I’m pretty sure that the number one rule of blogging for others/content writing is to not neglect your own blog.  Eep.

I’ve been busy lately, extremely busy - but it has been a good busy.  Although I haven’t written for Demand Studios in at least a month, I found out that an article I had written back in August was chosen as the eHow of the Day.  The eHow of the Day received prominent front page placement and was sent out to all of the readers who subscribe to the eHow mailing list.  If you’re interested, the article is:  How to Check for a Bank’s Credit Rating.  

In other good news, I’ll be writing on business topics for an upcoming eco-friendly and environmentally focused site - The Mother Nature Network.  Once the site is live, I’ll be sure to update my MHO Writing blog.

In honor of the Beijing Olympics, I wrote three different Olympic-themed articles for Suite101 this week.  The first of the three was titled 2008 US Men’s Olympic Gymnasts.  The article immediately started getting hits and quickly jumped to become my most popular article on Suite.

Then today happened.  At just after midnight I checked my stats and the article had received several hits.  I woke up and that number increased by three.  Yes, three.  So I used the Google search term that I had previously ranked #1 for (out of over 3 million hits) and I wasn’t on page one, page two or even page three.  So I took my opening sentence from that article and Googled it using quotations.  Turns out the article isn’t even indexed in Google right now.

In the past I have had situations where Google eats an article.  In one instance the article was back within about 24 hours.  In another instance it took nearly a month.  As I sit here and watch Alexander Artemev on the Olympics, one of the gymnasts I wrote about in my article, I am hoping that this is merely a quick omission from the index and tomorrow I’ll find myself back on page one.

As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve started blogging on The Green Motorist website. From the website:

The Green Motorist is your guide to eco-friendly vehicles. We want to help you achieve and maintain a green lifestyle by providing articles and information about hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles.

I have written several articles on electric vehicles and wanted to gather them in one post. If you’re interested in electric vehicles of today and the future, check out one of these articles.

• The Danger of A Quiet Electric Vehicle
• Chrysler’s Two Mode Hybrid
• The Zap Alias and Zapino Electric Scooter
• Will 2010 Be the Year of the Electric Vehicle?
• 2009 Honda Hybrid Spy Photos
• Hybrid Supercars - The Tesla Roadster and Ferrari F430
• Five Hybrid Concepts That Should Be Produced
• The 2009 Chrysler Aspen Hybrid
• Three Reasons to Love the Chevy Volt
• Pros and Cons of Buying a Used Hybrid
• Luxury Hybrids by Lexus

The Green Motorist isn’t dedicated solely to electric vehicles, it takes a look at anything that will create a more eco-friendly drive including high fuel efficiency vehicles and changing the way you drive to increase fuel efficiency in your current vehicle.

I have been extremely busy this summer working on my current projects and picking up a new client.  I am now blogging on eco-friendly motoring topics for The Green Motorist.  I am also launching a few new website ventures, once they are up and running I will post them here.  In addition to my new sites, I’ve redesigned or otherwise updated The Autism Education Site as well as Autism News Direct.

I just updated my Suite101 page with my newest articles for the site.  I am closing in on 100 articles and I have an ambitious goal of reaching that by mid-September.

The children are out of school for the summer and I’m taking a small break from my coursework. I am working on several new projects right now including ideas for a submission to a national parenting magazine. I am a bit nervous about submitting an article for a national magazine but I feel that now is the time to take that step. The articles that I have had published in small print publications have given me a bit of a confidence boost. Once I complete my research and select a magazine, I’ll be sure to post an update here at MHOWriting.com.

I have updated my Suite101 page to reflect my newest submissions to Suite. I added my Father’s Day Around the World article to compliment my series of articles on international holidays. I have always been fascinated in other cultures and traditions so writing these articles has been quite fun.

The last month has been extremely busy for me, both in the freelance realm and of course in real life. My studies finished and I scored a 98% and a 94% on my two finals (my other course finished earlier in the semester) so my hard work paid off.

In addition to writing for Suite 101, I have also submitted a few projects to Demand Studios. Right now I’m kind of feeling the site out and so far I like it. I’ve also picked up two new projects for one of my existing clients, Two Gun Media. Oh, I almost forgot, also have a new gig blogging about poker - check it out at Poker Mom. I’m definitely diversifying!

I’ve updated my Suite 101 page to reflect my most recent submissions there.

Sometimes the words just flow and I find it hard to stop.  It is 9:30 at night and I am the only person awake in my house.  The room is dark aside from the glow from the display on my laptop and I’ve just published another article on Suite 101.  This time, I focused on Online Kids Boutique Stores.

The three stores that I included in the article, PoshTots, The Little Seed and Sandbox Couture, all offer designer clothing and unique baby items.  PoshTots, one of my favorite sites, sells the most extravagant items.  A personal favorite is the $47,000 Fantasy Coach Bed.  No I don’t own the bed and no I will never be rich enough to justify a bed that costs more than some luxury automobiles.  However, it is always fun to look and dream. 

My latest feature article at Suite 101, Transitions for Autistic Teens, is the start of a new series of articles I will be writing that focuses on issues surrounding adults with autism. Much of the publicity centered around autism these days is on children. However, these children with autism grow up to become adults with autism. As the diagnostic rates increase, the adult autistic population will naturally grow. Providing support and services for teenagers with autism as they transition to young adulthood is important.

In addition to my feature article, I also stepped back in to the Partners and Parents section of Suite 101 and wrote an article on The Top Internet Toy Stores and Kids Natural Personal Care Items.  The online toy stores I spotlighted are FAO Schwarz, Fat Brain Toys, Rosie Hippos and Toys R Us.  For the personal care items article, I chose to discuss the benefits of using products by California Baby, Burt’s Bees and Dr. Bronner’s.

My latest article at Suite101 is entitled Mother’s Day Around the World. I am continuing my International holiday article series, this time taking a look at how several countries celebrate Mother’s Day. In the United Kingdom, Mothering Sunday is celebrated on the fourth Sunday in Lent. This year, Mothering Sunday has come and gone as Lent and subsequently Easter were quite early.

The other countries I looked at in the article were Spain, which celebrates Mother’s Day on December 8, France and Australia. Australians celebrate Mother’s Day on the same day that the Americans do but the French celebrate it on the last Sunday in May.

I enjoy writing these international holiday articles as they help give me ideas on how to spice up my own holiday celebrations. Now I’m off to find a recipe for Simnel Cake to make for my mom this year!

Welcome to the newly redesigned MHO Writing LLC.  My name is Melissa and I manage the site as part of my newly-formed LLC.  I have been freelance writing for the majority of my life and have branched out to providing web content with an eye on search engine optimization.  Learn more about me by reading my writer bio.
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