IComLeavWe: November

The new list for December will open on December 1st. Please check back then to add yourself to the month of December. 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. 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). Starting this month: 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…). 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. *Special American Thanksgiving caveat: the last two days of IComLeavWe this month are do-it-if-you-can. You can still participate, even if you won’t be by a computer on the 27th and 28th.
• Read below if you want to find out about Iron Commenters.
• 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. Not The Path I Chose (secondary infertility, RPL)
3. Musings of a Teacher (faith, ttc, life)
4. Who shot my stork? (waiting, whining, being poor)
5. Building Heavenly Bridges (stillbirth, grieving, books)
6. Elana’s Musings (pregnancy, twins, randomness)
7. Dancing with Gaia (male factor, IVF, hope)
8. The Unfair Struggle (male-factor, life, friendship)
9. Vintage Mommy (adoption, midlife mommying)
10. To Baby and Beyond (PCOS, miscarriage, infertility)
11. Just Me (infertility, life)
12. Portraits in Sepia (adoption, infertility, life)
13. Mrs Spock (parenting, infertility, health care)
14. Sticky Feet (infertility, parenting, baking)
15. The Life and Times of Me (anything goes!)
16. Conceive This! (male-factor, waiting, ICSI)
17. Communique (infertility, life)
18. The Binky Diaries (parenting after infertility, pregnancy, twins)
19. Our Own Creation (life, infertility, neonatal loss)
20. Birds and Squirrell (infertility, pcos, male factor)
21. Unquestionable Love (injectables, IUI #5, holiday planning)
22. Get Pregnant (infertility, loss, life)
23. Meepit On Parade (life, infertility, loss)
24. Kicking You From the Inside (parenting, infertility, life)
25. emilythehopeless (FET, vegan, dogs)
26. Bella And Her Fella (POF, high FSH, donor eggs)
27. Between the Lines (newly pregnant, IVF)
28. Woman Anyone (IVF, frustration, primary sub-fertility)
29. Noemi (pcos, life, faith)
30. The Fertile Infertile (family, crafts, secondary infertility)
31. The Maniacal Mommy (infertility, life)
32. The New Life of Nancy (pregnancy, infertility, opinionated opinions)
33. Baby Smiling In Back Seat (infertility, IVF, pottery)
34. The Saga of Becoming Fruitful (infertility, IVF, finances)
35. Our Box of Rain (parenting, life)
36. Life In A Holding Pattern (miscarriage, pregnancy, uterine anomaly)
37. Rachel’s Scrambled Eggs (secondary infertility, writing, randomness)
38. Hello Jello (college, animals, me)
39. Helping Make Sense (infertility, multiple IVF’s, life)
40. Elusive BFP (IVF, infertility)
41. Falling or Flying (IVF, donor eggs, generalized bitching)
42. Our Surrogacy Adventure (surrogacy, infertility, life)
43. Broken Bits (PCOS, IVF, molar preg/cancer)
44. Ronda’s Rants (faith, family, environment)
45. The Daily Doings of Mr Silly and Little Miss Trouble (parenting, infertility, surrogacy)
46. Mom of 2 Dancers (daughters, parenting, product reviews)
47. Heeeeere Storkey, Storkey! (twins, ttc, life)
48. MusicMakerMomma (DE, IVF, parenting)
49. Hope Springs Infertile (IVF, donor egg, pets)
50. Maybe I will have a glass (male factor, IUI, life)
51. The Infertile Mermaid (infertility, ttc, life)
52. My Life Crazy As It May Seem (loss of a child, grief, new life)
53. Life Induces Thoughts, Mostly Random (randomness, friends, family)
54. The Not So Secret Life Of Us (recurrent miscarriages, infertility, emigration)
55. Our Life in a Nutchell (FET, POAS, life)
56. Alicia Pieces of Me (1st pregnancy, shoes)
57. Naturally Knocked Up (pcos, nutrition, adoption)
58. Our Way To Happily Ever After (life, love, new job)
59. Mustard Seed Baby (faith, endo, IVF)
60. Waiting on Life (adoption, infertility, life)
61. Chronicles of… (IVF-FET, unexplained infertility)
62. Wheresmy2lines (PCOS, IVF/ICSI, varicocele)
63. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Pregnancy (first trimester, military life, ramblings)
64. Offmymind.But From My Heart (adoption, kids)
65. Blogfight (entertainment, advice, debate)
66. theworms (IF, NOA, life)
67. Breeder Beware (infertility, PCOS, budgeting)
68. Ordinary Exultation (life, parenting, natural living)
69. Along Life’s Little Journey (endometriosis, daily struggles, infertility)
70. Loving Thee… and More (parenting after loss, random bits of life)
71. Bloorb (infertility, marriage, life)
72. That’s My Answer (fun, questions, you)
73. DreamsComeTrueSometimes (TTC, life, infertility)
74. It Is Tuesday, Right? (new motherhood, life, breastfeeding)
75. An Equation of Hope (secondary infertility, parenting, life)
76. Life With the Georgia Reiniches (comedy, kids, general ramblings)
77. Such Great Heights (infertility, decisions, identity)
78. The Great Big If (infertility, loss, life)
79. Mommy Confessions (kids, life, drama)
80. In Pursuit of Parenthood (infertility, waiting, faith)
81. Infertility Podcast and Blog (secondary infertility, pregnancy loss, infertility news)
82. Junebug’s Musings (infertility, life, general junk)
83. Preheatedoven (infertility, MFI, furry babies)
84. One Small Wish (infertility, IVF, elevated FSH)
85. The Idle Mind Of Beth (infertility, grief, distractions)
86. Fighting Infertility (infertility, trying to conceive)
87. Nervous Breakdowns Are Highly Underrated (parenting after IF, WAHM, life)
88. Vikki Press (infertility, my dog, life in general)
89. Getting There (infertility, where next, life)
90. Our Journey to Baby (IVF#5, life, pregnancy)
91. Letting It Out (parenting after IF, twins, life)
92. Sippy Cups are Not for Starbucks (sarcasm, motherhood, newborn)
93. Blissful Body Yoga Blog (yoga, meditation, healthy living)
94. The Long Journey (infertility, marriage, parenting)
95. Tales from Kiddyland (mothering, triplets, special needs)
96. Tales of the Phoenix (IVF, prenatal depression, confused about next steps)
97. Be Still and Know… (infertility, adoption, the journey)
98. Seriously? (pregnancy, life, riley)
99. ISO the Golden Egg (TTC over 40, 2WW!, embryo donation)
100. Trying to Make 3 (miscarriage, newly married, TTC)
101. Journey of Faith (fibroids, recurrent miscarriage, faith)
102. Stop the Train, I Wanna Get Off (secondary IF, parenting, school)
103. Gas Passer aka UUer (unicornuate uterus, IVF, anesthesia)
104. My Little Drummer Boys (IVF twins, parenting, pregnancy loss)
105. In Due Time (infertility, PCOS, life)
106. Life and Love in the Petri Dish (IVF, recurrent miscarriage, marriage)
107. Peachy (IVF, life)
108. BarrenAlbion (parenting after IVF, music, miscellanea)
109. White Picket Fences (secondary infertility, healthcare, recurrent loss)
110. Infertile Myrtle (infertility, IUI, ttc)
111. Add yourself…

Q: What i
f 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 green, the next month it will be purple, 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.