IComLeavWe: January 2011
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.
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: the January list is now closed. The February list will open on 1/31.
- 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.
- Stirrup Queens (twins, books, writing)
- Aisha Iqbal (parenting, motherhood, life)
- Find Joy Now (parenting, life, joy)
- Our New Normal (domestic adoption, cancer, living again after pregnancy loss)
- Mommy Musings (parenting, kids, motherhood)
- Yolk: A blog about eggs and sperm (ttc, infertility, humour)
- Ambivalent Womb (mfi, ivf#3, icsi)
- Bio Girl (family, parenting, infertility)
- Inconceivable! (IVF on hold, getting healthy)
- Banking On It (ivf, immunology/mthfr, mfi)
- Someday (IUI, donor sperm, excitement)
- For All the Things We Hope For (infertility, miscarriage, nursing school)
- Failed Genetics (infertility, adoption, marriage)
- The 2 Week Wait (infertility, ttc, humor)
- Knocked up by Another Man (DE-IVF, parenting, alaska)
- As Good As It Gets (parenting after infertility)
- A Second Line (IVF, stillbirth, pregnancy)
- This Non-American Life (travel, expat life, Europe)
- Flogging the Muse (art, painting, creativity)
- Just us and the Cat (fet, loss, life)
- Your Great Life (fertility coaching, emotional support, family-building)
- Infertility And Me (azoospermia male parent)
- Adventures in Infertility Land (infertility, IVF, baby loss)
- Exploring Chaos (ttc #2, tww, parenting after IF)
- Here We Go Again (parenting, life after, humor)
- As Fast As My Baby Can (ivf, ttc#1, donor eggs)
- For We Are Bound by Symmetry (ttc#1, unexplained infertility, IUI)
- Wistfulgirl’s World (ttc, pcos, life)
- Matching My Mind (HCG protocol, weight loss, life)
- Snarky Momma (parenting, preschoolers, babies)
- The Unfair Struggle (mfi, speedskating, life)
- Roller Coaster Life (decorating, revamping, DIY)
- The Rocky Road to Motherhood (pregnancy, infertility, life)
- Cooked Heads (such sweet silliness)
- All Aboard the Pity Boat (infertility, running, life)
- Team Baby (infertility, IUI, ovulation)
- Diary of taking small steps towards baby steps… (ttc, pcos, ivf)
- Infertile in a Fertile World (infertility, G-d, husband)
- Almost All The Truth (green, parenting, change)
- Try, Try Again (infant loss, ttc, ivf #1)
- Uncommon Nonsense (infertility, pcos, hypothyroidism)
- Chasing Rainbows (single, miscarriage, pregnancy)
- Eggs in a Baskecase (ivf, depression v. hope, relationships)
- On The Outside Looking In (infertility, baby, pregnant)
- The Road Less Traveled (embryo adoption, infant loss, pregnancy)
- Our New Plan A (ivf#5, dor, sarcasm)
- Family Organic (parenting, food, green)
- Musings of a Hormonal Egg Basket (pregnancy after IVF)
- The Pursuit of Pregnancy (IVF, recurrent losses, DOR)
- Trying to Conceive (ivf, icsi, support)
- Baby Bump Wanted (ttc #1, endo, mfi)
- Woman Anyone? (pregnant, baby #1, unexplained infertility)
- Miracle in the Making..A Great Joy is Coming (pregnancy after recurrent miscarriages/infertility, immune issue)
- Digital-Damita.net (frugal, green, ttc)
- Getting There (adoption, waiting, life)
- Cloudy With A Chance of Hope (infertility, child loss, grief)
- Hannah Wept, Sarah Laughed (infertility, foodie, waiting)
- Almost There (secondary infertility, iui, family)
- Dragondreamer’s Lair (my family, my crazy life, crafts)
- Empty Oven (infertility, high FSH, donor sperm)
- Too Many Fish to Fry (joy, infertility, twins)
- Blawnde’s Blawg (new beginnings, acupuncture, infertility)
- Bella Creative (weddings, style, design)
- Feeling Beachie (life, humor, cat)
- Adventures of a Dam Engineer (adoption, infertility)
- My Infertile Confessions (newly pregnant, IVF, faith)
- Mission: Fertile Soul (fertility, living presently, humor)
- Storm in My Teacup (greyhound, FET, happy)
- Lifeslurper (over 45, donor eggs, IVF)
- Waiting For Our Miracle (infertility, IVF, pregnancy)
- infertile myrtle (ttc number two)
- A Page In My Book (IF grad, everyday life, parenting)
- My Vegas (IVF, early pregnancy, TCM)
