DIY Kids Placemats

After nap time (the time of which varies greatly these days) through Josh's arrival home is absolute crazytown around here.  The boys are wound up, and as they continue to egg each other on, it gets worse and worse.  Plus, at some point, I have to start working on making dinner.  And as soon as I'm distracted, the boys seize the opportunity and up their wildness factor.
I'm sure spring, it's warmer weather, and the increased opportunities to play outside will help...eventually.  But I needed a solution stat!

So here's what I came up with:

Actually, the idea started because we needed placemats for the boys.  But, as usual, I didn't like any of the store-bought options.  So, I had decided awhile ago I would just make my own.  I purchased some flexible cutting boards at the Dollar Store, whipped out my Sharpies, and got to work tracing some animals, letters, and even the boys' names (yes, I trace everything...if I tried to draw, it would be a bunch of stick figures).
I figured by doing the mats this way the kids could use them as a source of entertainment, particularly while I'm making dinner.  The boys were really excited about them, and went to town decorating them with their crayons (washable ones so we could reuse them)

***for about 2 minutes***
Luckily, the chopping mats actually came in packs of 2 which I didn't realize at first, so I had an extra set to work with.  I had seen a car track mat floating around Pinterest, so I decided to try those out too.  I laid out a "track" using painter's tape and then just traced over it.

Those worked a little longer (especially since Levi eating crayons was no longer a risk).

Overall, I don't know if the mats held the boys' attention as much as I had hoped they would.  But all was not lost.  They were certainly successful in terms of being cute, reusable placemats.  So we'll count it as a victory.
Now hurry up Spring, so I can get these boys outside!