Mother's Day Monstrosity

So, our Mother's Day craft turned into more of a science experiment...

The kids were making handprints with finger paint onto the grandmas' wrapped presents.  The handprints were supposed to be the "stems" for the flowers-turned-charcoal.  Are you following?  The "flowers" were supposed to be made up of damp, twisted, rolled-up pieces of TP, dipped in poster paint, which, according to our craft book, were to be microwaved until dry.  What the book didn't mention was not to use a styrofoam plate.  Ok, I guess that falls under common sense, which I sometimes lack.  All I know is a couple minutes into cooking, a little orange flame in the micro caught my eye.  I rushed over and released a blanket of smoke out onto the ceiling.  It was so thick, I thought for sure there would be a layer of soot left to remind me of my stupidity.  There wasn't though.  Just a horrible stench left in the micro that every remedy in the book can't get rid of.  

Anyway, back to the little, orange flame... I sort of tossed the flaming remains into the sink, meanwhile Reid sat in astonishment at the counter.  "What did you do, Mom??" he asked.  "I'm so sorry, Sweetie!  I caught our Mother's Day craft of fire!" I responded.  After watching me wash much of our morning's work down the drain, he said, "Next time, don't light it on fire, ok, Mom?"