Dragging your kids along on errands is difficult -- unless it's their errands.

You need conditioner, light bulbs, and coffee filters; your son needs new underwear. You need to get a passport for your upcoming vacation. Your high school reunion is just around the corner and you need a new outfit, stat. But, you have kids and, let's face it, they'll be bored to tears and making your life a living hell if you even think about trying to get this sort of task done, right? Wrong.

The trick is to make your errands their errands. At the store, play dumb and act like you can't find the conditioner; have your kids find it instead. Even if they're looking everywhere except where it is right in front of them, it's still better than having them get bored. If you've got paperwork to fill out, ask them for the answers to questions. If they can't come up with the right answer on their own, offer some wrong answers before suggesting the right one. "Is mommy's name PepperoniPizzaBox?"

Shopping for clothes? Praise them for their amazing fashion sense and tell them you need their help to find just the right outfit. Make them feel grown-up and useful and they'll be all about helping you get things done.