- The Panda Diaries (new mom, life, art)
- Enchilada Sunrise (fibrecrafts, bipolar, life)
- AnxiousMummy (pregnancy, IVF, life)
- Life Under a Blue Roof (green, gardening, family)
- wanna bee (adoption, loss, craftiness)
- The Journey to Baby G (iui, miscarriage, hope)
- Whole Heartedly (ivf, pregnancy, phd)
- The Port of Indecision (RPL, IVF, DOR)
- Savor the Moment (pcos, humor, life)
- One Day and One Pound at A Time (weight loss, infertility, marriage)
- Two Pieces of My Heart (loss, grief, art)
- The Misadventures of Missohkay (adoption, pregnancy loss)
- In The Middle (infertility, adoption, random thoughts)
- Mommy In Waiting (ivf#3, mfi, ttc)
- The Second Act (parenting, miscarriage, over 40)
- The Barren Chemist (chemistry, living childfree after IF, college)
- Whitney & Erick (miscarriage, IVF, infertility)
- Trying for a baby (IVF, endometriosis, acupuncture)
- It’s Definitely Possible (smc, iui, ttc)
- Creating Our Miracle (failed IVF, MFI, TTC #1)
- The Inadequate Conception (infertility, humor, new book)
- The Journal Keeper (journaling, motherhood, novel writing)
- Help! S-O-S for Parents (“invisible” special needs)
- Party of Five (parenthood, toddlers, infertility)
- On Tap for Today (life, humor, boston)
- Body Diaries by Lucy (parenting, pcos, infertility)
- Lauren Vs. The World (injectables, unexplained, anovulation)
- Dreaming of Quiet Places (life after divorce, my cute dog, ponderings)
- Stumbling Gracefully (working mom, photos, mindfulness and acceptance)
- The Miss Ruby (longterm-ttc, living childree)
- Rhyme Schemes and Daydreams (DVDs, books, culture)
- Survive and Thrive (infertility, EFT, hope)
- His & Her Infertility (Just Like The Matching Towels) (PCOS, azoo, international adoption)
- Project Baby (MFI, taking a break, where do I go now)
- Unglamorous (toddler, parenting, marriage)
- The Deep Breath Before the Plunge (infertility/ttc, adoption consideration, weight loss)
- Redwheelbarrow (kids, america, sewing)
- The Barreness’s Blog (parenting after infertility)
- ThatGirlWithEndo (infertility, chronic pain, endometriosis)
- Colours Of Cattiz (fertility treatment, ivf, emotions)
- Musings of a Cul-de-sac Mom (motherhood, sewing, baking)
- Blitzed Blogging (drinking, kids, vitriol)
- To infertility and beyond (infertility, IVF, hope)
- Plans Change (parenting, adoption, infertility)
- OnTheLanai (infertility, marriage, miscarriage)
- Mama T’s Madcap Misadventures in Life and Babymaking (PCOS, MFI, sass)
- Paradykes (life, love, surrogacy)
- Transplanted Thoughts (liver transplants, special needs, life)
- Our Journey (babygirl, motherhood, no #2)
- Swimming Against the Tide (parenting after adoption)
- Joyous Birdie (de ivf, 49-years-old)
- A Field of Dreams (parenting after IF, random musings)
- Raising Cain (someday) (IVF, infertility, waiting for #1)
- Mom-Mom-Mom (humor, parenting, marriage)
- Red Market Creative (exploring, happiness, art)
- Life In the Detours (miscarriages, endometriosis, IVF #1)
- Chasing Mommyhood (single, endo, ttc)
- My Rotten Eggs (miscarriage, sewing, idiots)
- Makingbabygiraffes (ivf, male infertility, general infertility)
- believing in june (marriage, infertility, pregnancy)
- Removing Roadblocks (faith, infertility, adoption)
- Waiting for a baby bump (IVF, infertility, MF)
- My Hopeful Journey (hope, support, advocate)
- The Acorn Chronicles (pregnancy after if, randomness, hypnobirthing)
- Trying Again (acupuncture, hope, perseverance)
- A Woman My Age (adoption, infertility, parenting after 40)
- Cradles and Graves (recurrent cord-related loss, pg after ivf and hoping)
- Lily in the Valley (IVF, marriage, stepparenting)
- Not Again! (RPL, IUI, grief)
- Searching for the Missing Piece (adoption, life, infertility)
- Thoughts from A Blonde (adoption, infertility, life)
- Heeeeere Storkey, Storkey! (twins, life, pregnancy)
- One Wheeler’s World (life, love, parenting after if)
- The Deep Silence of a Long-Suffering Heart (family, friends, infertility)
- Tribal Times (family, design, environment)
- I am NOT Martha Stewart! (IVF, domestic bliss, total randomness)
