It's the wettest it could be outside, and grey murkey skies, but I don't care. It means I can sit in front of my PC in my robe, with continuous cups of tea, reading other people's blogs for a few hours. One of my two children is doing homework at the kitchen table behind me while the other is at a birthday party for a few hours.
No wonder my house is quiet!
Any of you IComLeavWe-ers who are struggling with fertility issues may think that a blog devoted largely to infertility and miscarriage is a strange place for me to mention my children. I don't think I go on and on about them, and there are no recognizable photos of them, but they figure hugely in my ability to write about those issues. Had I not been through the struggles myself and put some distance and parenting experience between then and now, I might not have the perspective I do have, that enables me to coach others who are still struggling.
I love blogging and am coming up to my 1-year anniversary on Your Great Life, which is also the name of my fertility coaching practice. I would love to get your comments. I want this blog to be more interactive with its readers than it has been this year, so I was really glad to join IComLeavWe this past summer.
I am also launching a Book (actually more media too) Review page this week, so watch this space. If you have written, edited or published a book, DVD or audio program) and want it to be reviewed, please contact me for an address to send a review copy to me. If you just know of a great book, or wish you knew more, feel free to make suggestions. While I love reading fiction, I am more interested in non-fiction at the moment, primarily on tppics including infertility, TTC, fertility treatment, surrogacy, adoption, egg donation, relationships, and parenting. I will open the topics up more broadly, early in the new year.
Thank you for visiting, and commenting if you will. Lisa
To be honest, I was quite baffled when I read the IVF and similarly "coded" tags in the IComLeavWe list and figured out what they were while visiting those blogs. Since I'm not a mom myself, I have no idea what it's like to be in that position. In whatever way I can though, I want to support you guys and tell you that you can all get through these if you want to. :)
Posted by: HM | November 22, 2009 at 01:59 PM
Happy ICLW. The idea of fetility coaching is intriquiging. I wish you much success in your endeavers. :-)
Posted by: staciet | November 22, 2009 at 09:24 PM
Happy ICLW!
Like HM, I was also confused. I also have no idea either of what it's like, and wish you luck as well.
Posted by: Rammi | November 22, 2009 at 10:29 PM
Infertility and parenthood walks hand in hand. Every woman at some point will miscarry, and or have pregnancy issues. A lot of woman won’t speak of it. You have some great ideas.
Gerardine Baugh
gerardinebaugh.wordpress.com/
Posted by: Gerardine Baugh | November 22, 2009 at 11:56 PM
Your upbeat outlook must bring many encouragement and hope and no doubt much reward in your own life. Happy IComLeavWe blogging to you in the days ahead.
Posted by: Owen | November 23, 2009 at 12:43 AM
Happy ICLW!
Am looking forward to reading more!
Sass
Posted by: Sass | November 23, 2009 at 10:53 AM
Stopping by from ICLW. It sounds like you've got a lot going on. Congratulations on coaching, media tools and coming up on your blogging anniversary.
Posted by: CorrieHowe | November 23, 2009 at 02:51 PM
Good luck with the book(s) and Happy IComWeLeave. :)
Posted by: Laura | November 24, 2009 at 02:00 AM
Lisa,
Thanks for the heartfelt response on my blog. I appreciate the honest input and that's one of the main reasons I opened myself back up to the public after going private for several months. I know that in order to get through this I will need as much support as I can find -- even the kind that isn't always exactly what I want to hear.
Thanks again for stopping by. I look forward to seeing what you put out here!
Hugs,
Jo
Posted by: Jo | November 24, 2009 at 02:18 AM
Hello!
You commented over on my blog Cynical Optimism and asked about how/why i started blogging. I originally started using the blog as a place to keep track of what i read. I would read something, mean to pick up more by the same author, then forget. as people actually started reading and commenting, and i found the whole book blog community, i've just tried to participate and be honest when i write.
thanks for visiting!
Posted by: Melanie ivanoff | November 24, 2009 at 06:33 AM
I too am happy to have found ICLW. I'm also excited to see your book reviews. I love books. I review book for my blog as well as a web zine I started. I'm also working on my first books. So, to say the least, books are very much a part of my life.
Posted by: Dominique | November 24, 2009 at 08:04 AM
I would trade my uterus with yours any day. I'm extremely fertile and... I guess I should be grateful, but I'm not. Just means I have to be careful during happy fun time which kinda takes the fun out of it.
But yea, stopping by from ICLW. :)
Posted by: Jenny | November 24, 2009 at 01:36 PM
Thanks Lisa for stopping by. I like to think I am positive and hopeful, somedays are harder than others of course, but in the end I must remain this way. Is there any other alternative? There is and I so don't want to be there ever! I have been there but it is not for long, i always try to look at the positive, as small it may seem sometimes, it is always present. I am very interested in reading about your coaching and book and have added you to my blogroll. Welcome to blogland.
Posted by: Wishing4One | November 25, 2009 at 09:57 AM
I don't know how much I can relate. I'm 22 and dreadfully afraid of becoming pregnant.
Posted by: Laurel | November 26, 2009 at 05:56 AM
Hi Laurel,
I can understand why you don't relate to infertility posts when you have no desire to become pregnant at this point in your life.
The irony is that most of us spent our lives, from our teenage years, trying to prevent getting pregnant, using the birth control pill, a diaphragm, IUD, etc.. and panicking if they were forgotten. Unless there is an underlying condition, like PCOS or no periods, most of us had no idea that we couldn't get pregnant or couldn't carry a healthy pregnancy. It came as a shock to me.
I won't go on about it, except to say that many of my UK friends have never been to a gynaecologist. They go to their general practioner for birth control and have a Pap smear by a nurse every 3 years on the NHS. I want to let young women know that they should become aquainted with their reproductive health and breast health way before they want to make use of them.
Give me another chance! You may drop in for a visit and find that I have blogged about something that does interest you: London, books, general wellbeing, friendship, etc... Thanks for commenting. L.
Posted by: Lisa | November 26, 2009 at 08:42 AM
Thanks for stopping by. GL with everything.
ICLW
Posted by: theworms | November 26, 2009 at 01:40 PM