Keeping kids busy when you're out

I have made it a point since my kids were babies that, they had to learn to sit & behave in restaurant high chairs, in shopping carts, in their stroller etc. There's no standing up in the seat or the shopping cart & there's no option about getting in so, get used to it. And you will be buckled in!! This is not to say I'm a mean mom at all but, that I expect certain standards in order to enjoy outings with my kids. As it stands so far, they are well-behaved & do not fight to go in the high chair etc. and they both love riding in the stroller. Of course, they associate the stroller with pleasant things like nature walks, & as a means to get from place to place in a relaxed fashion. In other words, they don't associate it w/being strapped in the stroller for hours while I clothes shop. However, I can occasionally do that because I've already established the stroller as a positive thing. Of course, I've always talked to them, played games with them & brought toys, activities & snacks to occupy them. At restaurants I usually have crayons & paper (in case they don't proved them) & a few small toys like little animals or figures to play with. With my oldest, stickers always kept him occupied the whole time in a restaurant from the time he was barely 2 yrs old. Often times he would put stickers on the table but sometimes on himself or me or the back pages of the sticker book. I even bought $1 spiral notepads for him to put the stickers in. You can get $1 sticker books in various themes that are small enough to put in your purse at Michaels craft store. With 1 yr olds, you can sing songs & occupy them by being silly. They love it when you pretend to have things fall on you or hit you on the head etc. I think 1-2 yrs. is like the "3 Stooges" stage & they laugh at all the slap-stick. 2-3 yrs. are the "Stickers & magical pretend years" (yes, I made up that just now). And 4-5 are the "Van Gogh" yrs. and they love to draw & color & be creative. I have vowed to not be one of those moms with the kid at the table playing Nintendo DS/Leapster or cell-phone games. I think that's gotten way out of hand these days. We'll see how long I can fight it when my oldest hits Kindergarten next year.