IComLeavWe: July

This List is Closed. Join Along for August.

Welcome 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 leaving in the comment section your blog name, blog url, and three words that describe what you blog about most often.

• I move the information from the comment section into the post (usually within 24 hours).
• Click here to cut-and-paste this bit of code to add to your sidebar.
• Commenting kicks off every month on the 21st. 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.
• Read below if you want to find out about Iron Commentors.
• The commenting ends on the 28th. We catch out 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 (infertility, twins, books)
2. Emily the Hopeless (infertility, veganism, dogs)
3. What Wuz I Saying? (kids, infertility, adoption)
4. This is my Truth, Tell me Yours (personal, current affairs, randomness)
5. Cupcakes & Conundrums (infertility, adoption, Australia)
6. Gas Passer (infertility, pregnancy bedrest, unicornuate uterus)
7. Maybe it’s Just Me… (PCOS, infertility, life)
8. I’m a Smart One (surrogacy, infertility, children)
9. Life and Times of KimboSue (infertility, A.R.T., randomness)
10. Butterfly on My Shoulder (miscarriage, Lovenox, adoption)
11. We’re Barren, How ‘Bout You? (life, infertility, puppy)
12. Life in the White House (infertility, daily life, donor sperm)
13. Three of a Kind Working on a Full House… (neonatal loss, secondary infertility, parenting)
14. Andria and Co. (personal, marriage, kids)
15. Child Bearing Hips (unexplained infertility, pregnancy, IVF)
16. Communique (life, infertility)
17. BagMomma (parenting, secondary infertility, RPL)
18. Such Great Heights (decisions, infertility, family)
19. Kicking You From The Inside (parenting, infertility, life)
20. Sticky Feet (baby, food, personal)
21. Helping Make Sense (infertility, IVF, life)
22. One Pink Line (IVF, turning 30, life)
23. In Ancient Starlight (infertility, IVF, life)
24. Age 30 – A Year of Books (book reviews, book clubs, son)
25. Waiting On Life (IVF, infertility, life)
26. Ramblings by Reba (marriage, life, photography)
27. Soliloquies of Tash (everything and nothing!)
28. Fractured Rainbows (infertility, pcos, life)
29. …And Not By Sight (infertility, home renovation, life)
30. Precious Little… (miscarriage, IVF, moving on)
31. Mommy Confessions (kids, family, humor)
32. Musings of a High School Teacher (TTC, teaching, life)
33. Where Is That Special Water (secondary infertility, kids, random crap)
34. My Family and Other Animals (kids, life, oddness)
35. Our Life in a Nut Chelle (infertility, stress, personal)
36. The Making of a Family (infertility, IVF, life)
37. His Eyes My Nose (IVF, pregnancy, kids)
38. Sell Crazy Someplace Else (infertility, male-factor, weight loss)
39. Elusive BFP (infertility, fibroids, TV)
40. Nest Half Empty (kids, grandkids, life)
41. Who Shot My Stork? (MF infertility, life, being poor ass broke)
42. Life Without Caden (stillbirth, grief, IVF)
43. One Hardy Swimmer (donor sperm, life, adoption)
44. Maybe I Will Have a Glass (infertility, going crazy, pupp
    y)
45. My Little Drummer Boys (stillbirth, infertility, IVF children)
46. Just Me (infertility, going mad, infertility hell)
47. A Soldier’s Girl (military life, personal, IVF)
48. The Idle Mind of Beth (infertility, meds, other stuff)
49. A Maybe Story (miscarriage, life, mystery illness)
50. A Sense of Humor is Essential (parenting, pediatric/art nursing, southern California)
51. Alicia (infertility, adoption, shoes)
52. Sippy Cups Are Not For Starbucks (personal, parenting, sarcasm)
53. Not The Path I Chose (secondary IF, kids, acupuncture)
54. Bellyaching and Benedictions (IVF, home-life, working-mom)
55. They Grow In Your Heart (adoption, infertility, parenting)
56. The Bailly Blog (pregnancy, photography, life)
57. iwantitvmuch (IVF, FET)
58. Vicious Cycle of Cycle (infertility, twins, life)
59. Creating New Life Not As Easy As It Seems (infertility, endo, life)
60. Are You Listening? (getting pregnant, life, randomness)
61. The Not So Secret Life Of Us (infertility, life, emigration)
62. The Non-Smoker (quitting smoking, life, addiction)
63. Mommy Needs Therapy (special needs child, infant, marriage)
