The Arts Archives - An Ordinary Mom's Musings

Last week I shared with women how to avoid the gifts that you really didn’t want from your significant other. Or the arguments because you didn’t know what to get her and now she’s hurt because you didn’t know what she wanted. This one is for all the men with women in your lives.

You don’t know what to get her for Christmas. She’s really hard to buy for. So I’ll help you out. I’ve divided it up into categories as not all women are the same. You should be able to tell what type of gift your significant other might like from there.

First Step- Listen

We tell you all the time about things we like, enjoy or think look nice. Pay attention! We’re giving you clues here. I know you have other things on your mind and may not realize it. But if you can pay attention to what she is saying and figure out what she would like based on what she is telling you, you’re going to score major points.

Second Step- What type of Woman is she?

So it’s a bit late and you didn’t clue into the things she was telling you. No problem, I’m here to help you. What type of woman is she? What I mean by that- Is she someone who loves jewelry and clothes? Someone who would rather have something practical that she needs? Does she like the theater or arts? Is self-care important to her? Chances are she’d like more than one of these categories.

For the Woman who loves Jewelry and Clothes-

This is probably the hardest for me because I am not this woman. Try a place like Stitch Fix. Buy her a gift card for a couple of boxes that will come throughout the year with surprises. She tells them her likes, dislikes, and size and they do the shopping for her. For someone like me who hates shopping, this is also a great gift for people like me.

For the Woman who loves Practical Things-

This woman would love things like a Roomba to do her vacuuming for her. She never has to think about it again once it’s set up.

Does she cook? An Insta-Pot is a great timesaving device. Less mess, fewer dishes, food cooked faster. It’s a win, win!

Try a dinner subscription service like Blue Apron. Every woman wonders what to make for dinner some nights.

For the Woman who loves The Arts-

A play, concert tickets (to something she wants to go to, not your favorite band. . .). A performance of The Nutcracker, or a sing-along to Handel’s Messiah.

Books. For this type of woman she likely loves books. If you don’t know what books to buy, try buying a Kindle, or a gift card to Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

For the Woman who loves Self-Care-

There are lots of options for you for this woman and for every level of budget. A full day at a Spa? Or maybe just a facial or massage. Money is tight? Buy her a pedicure or manicure. Not sure what to get her? A fairly safe bet is a nice relaxing massage. It’s a stressful time of year. Less stress means more time with you tonight. . . Check out your local spas. Not sure where to send her? Ask her best friend. She’ll point you in the right direction.

General Pointers

This is a busy time of year. There are lots of extra things to do and never enough time to do it in. Want to make her extra happy?

Call and tell her you are bringing home dinner tonight- or better yet, get a babysitter and take her out.

Don’t have time for that? Pitch in and do some dishes or scrub a toilet. Do that and she’ll be wanting to put the kids to bed early for a night with you.

Bring home flowers (as long as she isn’t allergic), for her, the table or just to brighten up the house.

Good luck!

I had been wanting to see The Greatest Showman since I first started hearing about it. It’s a musical, it has Hugh Jackman, and I’d heard great reviews. What more could you ask for? I finally got to see it and it did not disappoint. It was so good I went back to take my daughter to see it.

But I want to talk for a minute about the circumstances surrounding my getting a chance to see it. The day before had been complete hell and I won’t go into all the details but I was literally at the end of my rope. I knew if I didn’t reach out and ask for some help, I was going to crash magnificently.
I reached out and asked someone to take my kids for just an hour the next day. I just needed to be able to walk away for an hour. Leave my responsibilities and breathe. Prior to dropping off my kids, I was shaking and the anxiety started to escalate, both from dealing with what had happened the day before and an episode with one of my children right before we left. Instead of one hour, my friend gave me three.
One of the first thoughts that entered my head when I left her home was that I should see if I could make a showing of The Greatest Showman. I raced to the theatre and sat down just a few minutes after it started.
For the first half hour, I was gripping my phone case as I was filled with dread that she would call and need me to pick up my kids. After that, I gradually started to relax. But what was relaxing me wasn’t the fact that I had left my cares behind for a couple hours, though that certainly helped. It was the music.
Music has a literal power that is real. Studies have been conducted and music has been found to aid in the growth of plants, help people study, provide not just comfort but decrease pain. Think about it. How many times has a song lifted you up and made you feel like you can get through things? This is one of many reasons why people work out to music, it helps them push that much further. How many times in your life is music tied to a memory or event and made it more meaningful? It’s no accident that the important parts of a film are often filled with music.
I sat there in that darkened theatre watching a movie that had about as much fiction as fact, but the music was moving me. It was the music that was healing my soul. It was the music that was making me stop, breathe, relax and remember who I am.
I am a creator, a musician, a writer. The Arts feed my soul and without them, it starves. I know this and yet I forget to feed this part of me.
Even if you aren’t a musician or lover of the Arts, they can still heal you, and bring peace to your soul. I think perhaps that is why most religions also have a canon of music that accompanies their worship. Words combined with music transcends what words alone can do. It reaches places within us that are hidden, internal, the place where our soul lives. The place that is the “real” us.
If you haven’t seen The Greatest Showman yet, I highly recommend it. But more than that, take the time to feed your soul. Turn up the music.