I am pretty good about making sure my kids have consistent bedtimes throughout the year, even during the summer months. But every so often their schedule gets out of whack which results in MAJOR MOOD SWINGS from my 7 year old.

I realize FULLY that he is tired and just needs to go to bed but when he gets really tired he FIGHTS EVERYTHING. He doesn't want to take a shower, he doesn't want to go to bed, he doesn't want to have a quiet storytime, he doesn't want to lay on the couch and watch a movie. He just wants to be the reason for me to take headache meds.

If I put him in his room he will throw things around which is not acceptable but I often do it anyways (and take away each and every thrown item which he has to earn back with good behavior in the following days). I'm not sure what to do to deal with these Desperately Needing Sleep Tantrums anymore. They are rare but when they take place it is pure hell.

Any suggestions?

My 7-year-old stepson is almost the opposite. He won't admit he's tired either, but the child can go to sleep anywhere. He'll be "too tired" to take a shower, but when he gets sent to take one anyway, he's in the bathroom for a long time and it gets very quiet. He's asleep on the floor, wrapped up in his towel.

Not that this helps with your problem...it just amuses me when it happens.

I'd probably do what you end up doing, as far as sending him to his room and taking away every item he throws during a tantrum - at this point he may just grow out of it and be able to handle the occasional out-of-whack days better.
Hopefully, that will happen sooner rather than later.

I'm LOL at the part where you mention him falling asleep on the bathroom floor. I call those "The Good Ol' Days."

Last year my son used to fall asleep eating dinner. I miss those days.

I think your approach of tossing him in his room and then (calmly, I hope) taking away each and every item he throws about is a good one.

If you're finding this response is not eliminating the behaviour quickly enough, you might try duct tape. (Him to the bed, I'm thinking, rather than each item to the floor.)*

When he gets to that state, is it really necessary that he shower, etc? I'm thinking that it might be wisest to absolutely streamline the process of getting him to bed. What he needs, as you say, is SLEEP. So if he gets there fully clothed and a bit stinky, does it really matter?

But really, what you're doing sounds fine. You're not encouraging or enabling, he's paying a reasonable consequence for his unreasonableness. He will outgrow it. Eventually.

*I don't have to explain that this was a JOKE, right?