IComLeavWe: November

Welcome back to IComLeavWe. It stands for International Comment Leaving Week, but if you say it aloud, doesn’t it sounds like “I come; [but] leave [as a] we”? And that’s sort of the point. Blogging is a conversation and comments should be honoured and encouraged. I like to say that comments are the new hug–a way of saying hello, giving comfort, leaving congratulations.

NaBloPoMo and IComLeavWe have joined together this month.

Here is the vital information, pure and simple (a more detailed set of rules follows below the list):

• The list opens the 1st of every month. It remains open until the 21st. You can add yourself at any point. The list is open to everyone in the blogosphere–blog writers and/or blog readers.
• Add yourself to the list by filling out this form: November’s list is closed.  The December list will open around 11/29.
  
• Click here to cut-and-paste this bit of code to add to your sidebar (if you have the old code from another month, remove it and replace it with this one). You need to add the icon or a link to the current list on your blog (see below) and will not be added until it’s up.
• Commenting kicks off every month on the 21st. Please mark it somewhere (calendar, post-it note taped to your computer…), though I will be sending out an email reminder on the 20th. Commenting week runs from the 21st to the 28th. Every day, leave 5 comments and return 1 comment for a total of 6 comments. You are highly encouraged to choose the blogs you comment on from the participants list below, but this is not required.
• I will send a second email on the 28th to remind you to remove the icon from your blog.
• Read below if you want to find out about Iron Commenters.
• The commenting ends on the 28th. We catch our breath and the whole thing starts again the next month on the 1st. Drop in and out according to what is happening in your life between the 21st and the 28th.

