I drink coffee in the morning but tea during the rest of the day. For green, I normally like one that has a flavor enhancer such as jasmine or mint. When I have a cold I love mint tea or earl grey with lavender. I like flavored black teas if I am making iced tea and one favorite is ginger peach black. If I am in an herbal mood or do not want caffeeine a favorite is Rooibos Capetown blend. I have to say though, I am not a fan of Darjeeling. A splash of Gran Marnier in tea is excellent. We tend to only use loose teas which we get from a local coffee shop and I use an infuser like the one linked below. The hinged balls would tend to leak sediment into my tea and I do not like texture. Here is a link that might be useful: tea infuser

This does sound good! I have everything on hand so I am going to go start brewing some to go with lunch today........ Thanks! Alexa

It is the season and so many at work are always in some phase of a crud. A horrible cough, a woozy fever, congestion... I made up a pretty safe spray cleaner with a 1/2 cup cheap vodka, 2 cups water, some eucalyptus, tea tree, and lemon grass oil. Another similar using bleach for surfaces but not a mist spray. Many disinfectants should not be air-sprayed in mist form because of the harmful inhalants. The imagery is comical but i feel it is necessary to keep the bug from passing to others...those miserably ill have no consept of passing it on or caring...way too sick to care. Door knobs and faucet handles, toilet handles...and get those sheets clean more often that usual, : ) I add vinegar to that cycle with the sanitary mode. I've not had a flu since before 9-11. (it was memorable and horrid). DH gets something every year that involves the loss of voice. He often under dresses in the winter and catches himself chilled and susceptible. I've insisted he wear scarves and wash hands often. I've made a few big batches of barrier hand cream that we use and one is on his desk at work. I tend to want a rotation of warm liquids, lots of garlic and ginger in miso broth. Then a hearty beef stew when the fever breaks. Lots of tea with lemon and ginger... Our freezer is stocked with broths all winter. I have a duck and heavy veg and ginger, garlic, cilantro stem, on the stove now with a pot of beans cooking. I'll pack the beans in pints with a pour-over of stock for the freezer. An easy brothy quick soup if one of us gets ill. I've stocked up with MisoMaster white and red and the chick pea one they make. We never want much more than a tbsp of that in hot water when horrid. A bit of rice or bean in veg, beef, chicken broth that i have frozen after day 4-5. An easy thaw and heat. I just jumped up to check the beans and stock and started a mixed sprouted grain as well...to freeze with some stock... You have me prepared. I do hope she is feeling better and all in the home are not feeling the same...precautions of mask and gloves are not extreme....: ) It is nice that she has the comforts of home and the love that comes with care from parents. Such good care you are giving!!

I don't really do OTC meds, never have, and I've never understood why people would use them. If anyone has a fever, it is treated with acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Severe coughing is treated with warm tea with honey and lemon or vitamin C drops, I don't even buy cough drops. I don't carry or use allergy medications of any kind. Rest, warm baths, soft foods and lots of fluids is how basically every illness is treated at my house. One of my kids doctors seems to think it is bizarre that no one in my family has allergies; I can't tell if that is really that rare or if people tend to over-medicate themselves all the time to the point of being convinced they need these treatments. As far as the new job and preventing illness, the number one best thing to do is to wash your hands like people in the medical field do. Wash after using the restroom of course but, the most important is to wash before you touch your face or eat anything. Eyes, nose and mouth are the primary entry points for viruses.