- Attempting to love life… (infant loss, grief, foster to adopt)
- Time Well Wasted (infertility, laparoscopy, life)
- My Scarlet Baby (starting adoption, infertility)
- all i ever wished for… (infertility, life, hope)
- Infertility Unexplained (unexplained infertility, IUI, coping with infertility)
- Not a Fertile Myrtle (life, male factor, endo)
- The Bex Files (adoption, special needs, humor)
- I Spy A Family (adoption, motherhood)
- A Blog of Joy & (Dis)quiet (spirituality, inquiry, life)
- Love, Life, and Infertility (infertility, trying to conceive, ivf)
- The C’s Baby Dance (IVF, mock cycle, maybe donor egg)
- Momicon (cooking, memory keeping, photography)
- To Those Who Wait (IUI, impatience, emotions)
- The (In)Fertility Diaries (adoption, pregnancy, life)
- Betty Tuesdays: The Twenty Tiny Toes Edition (twins, pregnancy, dog)
- Walking An Unknown Path (infertility, stress therapy, life)
- The Infertility Therapist (psychological aspects infertility)
- Invisible Mother (miscarriage, pre-TTC, emotions)
- Donor Eggs Journey (donor egg baby, parenting)
- Our Uphill Battle (infertility, PCOS, pregnancy loss)
- When ‘WE’ Becomes 3 (beginning infertility, ttc)
- A Greater Yes (embryo adoption, infertility, parenting)
- The Journey to a Little One to Call Our Own (infertility, pregnancy)
- The Lost Stork (ivf, infertility, injections)
- The Denver Autism Wheel (autism, community, optimism)
- My Little Science Experiment (IVF, 3rd trimester, 1st pregnancy)
- Razing Mayhem (parenting four children, marriage, geekery)
- The Truth Is Out There (parenting after IF, life)
- One day at a time (pain of infertility)
- Maternal Hope (ttc#1, ivf, family)
- Bakery Closed Until Further Notice (relationships, miscarriage, non-ttc)
- No Baby Ruth (2nd trimester, IUI, PCOS)
- Pink In The Sheets (lesbian lifestyle advice)
- Waiting for that Positive (infertility, male factor, life)
- reach in, reach out, reach up (infertility, adoption, christ)
- The Bushey Life (pregnancy after IF)
- Sheepishly Ambitious (knitting, baby-birthing, dc)
- Baby Quest (IVF, infertility, 2ww)
- Tutus and Converse (motherhood, parenting, life)
- Pollination Chronicles (IVF abroad, ectopic, IVF#2)
- What’s Cooking on the Mommy Porch? (family dinner, recipes, southern culture)
- Inspired Ima (triplets, jewish, knitting)
- Ready For My Bundle (infertility, adoption, job loss/search)
- Bodega Bliss (miscarriage, fear, recovering from loss)
- My Dusty Uterus (humor, stubborn eggs)
- Trying Not to Scream (infertility, loss, on hold post-lap)
- You Call Me a Bitch Like It’s a Bad Thing (ivf, pgd, pregnant after losses)
- Being Brulliott (infertility, weight, marriage)
- We Wait in Joyful Hope (adoption, waiting, life)
- Hope is a Four Letter Word (anovulatory, unexplained, first IVF)
- Hearts Joined, Hands Fast (iui, mfi, ttc#1)
- Pontifications of a Twin Mom (parenting twins, breastfeeding, making babyfood)
- Full Circle (adoption foster care)
- Semi-fertile (loss, transition, grief)
- A Virtual Hobby Store and Coffee Shop (news, music, food)
- The Infertility Overachievers (secondary IF, IVF, son)
- Babies, Balanced Translocations, and Being in my 30s (infertility, balanced translocation)
- Tales of My Follies (pregnancy, day to day, food)
- Hobbit-ish Thoughts & Ramblings (parenting after losses, cooking, weightloss)
- Mommy Odyssey (miscarriage, healing, humor)
- InfertiliTEE (secondary infertility challenges)
- the January list is now closed. The February list will open on 1/31
Q: What if I miss a day?
A: Catch up the next day by doubling your comments–12 comments instead of 6.
Q: What if I have two blogs? Can I sign up twice, listing both blogs?
A: Yes, but you also need to double your comments. If you have two blogs listed, you should be leaving 12 comments per day.
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 silvery-blue, the next month it will be green, 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). The list closes around 11 p.m. EST on the 21st.
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.
