Cell Block G

During the last two weeks, my older son has been getting very crafty with his disobedience. Apparently an adept opportunist, he's managed to do the following while Andrew and/or I slept peacefully in the early(ish) morning hours:

*knocked down the baby gate put up to thwart him
*eaten half a dozen cookies
*attempted to eat at least half a dozen more cookies
*eaten half his daddy's birthday chocolate (this morning's stunt, which earned him a music-less, toy-less, breakfast-less sentence in Cell Block G aka his bedroom)
*gotten into my purse and stuffed all the credit cards behind my license (and also mysteriously caused my gum to disappear)
*gotten into my purse and combined my Dr. Pepper lip gloss with Vaseline to make what I suppose he thought was a hydrating face mask, considering the way he used it
*let himself into his brother's room (which has a doorknob protector on it that looked like it had not been disturbed)
*gotten into the Raisin Bran in the pantry
*given his mother several coronaries

Now, before you start clucking and commenting away, I'll share some precautionary measures we're taking with him:

*The baby gate goes up before Andrew goes to work in the morning, giving Gabriel the access he needs to the bathroom but keeping him away from the rest of the house, save our bedroom.
*I purchased a lock today that will go on our carport door that requires a key to unlock it from either side. And as smart as my 3 year-old is, he has neither the knowledge, motor skills, nor tool necessary to open a lock with a key.
*I'm praying for him (and with him) for Jesus to help him obey. I'm pretty sure the only thing that will cause a permanent (if not foolproof) change in his behavior is the conviction of the Holy Spirit in his little heart. It's his desire to do what he wants combined with the opportunity to do it that's the problem. We can only do so much (within reason) to take away the opportunities he has to disobey. But his will and desire to do what he wants are all about what's going on in his little mind and heart. I refuse to guilt or beat him (also known as whooping him with a belt, which was my mother's arguably effective modus operandi), but he's got to stop the craziness.
* Also, I'm probably going to start sleeping on the sofa when Andrew leaves for work in the morning. Hopefully, this will mean G sees me in the morning and stops in his tracks. Failing that, I'll hopefully hear the little rascal and send him back to bed before mischief can begin.

I know some of what G's done is funny. Who hasn't laughed at a kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar? But some of his behavior is ptentially dangerous. I need prayer, peeps, and ideas are welcome too. What's worked for your kids or kids who've been in your care? How much of his behavior can I reasonably expect to control with incentives and punishment? Is it just a phase he'll soon outgrow (please, yes)? Can I attribute his misbehavior to allergies, allergens, and non-organic foodstuffs?

Love and well wishes for a sane tomorrow, from Cell Block G