Blog Posts by Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine

First Lady Michelle Obama accidentally described herself as a single mom. Other moms whose husbands travel a lot say they can relate.It's a pretty easy slip to make, as any mom married to someone who travels a lot can tell you. During a TV interview yesterday, while talking about the need to improve access to nutritious foods for time-crunched urban families, First Lady Michelle Obama accidentally described herself as a single mom.

Also on Shine: How to Survive a Traveling Spouse

"Believe me, as a busy single mother—or, I shouldn't say single! As a busy mother… sometimes, you know, when you've got a husband who's president, it can feel a little single, but he's there!" she said during the interview with CBS News affiliate WCAX in Burlington, Vermont.

Related: Students Help Michelle Obama Plant the White House Vegetable Garden

Some people call it being a "sometimes single mom," and while plenty of actual single moms bristle at the idea, moms who are solo parenting part of the time say it comes with its own set of challenges.

"I can see how she feels that way," Kristen Chase, a columnist at Cafe Mom, told Yahoo!

Read More »from Michelle Obama Accidentally Calls Herself a 'Busy Single Mother.' Can You Relate?

This white Versus dress, which Brittany Murphy wore to a charity auction in 2005, is among the clothes being auctioned on Sunday. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Best known for her breakthrough role as Alicia Silverstone's awkward friend in "Clueless" and as the voice of Luanne in the animated TV show "King of the Hill," actress Brittany Murphy has reached Marilyn Monroe status in the pop culture world. This weekend, items from her estate -- clothes, shoes, and jewelry -- are going up for auction alongside the iconic "Superman" cape and blue-knit leotard, the leopard-print outfit that Maureen O'Sullivan wore in "Tarzan," and a strappy brown cocktail dress worn by Marilyn Monroe.

Also on Shine: 'Wizard of Oz' Dress Up for Auction?

Michael Doyle, consignment director for Julien's Auctions, told Yahoo! Shine that he spent about two years working with Murphy's mother, Sharon Murphy, to decide which items to sell. Online bidders can view the 500 or so pieces at the Julien's Auctions site; the starting prices for each lot range from $50 to $500.

While no clothes from "Clueless" will be on the auction block, Doyle said that some items from "Just

Read More »from Brittany Murphy's Clothes Go Up for Auction

As Kid President, the adorable "self-appointed voice of a generation," 9-year-old Robby Novak has inspired adults and kids across the country with his enthusiastic YouTube addresses to the nation. But although he's chatted with President Barack Obama via his string-and-can Kid Telephone, he's never met the real-life President of the United States—until now.

Also on Shine: 10-Year-Old Girl Writes to President Obama About Gay Marriage -- And He Writes Back

The two leaders got together at the White House recently to discuss how adults and kids can work together to make the world a better place. But first, Kid President needed to make himself comfortable in the Oval Office.

“I think you should try to sit behind the desk so you look a little more efficient,” Obama told Novak, who happily climbed into the chair at the historic Resolute desk and picked up the phone. Looking amused and maybe a little worried, Obama warned him to put it down. "Let’s make sure not to cause an international

Read More »from WATCH: Kid President Meets President Obama, Asks How to Change the World

Yes, that's a bacon-and-egg sandwich on a glazed donut. Hashbrowns are optional. (Photo: Dunkin' Donuts)Dunkin' Donuts is testing out a new breakfast offering, and it sounds too good—or maybe too bad—to be true: A bacon-and-egg breakfast sandwich, with a glazed donut as the bread.

Also on Shine: 7 Breakfast Recipes Involving Donuts

"A few select Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in eastern Massachusetts are currently carrying a Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich," Lindsay Harrington, public relations manager for Dunkin' Brands, confirmed to Yahoo! Shine in an email. "The sandwich features bacon and a pepper fried egg on a glazed yeast ring donut."

Also on Shine: A Kid Explains Why Plain Donuts Are Fake Donuts

As die-hard donut fans, we couldn't help but wonder whether the sandwich was any good. Would the peppery egg compliment or interfere with the squishy sweetness of the donut? Would we even be able to eat the thing easily, given that the outside is completely coated with sugary glaze? Who comes up with stuff like this, anyway?

