The Review Ballerina

Before the internet (and yes, I was alive for that) you had to look at people in the eye when you worked with them. If you wanted to talk to someone you picked up a phone, dialed or spun the dial and you made sure that they could hear your tone of voice. Friday nights were usually met with pizza and movies. Saturday nights were game nights whether it was cards, board, but mostly you sat there with friends. I can't tell you how many Saturday nights I spent with my Dad out at a bar watching him play pool with his buddies, or we'd go visit Uncle Dave and I'd play with their daughter while they hung out and chatted for hours. If you debated? You did it in person. If you needed to talk to someone? You did it in person (most of the time). I find that these days the internet has taken away the ability for society to be able to accept you for you. They now want to hide you away from them if you are a bother to them. Or, they want you to hide from them so they can't see you beca...

Left: Fall of 2022. Right: Fall of 2023 So I was told I should lay out what I've done to lose weight in the last year, and I figured I'd go ahead and tell! I mean it may not work for everyone but if it helps ya'll go for it! These are just some of the things I've been doing, because without health insurance I can't see a nutritionist, get weight loss surgery, etc.

I have spent my entire life fighting what millions are dealing with now. COVID-19 has caused so many to have anxiety, panic, self-doubt, worry, depression, and more. I want to help people see there are natural ways to help these chemical imbalances in the brain and to know...you are not alone. The Review Ballerina is not a medical blog/journal and as such should not be taken as a means to treat, diagnose, or cure any types of mental illness. These are just opinions and steps for this blogger to help those who are just like me.

I have always been a firm believer in the medical profession. I feel that those who take the time to learn how to do a medical specialty, are to be fully trusted to take care of you and your children. I believe in vaccinations, I believe in flu shots and yes, if a COVID19 vaccine comes out as long as there's enough medical proof that it's safe my home will be getting it. But, in the last two years I've begun to start doubting who I can trust...especially when it comes to my daughter.  The statements made in this article are completely 100% the opinion of this blog owner. This is not an attempt to sway someone one way or the other of their own medical trust. 

I have been a blogger and reviewer now for, I want to say about four years? You all have watched me move cities, watched my daughter start school, and more. But nothing could've prepared me for the challenge that we have faced over the course of the last few years and now that it seems to be getting under control, it's time to tell everyone what's been going on! First, to all companies that have worked and partnered with The Review Ballerina, thank you for your patience and understanding as we helped our daughter. We look forward to continuing to work with you in the future.

To Arnold's Martial Arts: We have been happily a part of your team and family for two years now. I brought Olivia into your dojo shortly after she was bullied in Kindergarten, and after only two classes we knew she needed to be here. But not only have you changed our daughter's life in two years, you changed our family's lives and for that we will forever be eternally grateful to you. Whether it's having fun while learning to spar (yeah don't give her the chance again Mr. Colton!! haha), or being serious and learning every single pattern move tight and strong you always make sure that Olivia has the best time in every class. She knows that if she's called out for a wrong thing that it just means to work harder and listen more and you make sure she keeps pushing herself to be the best she can be. She still tells her friends all about the Ascent tournament, and the Black Belt Show and how much she wants to be just like the ladies of the dojo! ...

Deep in the beautiful country side of northern Texas (that alone is a beautiful fictional read isn't it), a mother stumbles out of bed as her alarm rings at 6:55am. That ring, that golden ring that has brought everyone misery for years and decades is forcing us to climb out of our comfy, cozy nooks and make the same trek we've made before. After a long, groanful journey down the hallway, I find my small hobbit (my precious)  lying in the bed hiding under a sheet hopeful I won't find her. "Come on, sweet one it's time to go." I pull the sheet off her to find her giggling and shaking her head. "I thought that would work this time!" She says, as if the magic from the fairies and elves betrayed her. Preparing for our trek is long, as we dress, eat our bread and mead -- Apple juice come on I'm not crazy yet... and our bread is with melted butter because we're not savages, we're hungry for toast -- we brush hair and try to look ...

Disclaimer: This will be sappy, this will be true and this is how I feel. At the age of 2, my biological mother made some pretty drastic mistakes that impacted both herself and I. I grew up living 5 days a week with my Grandmother, and the weekends with my Uncle and Aunt. I wrote about my Uncle previously, thanking him for all he's done and how I truly feel that he's my Father. But I never knew my biological father, so he's the only father I ever knew. I never could quite figure out how to put into words how I felt for my Aunt because I had not only my biological mother for a short time, but my Grandmother as well. The time has come, and I hope to show her just how much I love and appreciate her.

