Believe in Magic: Whose Saree Now

Yes! It exists! Here’s the true story.

Earlier today I got a babysitter for the girls so I could do some work and take a walk. In the back of my mind and quickly scooting to the front of my mind, was the event I have tonight… my girls’ school auction with an Indian/Bollywood theme. I had planned on putting on a pretty dress and boots to attend and then got word that some moms were renting saris and really going all out.

On my walk I thought, “Hmm. I could go to the thrift store and see if they have anything – but that will take time and I just don’t know if I want to spend my time searching for a needle in a haystack”. As I continued my walk I saw a garage sale sign. I then said to myself, “Deb. Don’t go. You don’t need anymore stuff… you are challenged as it is, getting your stuff organized. There is nothing you need… except… a sari. What are the chances?'” I continued walking toward the sale, now picking up the pace a little bit, wondering about the magic that might be waiting for me.

DidiPop in a saree that’s not actually a saree but a three piece Indian pant-suit that she called a saree. Electric blue!

I walked up the driveway to a beautiful two-story mc-Mansion and peeked a the clothes. instead of searching, I asked the woman( and mom) there if she had anything Indian. She thought for a minute and then said, “Well, I do have a sari, upstairs”. I looked at her – about 2 inches shorter than me and about a size smaller. “Really?” I said. And she replied, “Yes, but it’s more expensive. I could go try and find it for you?”. I said, “How much do you think you want for it? I have a school event and I thought I’d try and dress for the occasion”. She said, “How’s $10?”. My eyes popped in excitement on the inside (on the outside I played it cool) “That would be alright”, I said as she went in the house to fetch it. She came back 3 minutes later with a white box. She unwrapped it and pulled out a 3 piece, beaded, electric blue pant-suit saree. I mean this thing is GORGEOUS.

I went inside to her bathroom and tried it on. A teeny bit tight n the waist- a teensy bit short in the the legs. But it all pretty much fit, and with the pants, the beaded tunic and the matching beaded scarf around my neck ~ I was completely transformed.

I picked up these shoes on sale at Nordstroms. They are silver beaded and actually comfy! Bangles on my wrists and dangling earrings

My husband really liked my new look as did my daughters. I felt regal and refined – like an Indian Rani.

Wait ’til my husband sees me as a regal Indian woman! Next I will dash off to our local Indian restaurant to buy a bindi for my forehead. Later I’ll pull back my hair and study this Indian eye make-up video on youtube. How FUN! Any Dream Is Possible. DP

 

Audi Super Bowl Ad Encourages Violence – Mental Illness – Lanza, Audi, Newtown.

Really? Can’t executives see this connection at all?

Normally I keep my content happy, but I need to speak my mind about this utterly offensive ad.. .the Audi ad my girls saw during the Super Bowl game. Yes, there were quite a few disgusting, insulting ads (go daddy, some shirt ad). Most were perverted, over sexual, gross – and maybe that’s football – I don’t really watch football ads too much, but this one really got under my skin – especially as the country is trying to deal with the Newtown tragedy AND trying to discover what is going on in our children’s heads and hearts.

This speaks to the insanity of our American culture. Boy on his own, driving too fast, who has a totally different personality on his own than when he’s with his family, breaking rules, committing inappropriate sexual acts, being part of violence and enjoying it, driving off like a super hero after acting like an irresponsible “disrupter” on all kinds of levels. I am embarrassed. I am appalled that people on twitter like kevin jonas  @kevinjonas who says: “Bravery it’s what defines us! -awesome commercial #audi”. Really? That’s bravery? A wealthy kid driving in his parents Audi to mess things up for everyone? To assault a woman? To me it’s sounds like an adolescent who needs attention and who is mentally disturbed. Why is Audi glorifying this kind of behavior? Why are you Kevin Jonas?

My kids watched this live with me and they were so excited that the boy was going to the prom – it turned ugly. I wonder if this reckless media culture is what helps to create kids like Adam Lanza… alienated, uncomfortable, false sense of power brought on by the mechanics of guns and cars, alone in the night, getting revenge, taking what does not belong to them (parking space), touching on the beginnings of date rape, and parents, having no clue as to what is going on with their own child.

Shame Audi. How can top execs with millions of dollars promote such mentally ill morality for our children. What a waste. Please take it down Audi.

p.s. Parents – please be careful about the media your kids ingest. Main stream media has one thing in mind – to make money and sell goods. They do it with shock and awe and don’t give the ramifications of the messages they put out a second thought. I want my children’s young and open minds protected. This is the reason I make music and videos for kids – to give parents a safe place to bring their children, to create content that fills kids with love, light and positivity.  Don’t trust corporate America to raise your children and help them develop character. If they learn anything “positive” from the media – consider it a lucky one-off…don’t count on it.

Please get involve in the discussion about kids and healthy media at sites like:

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/

http://w2.parentstv.org/Main/

– By Deborah Poppink Hirshland (DidiPop)