Excuses, con't

As you may remember, my son used the excuse "My bed is not good for me" as a reason for not going back to his bed when he wakes up way too early in the morning. (See Excuses.)

We found out last week that he was probably right.

He's had a stuffy nose since mid-October, mostly at night - he wakes up so congested he can barely breath - and during his afternoon rest-time on the couch.

Turns out, he's allergic to dogs (we have two), cats (we have none), cockroaches (we better have none!) and dust mites (we have a bajillion).

Dust mites tend to live in beds, pillows, upholstered furniture and carpets.  Don't read up on them, you'll gross yourself out. I did.  Guess how I'm spending my Christmas vacation?

The dogs also sleep on the couch most nights.  No wonder he sounded so miserable during naps and bedtime.

Luckily we have only hardwood floors and few curtains, but we are now investing in some new pillows, plastic covers for mattresses, slipcovers for chairs, new mops and  possibly a new vacuum.  I think a cleaning service should come with this deal.