Breastfeeding or bottle: What works for you?

Red Moleskine plannerThree years ago, I gave up on trying to organize my life with technology. My cell phone calendar wasn't efficient enough; I wasted time trying to enter dates and times and locations, and hated having to abbreviate my thoughts. I tried iCal on my Mac but that was just inconvenient when I wasn't around my laptop, or if I had to start it up just to check a single detail. The "random bits of paper everywhere" method was also a failure and needs no further explanation. I realized something had to change because I was stressed out and disorganized.

Read More: How Ditching Technology Helped Me Get Things Done

That's when I splurged on my first-ever Moleskine planner. It was a beautifully old-fashioned, paper notebook-style planner, with a weekly layout on one side and a lined page for notes on the other. I chose a bright red one that would be easy to find in my purse. Soon it was full of crucial information that had previously been scattered throughout my house. For the first time in months,

Mom feeding baby with bottleFor some moms, nursing is second nature. For others it can be a struggle. Suzanne Barston, author of Bottled Up, joins Away We Go host Diane Mizota to discuss how the way babies are fed has come to define motherhood-and why she believes it shouldn't.

"There is so much more to being a mom than whether you feed a child from your breast or a bottle," says Barston. "It's really limiting to bring it down to a biological function." She shares that she had personal struggles with breastfeeding with her son. "I really wanted to breastfeed, but we sort of met with every single natural disaster with breastfeeding that we could meet with," she says.

Related: Formula feeding vs. breastfeeding: The pros and cons from a mom who's done both

"Ultimately when I switched to formula," says Barston, "I just felt a colossal failure. I felt like I'd done enough, but everything I read made me feel like there was more I could have done. And I just found that there was so little support for formula-feeding

Give your home a quick clean before your holiday guests arriveThanksgiving may be over, but it's not too late to spruce up your home for the remainder of this holiday season. Here are my picks for the three chores that will make the biggest impact in your home:

1. Clean the carpets or at least the traffic aisles. According to a recent study by Rug Doctor, the manufacturer of home and rental carpet cleaning equipment, 37% of consumers admit to judging others on the cleanliness of their carpets. Nothing's more noticeable than a stain in the middle of a carpet, so instead of rearranging the furniture to cover it up, tackle it head on. Use a carpet stain remover on individual spots or a machine to clean larger areas, steps, and landings. Always vacuum before cleaning to remove loose, dry soil and avoid over-wetting the carpet to minimize damage. To see which products did best in our Good Housekeeping Research Institute tests, read our online reviews of carpet stain removers and carpet cleaning machines. No time to do it yourself? Just call in a

© Parenting.comChild photography tips you need to read to get the best Christmas pictures, even if your kid is scared of Santa

By Michelle Hainer and Beth Weinhouse

Jill Berry, a mom in Woodbine, MD, recalls her toddler's first photo with Santa. "She was fine in line, then hysterical when I handed her over," Berry recalls. The resulting photo: "a red-faced toddler, a bewildered Santa, and me, on his lap, wearing a ski jacket and an old shirt." Oh, the memories.

PLUS: Top Gifts for Kids

It's a ritual of the season: taking your child to the mall so he can tell Santa Claus what he wants for Christmas, and scoring an adorable photo of him sitting on the jolly one's lap. But not all kids are game. Some take one look at the fat old guy with that big white beard…and freak out.

PLUS: Hilarious Scared of Santa Pics

Think about it: This ginormous, hairy guy shows up once a year and you thrust your kid onto his lap, says child psychologist Jonathan Pochyly, Ph.D., of Children's Memorial