Burnt Pull-ups

"Mommy, Daddy! You've got to come see this!" These were the ecstatic words that Braden was shouting yesterday afternoon as he ran into our bedroom shortly after Spencer had gotten home form work. "Jade and I made a talent show for you!" His eyes were huge and sparkling (a very common look for Braden when he is excited about something). So, what were we as parents to do? We just HAD to go check out this awesome talent show. Spencer made it up the stairs in front of me. As I approached the room, I smelled something quite awful... like burnt toxins. The concerned look on my face was met by Spencer saying, "Yeah, I smell it too." He was sniffing around in the bathroom trying to locate the source. I went in the bedroom to check it out and then I saw it! Jades floor lamp was leaning against her bed. I could see through the frosted plastic that there were objects around the light bulb. I also noticed that the tiny beginnings of a smoke plume were starting to rise from the lamp like a tiki torch that had just been put out. "Get away from the lamp!," I yelled at Jade who was next to it. Spencer came in at the sound of the commotion. I grabbed the lamp and quickly looked inside. There was no actual flame. Instead I saw smoldering pull-ups. What on Earth?!!! The dancing fairy princesses that adorned the side had transformed into brown goop which was now melted all over the light bulb. I flung the contents of the lamp onto the floor. Spencer quickly grabbed the pull-ups and ran them downstairs and took them outside. They reeked! While he was downstairs I was upstairs with the kids. Braden, looking a bit terrified said, "We were trying to make a spotlight. I don't think we should have done that." I agreed and told him I was glad he had called us up there and that we were lucky that it hadn't caught the house on fire. I asked why on Earth they needed pull-ups in the lamp. Braden said, "I remember you said the light bulb was hot and could burn us, so we put the pull-ups in there to protect our hands." Well, that was a horrible plan, but I am at least relieved that there was some logic involved... although it was dangerously off. We got an opportunity to teach them that lights are never toys and that things burn when they get too hot. Jade got the opportunity to have a sleep-over in Braden's room to avoid the noxious fumes that lingered in hers. Her window stayed open all night. Nevertheless, her room still has the tiniest hint of that nasty aroma of burnt pull-ups.