X Factor

  So as I am getting closer to my 40th birthday, 45 days and counting, I decided to step out and change up my exercise routine. Always jumping on the latest bandwagon (if all your friends jump off a cliff....) I've decided EXTREME - as in P90X.  Beings that I am to cheap to actually purchase it, I was excited to find out that my local library carried it and I could check it out. 
   But, since you can only check it out for 3 weeks, I had two of my daughters check it out as well in succession after me, thinking "Hey, 60 days is good!" Never in my wildest dreams that all three requests would be filled within days of each other. There goes the library, always coming through to ruin my plans.
   Declining to holds on the DVD's, the Jane Austen Wanna-be and I commited ourselves as we carried the big plastic package under our arm, out the library, ready to go. 
   For those of you who might be interested in this program, all I can say is make sure you have a committed partner and it really helps to have another participant who sits on the couch and makes fun of the video participants, onscreen and off.  Exercising is so much more enjoyable when your out of breathe because your laughing.
   I function well with routine.  That being said, after 2 weeks of P90X, the Xtreme workout, I was looking for a change in routine.  While at the same time, glad I didn't purchase it, because then I really wouldn't have any change.  Have you seen how much this thing costs? $120!
   I was absolutly thrilled when Jane Austen Wanna-be found a similar workout that got 5 star reviews - Supreme90Day.  Beings that it would only be 20% of the cost, I thought, "Why not give it a try?" This is just the change I was looking for in my life!  I am now in day 4 of Supreme90Day and all I can say is: SUPREME ROCKS EXTREME!Isn't that true for everything?.....
-Supreme pizza
- The Supremes
- Supreme Court - highest in the land
   Wait a minute...maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. I do have to give credit to P90X, after all, I actually lost 4 found in my three weeks of Xtreme-ing.
  But, putting in an hour a day was so monotonous, so tiring, so not what I wanted to do. SUPREME90DAY appears to be averaging about a 30 minute workout. This I can do. The only downfall is that I only get a 1/2 hour of laugh time from the clown on the couch. Guess she'll get a workout trying to get 60 minutes of laugh time packed into a 30 minute workout. This workout may be more challening for her than me!  No, we are talking about the clown...she can do it.
   Back to extreme things.  Extreme couponing. What can I say? These people sure do not spend their time doing Extreme workouts.  This concept is a full time job. Have I tried it? No. Not with 7 kids. Probably not with 5 kids. Heck, not even with 2 kids. With one kid? Only if the one kid does it for me.  I have realesed the Jane Austen Wanna-be with limited resources and restrictions to go for extreme couponing.  It seems that she has this inate desire to see how much money she can save.  Sadly, I'm not getting thousands dollars of groceries for $5....yet.  But, she has managed to save $40 and her goal each month is top the last savings amount.  Before you have visions of her dumpster diving for coupons, attending coupon parties, or knocking at the door of the local newspaper offices, begging for their extra prints, (although if she has some extra time, I might consider letting her - nix that, extra time needs to be spent cleaning her room) she only coupons off my grocery list.  I really don't need 8 bottles of mustard.  I don't care if they are only $0.02 a piece.  Hey, aside from the $40 she has saved, I have the benefit of being able to identify were the wonderful deals were - yes, were. For all those of you who have seen empty sale shelves, you can bet that a couponer has beat you to it. 
  For those of you who follow it, Jane Austen Wanna-Be that today is the last episode of TLC's Exteme Couponing.  I haven't seen it  (we don't have cable).  Will the world survive? Or have we been inspired enough to go for the perfect deal (ie. $0.27 salad dressing) in order to fill every space, crack, and crevice with our stockpile of finds.  By the way, if the world ends tomorrow, don't come searching my pantry. I only have enough salad dressing for about 5 salads. 
   So, let's not end this post totally bashing Extreme things. Wouldn't my world be wonderful if I had children who were extreme house cleaners? Or, for that matter, or even my husband as an extreme cleaner? This would be a good extreme! Maybe extreme students - those that win Nobel Peace Prizes before they graduate from highschool.  You know, I believe I would just enjoy extremely nice attitudes for more than two minutes straight  - which, by the way only happens if there is candy promised after a two minute period of niceness.  (sigh.)
   It's a good thing the Lord is extremely in love with me.  He is the one EXTREME who is SUPREME.    
Surviving myself, Mary. (how do you like my new sign off - I have to credit a college friend for this one.)