A mum has been labelled a genius for sharing the perfect hack to keep her kids quiet - letting them draw "tattoos" on her body with marker pen. Mum-of-three Erika Martinez, 20, came up with the idea of letting her children draw all over her when she was feeling ill and needed a break. Erika admitted that the pen took a couple of days to wash off but says it was an easy and affordable way to keep her children entertained. Erika's children - aged nine months, two and five - draw doodles and symbols on her body which can leave them distracted for hours. Erika, a stay-at-home mum, from Inland Empire, southern California, US, said: "At first your instinct is that maybe you shouldn't let them do it. "I thought it is going to make a mess and but I was tired, it is pretty tiring being a mum. "I remember my mum letting us do something like this when we were younger but when you are younger you don't think 'oh my god, my mum is exhausted.'" Erika said you will definitely need soap and water to scrub the ink off but it is worth it. She said: "You don't even need to be sick, it is good for any occasion where you need to entertain your children but have little energy." Erika said her children used to draw on walls when they were younger - which would also keep them busy for hours - she said: "The washable markers help and if it gets on the walls, it comes off easy with a magic eraser."