Whenever he gets in a fix, he reaches into his bag of tricks

Weekends are when I try to take a hiatus from cooking. There's no denying it, making three meals a day from scratch for these kids is a lot of work, and I need a break.

When we go out, like all kids - mine get restless. And I REFUSE to be that woman that people shake their heads at 'cause crazy kids are ruining their meals.

To alleviate this pressure I bring along with me my 'Bag o' tricks.' This bag is magic, let me tell you. It cures hunger, cures boredom and MOST importantly - cures WHINING, which is totally my kryptonite.

Inside this bag are coloring books, comic books, cars, cards, crayons, juice, water and of course, tasty snacks. I try to put enough of a variety in there that the kids don't fight, and are always entertained.

I keep the bag in my trunk at all times, so if I ever need it I can just pull it out. It certainly helps that this is the world's cutest bag that I got at the Kinokuniya bookstore downtown - what also helps is that I stash Nutella cookies in the 'secret pocket' - but that's more for my own sanity than the children...

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, here.