To my beautiful daughter on her weekend before school starts:

In March of 2016, we moved from an extremely large and busy city to a semi-rural town. Doing a literal "hop" over my parents, we are 45 minutes from them either way, and now living further North which is awesome. When we moved though, we ended up on DUN DUN DUN:   CAPPED INTERNET!  It's okay, tell your hearts to re-start! We have actually never gone over our cap even though we're a family of three who are always using the internet. It's not even a high cap either, we have just toned down our constant need for "HD" on Netflix and stuff. Anyway, I was unable to bring my AT&T U-Verse account with us to our new home so I went with Direct TV. First thing I wanted to do was get my DVR back...but I couldn't. Why? Well Direct TV would say "Oh it doesn't use your internet!" Which I knew was a lie. Never listen to companies when they say this, want to know why? When I was with U-Verse and my internet dropped off, I couldn't w...

I have always been an only child; my entire life I have never had a sibling to blame when something broke. I never had to share anything, and it was lonely sometimes. I can remember being around the 5th grade and going outside to play. Within maybe 20 minutes, I just remember sitting down with what I was playing with and looking around, wishing I had someone else to hang out with. To be honest it's a worry with my daughter that she feels the same way, as it appears she may never have a sibling. 

When I was nine, I went through something that most people will not go through their entire lives. When it occurred, I became depressed. I got PTSD before I was 10 years old and this caused parts of my brain to shut down. As I grew older, the effects of depression and PTSD caused issues such as short-term memory loss, anxiety, lack of math and science comprehension and more. I was prescribed medications that I would take to try to right the chemical imbalance that was causing my depression, because of what happened. About a month ago, I was sitting in a waiting room at a business and the subject of vaccinations came up. The mother I was speaking to will not vaccinate her child, and I made the comment that my daughter was fully vaccinated like I was and I will continue to make sure she gets her shots. The mother, in horror asked me if there was anything wrong with me and I said "Not at all, I mean I have depression but who doesn't these days." The response ...

This is a personal article, but something many can relate to. This is long but I think in at least one way or another, anyone reading this will relate. I have always found a way to find humor in life out of sorrow. My life has been exceptionally rough, though I never play "My life is worse than yours!" because in everyone's eyes their lives are hard. But genuinely speaking I have always said if I wrote my life out from my point of view, changed the names, and sold it as fiction I'd be a multi-millionaire already. Of course I'd never do that considering the majority of what would make great "meat" for the book I tend to try to block out it is that bad. But one thing I've learned is to take the negative and create a stronger and more positive life from it. No matter what people will say or do to you, your family, your friends, your life, your love if you can step up and tell yourself "That was them, not you", you can always guide...

All statements below are the opinion of The Review Ballerina.

Consider this either a Trending Tuesday that's already passed, or a Trending Tuesday to come! When I started blogging almost two years ago, there was one thing in my mind: Oh my gosh! She is getting so much free stuff! I want that!!  Then I started blogging and was right and left getting free items and in return I had to review them. Very quickly did I realize something that I think many don't realize: Blogging is not just a hobby, it's a job!

Diane Gremmel: Official Website From a young age, I have been taken to psychic fairs and things of that nature due to the events that occurred when I was a child. In the last five years or so, I have had a hard time truly letting go of my Mother's death and even had to realize something: I was holding onto a small glimmer of hope that the shocking and truly brutal death of my Mother was not real. That she was alive, and there had been some kind of mistake and at the age of nine I had just been a part of some incredible ruse that my family also had to go through. This may sound childish but sometimes that wish of wanting someone to come to your front door and knock never goes away and you need verification. I reached out to Diane to find out if she could help me get that closure and she most definitely helped.

In 2008, I was standing in a grocery store looking at books and decided I wanted to start reading again. I hadn't been looking at books very often but I thought it was time to expand and try to give myself some entertainment. After picking up one book, I stood waiting for my then boyfriend to finish looking at magazines when I looked up and my gaze caught Dark Lover by JR Ward. I put the first book back on the shelf and skimmed the pages of the red and black novel, deciding to give the Black Dagger Brotherhood a try.

I have battled with depression since I was nine years old, though at that age I had no idea that I had depression. Having a childhood that has a traumatic brick wall getting in the way of your mental drive really has an impact on your adulthood. After having a relapse at age 15 over a simple English project I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder along with chronic depression. As I got older, the diagnosis included chronic anxiety and signs of short term memory loss. This has been diagnosed by multiple doctors, psychologists, and therapists over the years during the times I have had health insurance. 

Anyone who knows me, knows that my daughter is my entire world. The usual ladder for me is Daughter, Husband, Family, Me. I'm told I should be higher on the list but that rarely actually happens. Last night after going to a couple of stores to look at Christmas items, my daughter did something that not only broke my heart, but made me cry. She walked around the house playfully saying "Mommy? I can't find you. Where are you Mommy? Where did you go?"