IComLeavWe: September

The new list for October will open on October 1st. Please check back then to add yourself to the month of October. This list is currently closed and IComLeavWe is running.

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 (I know I’m posting this a day early this month…long story). 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 (if you have the old code from another month, remove it and replace it with this one).
• Commenting kicks off every month on the 21st. Please mark it somewhere (calendar, post-it note taped to your computer…). 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. Baby Smiling in Back Seat (infertility, IVF, pottery)
3. Life After Infertility and Loss (recurrent loss, parenting, hysterectomy)
4. Sticky Feet (parenting after IVF, cooking, life)
5. Our Surrogacy Adventure (surrogacy, infertility, ramblings)
6. Conceive This (infertility, cynicism, ridicule)
7. In Due Time (infertility, PCOS, life)
8. IVF Land on Surrogacy World (intended father, surrogacy, IVF)
9. A Tale of Two Surro’s (surrogacy, intended parents, IVF)
10. Stop the Train I Wanna Get Off (IF, school, family)
11. The Fertile Infertile (family, infertility, crafts)
12. Production, Not Reproduction (adoption, parenting)
13. This is my Truth, Tell me Yours (current affairs, randomness, personal)
14. Just Me (infertility, life)
15. Get Pregnant (infertility, miscarriage, life)
16. Musings of a Teacher (TTC, life, faith)
17. The Not So Secret Life Of Us (infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, emigration)
18. Creating New Life Not As Easy As It Seems (infertility, endo, miscarriage)
19. Jenn’s Journal (parenting, twins, secondary infertility)
20. Vikki Press (cooper, infertility, stuff)
21. Communique (infertility, life)
22. Crazy Lady Ramblings (IVF, exercise, life)
23. The Idle Mind Of Beth (infertility, aging parents, life changes)
24. Mrs Spock (infertility, parenting, health)
25. Who Shot My Stork? (infertility, whining, broke-edness)
26. Isn’t TTC Supposed To Be Fun? (pregnancy loss, TTC, life)
27. Helping Make Sense (infertility, IVF, failed cycles)
28. Mommy Needs Therapy (special needs, parenting after IF, general angst)
29. Heeeeere Storkey, Storkey (twins, ttc, life)
30. The New Life of Nancy (infertility, pregnancy, sarcasm)
31. Ronda’s Rants (rants, faith, family)
32. Kicking You From the Inside (infertility, parenthood, life)
33. Out On Good Behavior (pregnancy, parenting, life)
34. The Saga of Becoming Fruitful (infertility, finance, cost)
35. Life in the White House (infertility, donor sperm, life)
36. Loving Thee… and more (kids, family, random thoughts)
37. None in the Oven (infertility, IUI, life)
38. ISO the Golden Egg (IVF over 40, single mom by choice wanna be)
39. Different Is Always Good (fitness, life, politics)
40. What I Did for Love (infertility, loss, weight loss)
41. Blogfight (advice, debate, entertainment)
42. In Search of Biscuit 2.0 (secondary infertility, parenting, knitting)
43. One More Week (FET, high FSH, CCRM)
44. Something to Blog About (fostering, death of infant, adoption)
45. Life With the Georgia Reiniches (life, kids, random)
46. A Maybe Story (pregnancy loss, TTC, home decorating)
47. Bella And Her Fella (POF, infertility, dogs)
48. Our Journey to Baby (IVF #5, adoption, life)
49. Unquestionable Love (infertility, shopaholic, travel)
50. Nervous Breakdowns are Highly Underrated (parenting after IF, WAHM, life)
51. Off My Mind But From My Heart (adoption, kids)
52. Twin Peas (infertility, resources, premature birth)
53. Mom of 2 Dancers (daughters, reviews, crafts/scrapbooking)
54. Where Is That Special Water (RE fact finding, low sperm count, musings)
55. I Believe in Miracles (infertility, faith, weight loss)
56. Elusive BFP (infertility, life, TV)
57. Tales from Kiddyland (mothering, triplets, special needs)
58. Between the Lines (IVF, MFI, RPL)
59. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Pregnancy (infertility, military life, random thoughts)
60. Eye Heart Internet (infertility, expat, France)
