Hispanic Heritage Month Nostalgia with Suavitel

This post is sponsored by Colgate®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Nostalgia: pleasure and sadness that is caused by remembering something from the past and
wishing that you could experience it again…
I often get hit with nostalgia at the weirdest times. Although it sometimes makes me sad, it’s
amazing to me that something like a smell, phrase, or anything of that sort, can hit me with a
wave of nostalgia. As a mom of three with one on the way, laundry has taken over my life quite
a bit. One thing that I don’t mind is the smell of my good old friend Suavitel®. That blue bottle,
along with some other items, takes me back to my roots, and with it being Hispanic Heritage
Month I thought I’d share it with you all.

Moving away from family is harder than it sounds. As teens, we are in a rush to grow up
and get out… to explore and live on our own… I am super guilty of this. Coming from a Puerto
Rican family I felt like everything was always the same, the food, the furniture, the traditions, the
products — I couldn’t wait to move out and do things MY WAY.
Fast forward 17 years, and the eager-to-leave girl is now eager to go back again. It
happens to all of us. I remember as a kid thinking to myself that I would never buy certain
products or do certain things in my home, only to find myself picking up the very same products
that my mom did. I want my children to feel that same way, so I made it my business to
incorporate all those things into my home.

“Why don’t we just get a dryer?” I often asked my mom… “I don’t like the idea of
everyone seeing our clothes outside hanging” I explained… My mother often responded with
something like she likes the way the clothes smell after putting them out in the fresh air to dry
and how when she was little they washed clothes by hand… I didn’t get it until of course I
noticed it for myself. I now have asked my husband to hang a rope in our yard so that I can
hang my towels out just like my mom does. GO FIGURE!

Do you ever just look at something and can just taste or smell it? That’s what that blue
bottle of Suavitel does for me. Just looking at it, I can already smell it. Other items that have
sparked this nostalgic feeling are Colgate® Optic White® Toothpaste (Stain Fighter® and
Advanced®), Palmolive® Ultra Dish Liquid, and Irish Spring® Soap. All of these are products
that have been used in my mother’s home and are now staples in my home. Of course, I don’t
buy them just because my mom used them (this girl now researches everything!), they all are
truly beneficial products.Colgate’s® Optic White® (Stain Fighter® removes 6x more surface stains vs. non-
whitening toothpaste (after 2 weeks of use) and prevents new stains from forming. Colgate’s®
Optic White® Advanced® deeply whitens teeth inside and out, unlike ordinary toothpaste. Irish
Spring Soap (I’m sure some can smell it just from reading about it) moisturizes the body and
face, and it washes away bacteria. Palmolive® Ultra Strength Dish Soap is tough on grease but
gentle on the planet. It instantly cuts through grease and comes in bottles made with 100%
recycled plastic. Suavitel provides coziness and softness, along with 45 days of freshness. All of
these are available at your local Publix. Not only is Publix my go-to because of their continuous
sales, but their customer service is a plus as well! You can find these promotions in-store or
online!

MJ is at the point where she wants to help me with EVERYTHING…so it’s not a surprise
to see her outside helping me hang clothes, asking to help with the dishes, or offering to help
her sister brush her teeth. She sees me do something and she’s quick to do the same, which is
something I absolutely adore. I love that I’ve taken things from my family back home and that
my children are following along with my ways. Every day is Hispanic Heritage month in our
home, as we encounter these nostalgic moments daily — the fresh smell of Suavitel on towels, the smell of Colgate Toothpaste smeared on the bathroom sink, the green bar of soap in the
shower, and the bubbles from Palmolive while washing dishes.
Speaking of nostalgia, Hispanic Heritage Month, and doing things just like my mom
does, another thing that brings me back is the famous dish: Arroz Con Gandules. Arroz Con
Gandules was something my mom always made on special occasions like Thanksgiving, Noche
Buena, or any special family gathering. We all knew it was a special event if my mom brought
out the big caldero and made Arroz Con Gandules. As a child, I wasn’t a fan of the dish, but as I
got older and had children I wanted to keep the traditions going – so I learned how to make it.
Now it’s a staple around here for special occasions! Everyone has their own unique way of
making their Arroz Con Gandules and I have a confession – I haven’t mastered an exact replica
of my mom’s version. But this one shared by a Publix is really close! Every time I make it I feel
proud of myself for learning the recipe, and that I’m sharing a little bit of my Hispanic Heritage
with my family.

What are some things you remember from your childhood that give you all the Hispanic
Heritage nostalgic feelings? Let me know in the comments below and as always, Thanks for
reading!