My mother's Three Great Rules (promulgated after the facts, which I will leave to your imagination):

1. Thou Shalt No Longer Make Pyrotechnics, Fireworks, or Explosives In The Basement. Thou SHALT Do So Out-Of-Doors, Lest I Smite Thee Good.

2. The Making Of Tear Gas, Or Any Noxious Gas Or "War Gas," Is Completely Forbidden, In The Basement Or In Any Part Of The House. If Thou Feelst That Thou Must Do So, Do It Out-Of-Doors And Downwind From The House, Lest Thou Feel My Wrath.

3. Experimentation With Electricity Shall Under No Circumstances Cause The Circuit Breakers To Trip.

The was a fourth one added later. Again, I leave the circumstances to your imagination:

4. Thou Shalt Not Fire Off Twelve Gauge Shotguns In The House, Lest Thou Find Thyself Amongst The Homeless.

Somehow, we all survived more or less intact....