1. Stirrup Queens (twins, books, writing)
2. The Unfair Struggle (mfi, speedskating, nanowrimo)
3. Elana’s Musings (twins, parenting, randomness)
4. No, I’m Not Pregnant, Just Fat (pcos, mfi, stress)
5. My Bumpy Journey (waiting, IF, life)
6. Production Not Reproduction (transracial open adoption)
7. Babymaking 101 (trying, partial mole)
8. Trying to Get Knocked up by Another Man (ivf, military, life)
9. Lifeslurper (IVF, DE, 40+)
10. Teddy Lifeslurper, ttc (humour, IVF, ttc)
11. Hobbit-ish Thoughts & Ramblings (ttc after losses, books, cooking)
12. Where the Green Grass Grows (infertility, family, foster care adoption)
13. Banking On It (diui #5, infertility, tww)
14. Mindful Meandering (adoption after IVF)
15. Circus Children (life, love, ivf)
16. Communique (life, infertility, ivf)
17. Half of a Duo, Raising a Duo (parenting twins, surrogacy)
18. IF Crossroads (IVF, endo, waiting)
19. End.ometriosis (endometriosis, infertility, children)
20. Wishing4One (ivf, craziness, egypt)
21. All Grown Up (domestic infant adoption, waiting, random)
22. Into The Light Again (marriage, hobbies, infertility)
23. Exploring Chaos (pregnancy, life, family)
24. Life Happens While You’re Making Other Plans (IVF, faith, family)
25. Wait, What? (IF, emotions, life)
26. From IF to When (infertility, IUI, life)
27. Hope in Virginia (pregnancy after IVF)
28. Dancin In the Rain (infertility, iui, faith)
29. Raining Raining (marriage, (in)fertility, life)
30. Our Little Family (infertility, adoption, family)
31. PCOS SOS (infertility, pcos, randomness)
32. Inconceivable! (ttc, infertility, family)
33. Once an Infertile (parenting after IF, TTC #2, life)
34. The Mis-Adventures of A Modern Day Farmer’s Wife (infertility on a farm)
35. So much for simple and easy (ivf, infertility, life)
36. Creating a Family (infertility, adoption, adoptive parenting)
37. Can I Get Some Sugar with These Lemons? (endo, infertility, IVF)
38. Body Diaries by Lucy (pregnancy, PCOS, IF)
39. Everyone Else But Me (ectopic, future cycle, emotions)
40. CD1 Again (infertility, ovulation, sadness)
41. IVF You! (ivf,cysts,waiting)
42. In Due Time (life, infertility, pcos)
43. Life by the Day (infertility, ivf, life)
44. Drive Fast. Take Chances. (mfi, diui, city life)
45. Getting There (infertility, adoption, life)
46. Sell Crazy Someplace Else (diui, weight loss, life)
47. Our Journey, but Not Our Plan… (FET, TTC, LAP)
48. Infertili- T & A (IVF, life, sass)
49. MoJo Working (marriage difficulties, infertility)
50. Road Blocks and Roller Coasters (parenting after IF, pregnancy)
51. A Greater Yes (infertility, embryo adoption)
52. A Baby 4 Al? (unexplained infertility, random, life)
53. Our Someday Family (MFI, testing, plan)
54. Waiting on baby Paramore (foster parents, adoption, biological children)
55. Looking for my Keys (infertility, special needs parenting, life)
56. Dreaming of Quiet Places (emotional abuse recovery, uncertain family-building future, my cute dog)
57. The Yerkes Life: Learning to Embrace G-d’s Plans (ivf, life, faith)
58. One Little Pink Line Short of Sheer Bliss (miscarriage, iui, ttc)
59. Dragondreamer’s Lair (parenting, secondary infertility, crafts)
60. Return to Innocence (PTSD from IF, PPD, life)
61. Three is a Magic Number (in the beginning, male factor, life)
62. We got hitched. We bought the 4 bedroom house. Now what???(miscarriage infertility randomness)
63. Fertility Foibles (infertility, adoption, humor)
64. Wistfulgirl’s World (infertility, adoption, random)
65. Infertility and Me! (failed IVF, NHS clinics, TTC)
66. Got Love, Been Married, Now Where the Hell’s the Baby Carriage (pcos, mthfr, military)
67. Oven Seeking Bun (pcos, ttc#1, follistim)
68. Poor Lucky Me (humor, advice, life)
69. Parenthoodforme (adoption, infertility, coping)
70. Trying Again (infertility, hope, treatment)
71. Infertility Instability (PCOS, farming, family)
72. Romancing the Stone (ivf, newlywed, love)
73. The Conceivable Future (RPL, infertility, IVF)
74. (In)Fertile Myrtle (pregnancy, IVF, infertility issues)
75. Where the Wright Day Takes You (infertility, ttc naturally until $$ improves)
76. In G-d’s Hands (infertility, pcos, faith)
77. Searching for Freelance Success (writing, freelancing, publishing)
78. The Desire Of My Heart (miscarriage, depression, weight loss)
79. A + B, Waiting for C (just beginning, clomid, distractions)
80. Junebug’s Musings (infertility, weight, travel)
81. Donor Eggs Journey (donor eggs, IVF, Thailand)
82. Marla’z Austin Journey (unexplained IF, TTC, life)
83. IF You Only Knew (life, endometriosis, depression)
84. Ambivalent Womb (male factor, hope)
85. Melissa’s Life As She Knows It (infertility, ttc #1, clomid)
86. The Sun’ll Come Out, Tomorrow (I Hope) (miscarriage, TTC, marriage)
87. Are We There Yet (IVF, fibroids, Norway)
88. Nine Months (parenting, miscarriage, weight loss)
89. Wheresmy2lines (donor eggs, pcos, life)
90. Hoping For Another Little One (IVF, adoption, randomness)
91. My Stories (infertility, first IUI, life)
92. Beautifully Irrational (infertility, pcos, life)
93. An Infertile Blog (infertility, miscarriage, PCOS)
94. Infertility Ugh (infertility, marriage, relationships)
95. The Closet Infertile (infertility, IUI, planning for IVF)
96. Waiting for Sunflower (pregnancy, infertility, life)
97. Steps to Baby (infertility, decisions, life)
