for joyous giving and families coming together and singing and eggnog. But we all know that on some level it’s all about the presents.

When your kids go back to school, it’s almost like you go back to school, too. Teachers and childhood development professionals agree that when a child’s parents are involved in his education, he learns more and gets better grades. That means, you have just as big a responsibility in his schoolwork as he does.

Somehow another summer has flown by and the kiddos are headed back to school again. Sure, that means vacations are over, the house will be empty and days at the pool are numbered. But what it also means is that it’s time to shop for supplies.

It’s common knowledge that many states have towns called Springfield, based on the number of them who thought they were the inspiration for the hometown of TV’s ‘The Simpsons,’ only to find out they weren’t. But there are other city or town names you may not have heard of, and for good reason.

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.

Here’s a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today: Dwayne Johnson Age: 40 Occupation: Wrestler-turned-actor Known For: His turn as pro wrestler ‘The Rock,’ for making the leap to the big screen in films like ‘The Scorpion King,’ ‘Walking Tall’ and ‘Fast Five,’ and changing his name more times than Elizabeth Taylor.

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1939 – Lou Gehrig establishes a major-league baseball record by playing his 2,130th consecutive game (More info) 1945 – The Soviet Union announces the fall of Berlin during World War Two (More info)

Here’s a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today: Cloris Leachman Age: 86 Occupation: Actress Known For: Winning an Oscar for her role as a supporting actress in the film ‘The Last Picture Show,’ as well as winning more Primetime Emmy Awards than any other actress, her memorable roles in the ‘Mary Tyler Moore’ spinoff ‘Phyllis’ and ‘The Facts of Life,’ being the oldest celebrity to d

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1803 – France sells the Louisiana territory and adjoining lands to the US as part of the Louisiana Purchase (More info) 1939 – Commercial television makes its official US debut, broadcasting from the Empire State Building at the New York World’s Fair (More info)

A recent Tweet comparing the tragic Trayvon Martin shooting with the Kim Kardashian flour incident went viral because it was seemingly sent by actor Will Smith. Except it wasn’t. The Tweet was from Twitter user @RealWillSmith, who is not, in fact, the real Will Smith.

Everyone enjoys putting on their best green clothes on March 17th and being Irish for a day. We’ve all heard there was a saint and something to do with snakes in Ireland and now we have parades and drink green beer. But what do we really know about St. Patrick’s Day?