61. Blissful Body Yoga Blog (yoga, meditation, stress reduction)
62. From Such Great Heights (infertility, life, family)
63. Mommy Confessions (parenting, humor, longing for sanity)
64. Faithful Infertile (infertility, IVF, pregnancy)
65. Inner Musings of An Eclectic Pagan (life, rants, raves)
66. Raggedy Ann (infertility, motherhood, memories-from-across-the-sea)
67. Maybe I Will Have a Glass (infertility, beginnings, life)
68. My Hope My Faith My Love (infertility, secondary infertility)
69. Not The Path I Chose (secondary IF, RPL, life)
70. The Unfair Struggle (male-factor IF, life, friendship)
71. They Call Me Bobby (motherhood, homeschooling, opinions)
72. Elana’s Musings (pregnancy, twins, infertility)
73. Seriously? (pregnancy, personal thoughts)
74. Waiting on Life (infertility, IVF, life)
75. It Is Tuesday, Right? (new parenthood, snarkiness, IVF)
76. Beautiful Mess (life, friends, random)
77. I’d Blog That! (humor, daily life, randomosity)
78. Naturally Knocked Up (fertility, nutrition, PCOS)
79. The Daily Gratitude Blog (gratitude, nature, bliss)
80. Inconceivable (infertility, NOA, life)
81. Mustard Seed Baby (IVF, endo, faith)
82. Dreaming of Baby (pregnancy after m/c, relationships, life)
83. Reservado para Futura Mama (open adoption, parenting)
84. Mommy Wants Vodka (life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness)
85. A Soldier’s Girl (life!)
86. Emily the Hopeless (IVF, dogs, veganism)
87. Gotcha Baby (adoption, young children, randomness)
88. The Baby Dust Diaries (infertility, IVF, pregnancy)
89. Sippy Cups Are Not For Starbucks (life, sarcasm, mommyhood)
90. Volvo Driving Soccer Mom (family, life, random)
91. Surrogacy 101 (surrogacy, third party reproduction, infertility)
92. What am I? (infertility, miscarriage, culture shock!)
93. A Potpourri of My Life (surrogacy, intended mom, life)
94. Mom to Twins Plus One (parenting after IF, twins, crafts)
95. The Teal Designs Art Studio Blog (art & design, artists, crafts)
96. To Baby and Beyond (PCOS, miscarriage, infertility)
97. Hultman House (Texas, life, randomness)
98. That Grrl (rural ruins, photos, stick figures)
99. O’Irish Diplomacy (parenting/step-parenting, life, surrogacy)
100. Don’t Gel Too Soon (politics, pop culture, judaism)
101. My Life Crazy as it May Seem (everyday life, loss of a child, grieving)
102. Building Heavenly Bridges (stillbirth, parenting after loss, writing books)
103. The Maniacal Mommy (infertility late in life, marriage, cynical)
104. Portraits in Sepia (infertility, adoption, life)
105. The Binky Diaries (infertility, working mom, life)
106. I’m a Smart One (surrogacy, parenting, infertility)
107. A Sense of Humour is Essential (parenting, pediatric nursing, Los Angeles)
108. La Chambre d’Orchidee (donating my eggs, my kids, marriage)
109. Simply Anonymom (parenting, family, life)
110. Slade Rocks… (mommy, army wife, pro-juggler)
111. Isn’t it Pretty to Think So? (life, rpl, pregnant after loss hopefully?)
112. Morebeansplease’s Weblog (infertility, lesbianism, vegetarian cooking)
113. Along Life’s Little Journey (infertility, endometriosis, morphology)
114. Junebug’s Musin
     gs (infertility, random life crap, travel)
115. I Just Cant Keep My Mouth Shut (kids, infertility and baby loss memories, life)
116. Ophelia’s Revival (infertility and torturing my husband.)
117. Woman Anyone (treatment yo-yo, infertility, frustration)
118. Gas Passer aka UUer (infertility, pregnancy complications and bedrest, doggies)
119. So, I Started a Group (parenting and organizing)
120. Peachy (infertility, miscarriage, life)
121. Child Bearing Hips (unexplained IF, IVF, pregnancy)
122. Planning Doesn’t Work (infertility, dogs, acupuncture)
123. This list is now closed. The next one will open on October 1st. Mark it on your calendar so you remember to join along.
     

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. Please email me if you earn iron commentor 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 blue, 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.