98. Infertility and Me (male factor infertility)
99. Hannah Wept, Sarah Laughed (infertility, POF, Hashimoto’s)
100. My So-Called Life (childfree after infertility)
101. Sprogblogger (infertility, donor egg, food)
102. karlinda (open adoption, adoption process, veganism)
103. Hoping for a Baby (infertility, IUI/IVF, random thoughts)
104. Creative Joy stillbirth, faith, life
105. Inconceivable?! (moving forward, noa, d-iui)
106. All My Pecadilloes (IVF, MFI, Klinefelters)
107. A Woman My Age (adoption, infertility, life)
108. Slice of Pie (IVF, cooking, travel)
109. Hopes and Dreams for Us (endometriosis, randomness, weightloss)
110. Lullaby and Goodnight (baby, family, shopping)
111. Staying Focused (knitting, life, family)
112. Simple Sweet Inspiration (parenting, crafting, laughing)
113. Monique Renae’s Blogging More (life, humor, friendship)
114. Johannah the Smite Priest (world of warcraft, games, PC)
115. MetaMegan (parenting, food, humor)
116. Twenty-Four Seven {Auntie} (aunt, children, nanny)
117. Marketing Latinos (socmed, latinism, marketing)
118. Word Grrls (writing, creativity, arts)
119. Kel (photography, ADD, familylife)
120. We Are Made of Dreams and Bones (jewish, college, crafts)
121. Laurel Green (art, crafts, fun)
122. Rammi.glomp.me (personal, rants, randomness)
123. Mosker (life, home ownership, cooking)
124. strawberry fields forever (kids, relationship, everyday)
125. Misadventures with Andi (frenchie, food, movies)
126. drawntocatholicism (comic catholic diary)
127. The Purple Corner of Reality (home, crafts, books)
128. Presently DeMo (single life, learning something new)
129. Fading Ad Blog (fading ads, same-sex marriage, LGBTQ equality)
130. Dena’s Recipe Exchange (food, recipes, locavorism)
131. Geek With Kids (geek, father, family)
132. self respect of a nation (mythology, art, medicine)
133. Tracy’s Topics (dzp, life, conversations)
134. Forbidden Planet (short personal rambles)
135. Digital-Damita.Net (female, housewife, student)
136. Train Star (traveling by train)
137. Journey Through Infertility and TTC (infertility, TTC, baby)
138. Letters to My Unconceived Child (baby, infertility, love)
139. PandaBox33’s Blog (friendship, family, love)
140. Le Blog de Bazookah Joe: Tiraillee entre deux poles (bipolar, life, work)
141. On Tap for Today (life, humor, boston)
142. Tripletly Blessed (triplets, attachment parenting, jewish)
143. What Does Mike Think? (catholic, geek, pro-life)
144. PhD in Parenting (parenting, feminism, breastfeeding)
145. Lake Stitcher (stitching, family, music)
146. Inspiration from a Creative Mother (sons, activities, art)
147. Cynical Optimism (books, movies, life)
148. Maremagnum (pictures, travels, memes)
149. Pennies in a Jar (academia, books, life)
150. Welcome to my life (life, family, humor)
151. Utter Beginner (comics, religion, illustration)
152. zelda pinwheels flying circus (witty, sarcastic, single)
153. Just Jennifer (parenting, mom time, games)
154. The Secret Life of Sass and Lex (infertility, life, foster care)
155. One Tough vonCookie (grad school, poetry, life)
156. Just Because My Pickle Talks Does Not Mean I Am an Idiot (Asperger’s Syndrome, humor, children)
157. Crazy Runs Deep (infertility, conceiving, shock)
158. Curiosity Quotient (photography, business, books)
159. Flooded Lizard Kingdom (life, parenting, miscellany)
160. I Never Thought it Made Sense Anyway (infertility, miscarriage, moving forward)
161. Christian Momma (my two children)
162. Tiny Blessings (frugal, faith, crafts)
163. Being Jamie Lynn (infertility, emotions, ramblings)
164. You Must Take Your Chance (mid-life, poetry, hilarities)
165. These Days (kids, life, childhood abuse)
166. It’s called a varicowhat? (iui#2, mfi, life)
167. On Blogging Well (blogging, marketing, writing)
168. Rogozinski Clan (kids, parenting, renovations)
169. Wired For Noise (parenting, politics, planet)
170. My Walking Path (nature, poetry, green)
171. The Electronic Replicant (books, memes, random)
172. Littlestomaks (toddler, nutrition, recipes)
173. Yarn Yarns (yarn, knitting, fiber)
174. Visual Arts Junction (writing, photography, publishing)
175. Truth Will Bend (life, love, questions)
176. Ruminations (parenting, life, random)
177. Confessions of an (Infertile) Shopaholic (infertility, PCOS, life)
178. Last American Girl Standing (TWW emotions, honesty)
179. Shannon’s World (causes, relationships, skin care)
180. Tripletly Blessed (triplets, attachment parenting, jewish)
181. Cats With Passports (ivf, immune issues, infertility)
182. No Lingerie Here… (pregnancy after m/c, PCOS, family)
183. My IVF Journey (ivf, infertility, miscarriage)
184. A Tale of 2 Monkeys (geek, baking, photography)
185. So much for simple and easy (life, infertility, work)
186. Opi’s Ramblings (life day zero)
187. Write, Baby, Repeat (adoption, infertility, writing)
188. My Little Drummer Boys (IVF twins, parenting, daily life)
189. Conception Deception (MFI, IVF, IVF failure)
190. offmymind.but from my heart (adoption, infertility, openess)
191. Enchilada Sunrise (knitting, bipolar disorder)
192. This is Worthwhile (sahm, life, self)
193. Heeeeere Storkey, Storkey! (twins, life, ttc #3)
194. Amelia Sprout (life, parenting, weight)
195. YourGreatLife (fertility coaching, self-belief, women)
196. November’s list is closed.  The December list will open around 11/29.