64. Conceive This! (TTC, life, cynicism)
65. Tales of the Phoenix (IVF survivor, meaning of life, prenatal depression)
66. Edie Claire and Ella Grace (Edie, Ella, no sleep)
67. Our Displaced Southern Family (parenting, family, work)
68. Life of Melzie and Co. (secondary infertility, PCOS, life)
69. Three Ring Circus (parenting, neonatal loss, life after loss)
70. The Porridge Measurer (finding me, family, craft)
71. Dreams Come True…Sometimes (life, photography, TTC)
72. Ronda’s Rants (faith, environment, rants)
73. The Other Shoe (work/life balance, infertility, parenting)
74. They Call Me Bobby (kids, life, opinions)
75. Out of the Blue (books, blogging, language learning)
76. Books Love Me (books, university, random stuff)
77. Getting There (infertility, life, IVF)
78. Slade Rocks and a Few Pebbles… (military, kids, daily life)
79. Operation Life (surrogacy, healthy living, weight loss)
80. Off My Mind But From My Heart (domestic adoption, kids, family)
81. Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’? (books, life, funny stuff)
82. Help, I Have A Teenager! (parenting teenagers, depression, PTSD)
83. Charms (infertility, twins, loss)
84. Binary Blonde (life, pregnancy, randomness)
85. Bugged (life, infertility)
86. Dreaming of Baby (loss, TTC, randomness)
87. Doolittle (illness, family, irreverence)
88. The Road Through Life (life, fun, adventure)
89. It’s Not the End of the World (infertility, rampant emotions, life)
90. Equal Opportunity Hater (infertility, grad school, personal annoyances)
91. Stop the Train, I Wanna Get Off… (infertility, life, the bean)
92. Isn’t it Pretty to Think So? (stuff, fertility/RPL issues, IVF)
93. Wit’s End (personal, politics, food)
94. That’s My Answer (question of the day, would you rather questions, fill in the blank)
95. The Spohrs Are Multiplying… (baby, her health issues, humor)
96. Duchess Jane (home remodeling, randomness, travel)
97. The Modern Woman’s Divorce Guide (divorce, law, life)
98. What Was I THINKING? (twins, teenagers, miscellaneous)
99. Colored With Memories (kids, potty training, humor)
100. Tales from Kiddyland, USA (motherhood, triplets, life)
101. Must Love Tots (tots, life, cancer)
102. The Hidden Side of a Leaf (books, reading, community)
103. Snippets (knitting, family, personal)
104. Here We Go Again (randomness, pregnancy, cooking)
105. The View From The Hill (knitting, rock climbing, life)
106. Gotcha Baby (adoption, young children, life)
107. I’d Blog That! (randomness, life, kids)
108. That Grrl (stick figures, drawing, abandoned farm houses)
109. Mama Writing So I Don’t Go Crazy (motherhood, reviews, random)
110. Clearview (life, kids, urbanity)
111. In Due Time (infertility, life, PCOS)
112. Confessions of a Raving Lunatic (life in general)
113. Our Journey to Baby – Weathering the Storm of Infertility (life, infertility, adoption)
114. Book Haven (books, parenting, politics)
115. Bookroom Reviews (books, giveaways, reviews)
116. Do Without Doing (infertility, nursing, dog)
117. The
     Unfair Struggle (infertility, male-factor, life)
118. My Life on the Fertility D-List (miscarriage, IVF, life)
119. Listen Up, Mofos! (parenting, San Francisco, my opinion)
120. Let’s Generate (motherhood, miscarriage, secondary infertility)
121. The Saga of Becoming Fruitful (infertility, finances, cost)
122. BB’s BabyQuest (pregnancy, fear, randomness)
123. Skrambled (infertility, donor conception, work)
124. The Egg Drop Post (infertility, IVF, life)
125. A Virtual Hobby Store and Coffee Shop (entertainment, news, interesting finds)
126. There’s Hope (miscarriage, ttc, life in general)
127. Baby Smiling In Back Seat (infertility, IVF, philosophy)
128. Antigone Lost (deadbabies, subsequent pregnancy, divorce)
129. Add yourself…

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 Commentor?
A: Not for the faint-of-heart. People who wish to be an Iron Commentor and be entered on the Iron Commentor 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 Commentor status is done on an honour system.

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 red, the next month it will be orange, 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. 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.