While in the checkout line at the grocery store the other day I was eyeing the celebrity magazines. They are hard to ignore while waiting for the person in front of you to write a check for her diet soda and ice cream purchase. I noticed something that bothered me, not the bad habits of the person in line in front of me – nearly all of the magazines had Britney Spears on the cover, and they all included photos of her kids.

I get the fact that Britney is a celebrity and will always get media attention, but I am bothered that the media is bringing her kids into the fold, plastering their innocent faces on the covers of their magazines. On this particular trip to the grocery checkout line, I counted five covers that Britney and her kids were on.

The same goes for the kids of Angelina and Brad, and Tom and Katie. The list goes on. These kids should be allowed to be kids without having to be on the cover of every magazine. I’ll note here that I’m talking about all of the photos that are taken by the paparazzi — not the photos where the parents have control over the images.

This wouldn’t have bothered me as much (if at all) before I had a child. Now that I have one I am keenly aware of children and want to protect my own and I am more aware of others around me.

Do what you want with the adults, but leave the kids out of it.

“Real Simple” (a GREAT magazine) has an article on their Web site listing “20 Time Saving Tips and Tricks.” I’m always doing two things at once, so I like to think that everything I do is time-saving, but here’s one tip that I like to live by that I got from an amazing book,”Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things that Really Matter.”

Create a shopping list based on your main grocery store’s aisles. Here’s how it works: take a notebook to the grocery store and walk down every single aisle. As you go, make notes of the items you typically buy. When you get home you can type up your list, based on aisles. Print it out, hang it in your kitchen … and as you need items, check them off. By the time you get to the store you don’t have to waste time going down aisles you don’t have any items checked off on your list.

I can’t tell you how much time this list saves. While it takes a bit of time to create it, it’s amazing how much time it saves you in the store every time you go. My friends have been amazed at my list. I am too!