Q: What if I miss a day?
A: Catch up the next day by doubling your comments–12 comments instead of 6.

Q: What is an Iron Commenter?
A: Not for the faint-of-heart. People who wish to be an Iron Commenter and be entered on the Iron Commenter honour roll need to leave a comment on every blog on the participants list (exceptions are blogs that require you to have a special log-in, such as some LiveJournal accounts or other similar situations). You can spread out this commenting any way you wish over the whole week, but the final comment needs to be left by midnight on the 28th (EST). Reaching Iron Commenter status is done on an honour system. Please email me if you earn Iron Commenter status so I can add you to the wall of honour.

Q: Why do I have to add that bit of code to my sidebar?
A: The code is the latest icon (the icon changes colour every month so you know that you’re on the right list). This month, the icon is cranberry, the next month it will be red, etc. The reason is two-fold: (1) it enables more people to find out about IComLeavWe and (2) it gives you easy access to the current list once the commenting week actually begins and better ensures that you’ll use it. Too many times, people sign up and forget to actually do IComLeavWe and this icon gives you a daily reminder (with the dates on it) every time you open your own blog. The icon is linked back to the current list. On the 28th, remove the icon from your blog. A new one will be created for the next month.

Q: It’s the 23rd and I just saw this for the first time on my friend’s blog! I want to join the list–why can’t I?
A: Because IComLeavWe happens every month, once the list is closed, it’s closed. If you’re finding out about this on the 23rd, you can’t join the current month. But leave yourself a note to check back in a week on the 1st and you can sign up for the next month.

Q: You said the list closes on the 21st. Well, it’s still the 21st where I am. Why aren’t you moving my information onto the list?
A: All dates and times are U.S. Eastern Standard Time (UTC/GMT -5 hours).

Q: What if no one comments on my blog and I have no comments to return?
A: Well, that really doesn’t happen for the most part, but in that case, simply choose another blog and add an additional comment. The goal is to hit 6 comments daily as a minimum. Going over that is fantastic and encouraged.

Q: Mel, my question wasn’t covered at all. What do I do?
A: Email me; I’m quite friendly. It helps to place “IComLeavWe” in the subject line. You could also check this post which contains the history of IComLeavWe and see if you can glean anything there.

Looking for the comment section? It has been closed on this post. Use the form in the directions to add yourself to the list.