That didn't take long

My son, the engineer/designer/electrician/architect. 

Last week, when I felt able to do anything at all, I started in on the imp's room.  Fifteen minutes at a time, by the timer.  We got half done with his entire room in two days, with two fifteen minute sessions at a time. 

Until Saturday.  Saturday, I let him off the hook for the morning session: Odysseus was building things, and the imp was helping.  They got a bookcase made for the entry way--it's a four-foot square, with four shelves.  Holds a LOT of books. 

And then, I went in for the afternoon session.  And the little shit got mouthy. 

My temper is already short.  I'd already had them home for a week, and I've got two more weeks to go.  So I turned and left to get my thoughts together, and not react immediately.  I do not ever react or punish from anger.  I try not to "punish" at all, just add consequences. 

What I ended up doing was going back in his room, closing the door, telling the pixie when she poked her head in that no, she wasn't allowed to help...then making him help me finish the job. 

Friday evening, I'd pulled an entire bag full of trash out of his room.  One of the big, black yard bags.  Saturday, we filled another half a bag.  But we did finish in another hour and a half what we'd started. 

We also rearranged his room a bit--his Hot Wheels Mega-City track is now in the corner of his room, his tackle-boxes of travel-Hot Wheels kits are stacked behind it instead of taking up room in his toy box, and the secondary toy box full of wood blocks (that he uses to prop ramps to the angle he wants them to be) and extra track is pushed over by the rest of the related stuff.

We put a small, plastic drawer cart in his room with a desk, too.  Two Christmases ago, we got him a snap-together circuits kit.  He'd lost parts of it (most of it is now found, and in the top drawer of said cart). 

Today, I've been hearing whistles and other noises made by that set.  He'd also built marble runs designed to drop marbles back into the drawer he's designated for them. 

I'm glad it's had this effect.  I just wish I hadn't pushed myself into a ME/CFS attack in the process.