We went to four Boston-area Dunkin' Donuts outlets, but had no

Read More »from Dunkin' Donuts's New Breakfast Sandwich Features Bacon and Eggs on a Donut

Students at a middle school in Maine who wore shirts like these in memory of a friend who committed suicide were told to remove them.Her friends were heartbroken when 13-year-old Harley "Kitty" McGuire killed herself at home last week, allegedly after being bullied for months at her middle school. But when they decided to wear T-shirts in her honor, calling for better anti-bullying efforts, the officials at the school told them to stop.

Also on Shine: Have Kids Become More Cruel?

Heather Perry, the superintendent of Regional School Unit 3, which oversees the Mount View Middle School in Thorndike, Maine, confirmed that school staff members have discouraged students from wearing pins and shirts that refer to McGuire, bullying, and suicide, the Portland Morning Sentinel reported. They wanted to avoid "accidental memorializing" of the death, Perry explained.

Also on Shine: Bullied Boy's Heartbreaking Message is One All Kids Should See

The homemade shirts were black with the dates of her birth and death, hearts, and phrases like "Her strength ran out" and "stop bullying Mount View" written on them with multicolored

Read More »from School Says Students Anti-Bullying Protest Could Glorify Their Friend's Suicide

Country music superstar Carrie Underwood has discovered the secret to a happy marriage, and it's kind of retro: Look hot, have date nights, and let your her husband call the shots.

Is Your Career Killing Your Relationship?

Sheryl Sandberg, avert your eyes: Underwood, a six-time Grammy Award winner, says she would totally "lean out" of her career if her husband, professional ice hockey player Mike Fisher, wanted her to.

Also on Shine: 12 Actors Who Say They've Quit Acting

"If Mike ever told me he needed me to quit, I'd quit," she tells People magazine this week. "When you make that promise to somebody, and you stand before God and your family and friends, you've got to do everything that you possibly can to make that work."

It's easy to make a sweeping statement like that when a.) you're independently wealthy and b.) it's unlikely that your husband would ever ask you to give up your very lucrative and successful career just because he wants you to hang out with him at the rink.

Read More »from Carrie Underwood: I'd quit my job if my husband told me to

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge on a visit to Baker Street Underground Station on March 20, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Indigo/Getty Images)When she appears in public in a particular dress, retailers scramble to keep the frock in stock (and designers work overtime to create knockoffs). But the Kate Middleton effect goes far beyond the fashion world -- so much so that the royal family's foundation has moved to stop others from capitalizing on her name recognition.

Also on Shine: The Kate Middleton Nose Job is Now a Thing

According to the Telegraph, St. James's Palace confirms that it has applied to the U.K.'s Intellectual Property Office to trademark her name, along with Prince William's and Prince Harry's.

Also on Shine: Kate Middleton's Uncle Shares Private Family Details

Originally set up by Princes William and Harry in September 2009, the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry received a record number of donations after Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement. (The foundation's name was changed to include the Duchess's title after the royal wedding in April 2011).

Read More »from Royal Family Moves to Trademark Kate Middleton's Name for Charity

Many little girls dream of swimming with or meeting a mermaid, but Linden Wolbert actually left her day job to become one.

"I have always had a magnetism to water," she told Yahoo! Shine in an interview. "I have always been fascinated with it, not just because of the animals that live in it, but because I feel so comfortable swimming in it. I just was always a swimmer and loved to be in the water."

Also on Shine: The Mermaid Trend -- Shine Tries It

After three years of working 9 to 5 as a residence director for Emerson College, "I was just daydreaming over every single lunch break about being in the water and among the fish," she said. An avid swimmer and SCUBA diver, Wolbert also loves freediving, in which you dive as deep as you can and swim back up to the surface in a single breath—perfect training for a professional life as a mermaid. She made the leap from office worker to mermaid in 2005 and hasn't looked back since.

Slideshow: 25 Chic Mermaid Gowns

Though Wolbert, 32,

Read More »from Linden Wolbert on What It's Like to Be a Real-Life Mermaid