cold and flu season is in full swing right now, and it seems like everybody is getting sick. i heard this years flu is especially nasty…many of my friends’ have had their entire family knocked down with the flu already this season. knock on wood….we haven’t gotten sick over here yet, in fact we practically never get sick. i do everything in my power to keep the flu bug away from my family.

but when my kids do get sick, i can usually assume the germs came with the home from school. i know the teachers at my children’s schools do everything they can to protect the classroom from germs. the kids wipe down their desks, use hand sanitizer and many of the teachers use essential oils in the classroom.

every year, just because i’m a kiss-up, i like to make a gift pack of flu season essentials to give each of my children’s teachers. among the items included in the pack are: boxes of Kleenex, hand sanitizer and air sanitizer spray so that the teachers can combat the germs before the kids spread them to each other. Kleenex is and always has been my go-to brand of facial tissues that i’ve come to trust. kids are sometimes messy at school and often not careful about spreading their germs…especially my boys. they seem to wipe their hands on everything. with Kleenex tissues, i am confident that they are capturing their germs in the strong, thick soft tissues, containing germs away from others.  that’s the key!

when my kiddos DO get sick, i stock them up with Kleenex tissue…because it is soft and won’t rub their little noses raw. i also like to make them a warm tea with a homemade sore throat jelly. each year i try to make a bunch of this jelly and keep it on-hand for when i need it. i love that it is an all-natural remedy to soothe sore throats and warm your tummy and achy body up.

this year, i also included a jar of this sore throat jelly in the gift packs for our teachers along with a cute mug and spoon. i created a little card with instructions on how to use the  Sore Throat Jelly that i tied onto the jar. with all those kids, our teachers are bound to get sick at some point.

here is how you make Sore Throat Jelly…

you will need lemons, ginger root, honey (organic is best) and a jar or container(s) to hold your jelly.

first, clean and slice 2 lemons, plus slice 1-2 inches of ginger root very thin,

next, pour a small amount of honey in the bottom of your jar. then fill up the jar(s) with the lemon and ginger slices, layering them all the way to the top.

while you are layering the lemon and ginger, pour some honey between the lemon and ginger slices as you fill your jar. or, you can just add the honey after you have filled up your jar. make sure that the honey covers the top, bottom and in between of all the slices to keep everything preserved.

place the jar in the fridge. in 1-2 weeks, a marmalade like jelly will form and you can start using it.

when you need to make some tea, place a tablespoon or two of the sore throat jelly into a mug. pour boiling water over it and stir until mixed. you can add more jelly “to taste.”   (jelly will stay preserved for 2-3 months in the refrigerator.)

and if you would like to give  Sore Throat Jelly as a gift, i have included my printable gift tag for you to use. just download the sore throat jelly free printable here. if your friend or teacher is feeling under the weather, pair the Sore Throat Jelly with a box of Kleenex, and the recipient of your gift will think you are the best friend ever.