According to the folks at SOAPnet.com, they've recently expanded their focus to include coverage of entertainment, stars, pop culture, beauty and fashion news in an informed, engaging editorial style. Additionally, the site is the a go-to place for all daytime and primetime drama news.

I have to admit now that Soap Net features my favorite ABC soaps in the evenings, I may just get hooked again. Love seeing those old time soap stars that I used to watch in high school and college. Funny how the world of soaps never change. I kind of like it that way!

As my son slept soundly in the backseat, the officer proceeded to tell my DH that he was getting a ticket because he was blocking a handicapped parking space. WTF? He was merely dropping me and my daughter curbside so that we didn't get clipped by another car in the lot and was planning to park when this policeman decided to issue him a parking ticket instead of telling him to park his car in one of 50 available spots in the lot. Frankly, I was completely puzzled by this officer who obviously has too much time on his hands. He must have either decided to settle a bet with a fellow cop who dared him to snag a driver at Starbucks, or maybe he was paid off by someone at Dunkin Donuts. Either way, this was by far the most expensive latte I've ever purchased in my life. And frankly, we're going to think twice before we satisfy a caffeine craving before we begin our trek back to Westchester.

What I can't seem to understand is in our current economy, with gas prices soaring, and summer resort towns feeling the hit at hotels, B&B's and restaurants, the local police have no care whatsoever on whether tourists ever return. If they did actually think twice before they handed over a $200 ticket, they'd realize that harassing a tourist or a regular patron of the local Starbucks will indirectly have an impact on local business. You see, we're probably not going back to that Starbucks ever again and we pretty much go there every week throughout the entire summer. And I'm sure we're not the first people to have been snagged by a lazy cop who didn't feel like staking out a highway where people could be whizzing by at 80 miles an hour. No, you never know if some reckless driver is wreaking havoc in the Starbucks parking lot.

I know we shouldn't have blocked a handicapped zone, but we didn't park and we had no intention of remaining in that location. While we normally pay our tickets without incident, this time around, my husband is going to head to court and fight this ridiculous charge. While he may not win, he can at least lodge a complaint against a cop who obviously was in a bad mood because he didn't yet have his caffeine fix. Incidentally, after he issued the ticket, the cop parked his car next to ours and proceeded to buy a grande cappucino. Only in the Hamptons kids. Only in the Hamptons.

When I was in the fourth grade I even had the nickname Stubby Beth - not a name I'm proud of but I wear that moniker like a badge of honor - especially when I'm feeling and looking thin and trim. But unfortunately, my timing when it comes to dieting is always way off. I should start my diets in April or May so that when July hits, I don't feel self conscious about my thighs, calves, stomach and those heinous Haddassah arms. If you're not Jewish, I hate to exclude you but what that means is if you stretch your arms out wide, your under fat will start flapping in the wind.

I know I shouldn't feel bad - I mean I can still squeeze into a size six - especially when I'm shopping at Ann Taylor Loft - gotta love that they always run those sizes so big, but frankly, I'm fed up that no matter how hard I try to lose weight I always succeed and fail time and time again. As I sit here digesting the three glasses of wine, steamed lobster and Weight Watchers key lime pie my mom made for us this weekend, all I can say is it's time to buckle up, shut the trap and start watching the calories all over again. Either that or maybe it's time for liposuction. Who am I kidding? I'm too chicken to go under the knife, and so it'll be time again to pick the diet du jour. Hello, Weight Watchers? Remember me? It's your old friend, Stubby Beth.

So if it were true, would you sign a petition to keep Cookie Monster around? I certainly would and I know my kids would be right behind me. Nobody should tell Cookie Monster he's got to ship out or go healthy. Can't a guy with a sweet tooth catch a break?

And so, with my decision to ride two rickshaws, I've felt as if I've been competing in an episode of "The Amazing Race."  As the wind whipped through my hair and tossed my skirt up into the air (not a pretty picture), I attempted to return emails as my driver (or should I say rider/bike messenger) narrowly avoided pedestrians, trucks, buses and skate boarders. The first rickshaw ride was pretty uneventful, but yesterday's ride was in a word, harrowing.

As traffic slowed to a crawl during the All Star Parade, I decided to hail a rickshaw to get to my appointment on time. And in one split second, I took my life and my judgement on the lam as we zigged and zagged uptown running stop lights. At one point, I was walked up a city block in the wrong direction while a policeman stared directly at us and I was convinced we were going to get a ticket. Despite the countless traffic violations, I managed to get to the Ritz in the nick of time and then proceeded to ask every woman I saw if she was the person I was looking for. And of course, each person looked at me funny and replied, "Nope, I'm not her."

While we were initially going to meet near the hotel lobby, she proceeded to change our meeting points several times within the span of a half hour.  Every time I looked at my BlackBerry she was at a different destination - "Meet me at the corner of 55th and 5th... I'm standing under the statue at Columbus Circle...Wait, I'm now at 57th street and 7th." 

As I walked up and down city streets in new black shoes that were pinching my toes and the sides of my feet, I cursed under my breath and kept trudging along. And while I was tempted to give up or dare I say, take another rickshaw, I persevered and proceeded to plod forward in 90 degree heat. And to be perfectly candid, I pretty much couldn't stand the smell of myself by the time I made it to my final destination. And like the pair who usually trails far behind on the "Amazing Race," I pretty much was the last to arrive. All I needed was Phil Keoghan to eliminate me and hand me a stick of deodorant. I guess I should be thankful that my life isn't a reality show.

This summer, we've had a great time working with TBS and TNT to spread the word to moms about their terrific shows. Back in June, we got the chance to meet comic actors Bill Engvall and Tim Meadows at a private brunch for mom bloggers at Big Daddy's in time for the premiere of "The Bill Engvall Show" and last week, we hosted a dessert lover's dream when we threw a screening party for TNT's "The Closer" featuring a guest appearance by Golden Globe award-winning actress Kyra Sedgwick.

While our partygoers enjoyed a chocolate fountain and caught a screening of the first episode, I introduced Kyra and after a slight technical glitch (microphone problems) she began answering everyone's questions without missing a beat. Throughout the brief Q&A session, Kyra was brutally honest about her life as a mom, a wife and actress whose career is literally on fire (catch the first episode and you'll see what I'm talking about).

While I stood off to the side and listened to Kyra tackle several hard hitting questions from our fabulous mom bloggers and VIP attendees, I realized that despite the Golden Globe, her 20 year marriage Kevin Bacon (I can now officially declare that I'm one degree away from him), her incredible body and great hair, she's really just like one of us (sort of).

When asked if she had something of her own to confess, she admitted she always felt guilty when her kids were young and instructed moms to give up the guilt about working and raising a family. Secondly, after one mom called her husband, Kevin Bacon "dreamy" she admitted that she's still very much in love and lust with him (duh, who wouldn't be). She also talked about the difficulty of raising teens and spoke candidly about her addiction to exercising so that she could stay thin. Finally, when asked whether her daughter Sosie would follow in her footsteps, she recounted a story about how she and Kevin allowed their young daughter to appear in a movie they were both producing and starring in (even though they had a rule that they wouldn't allow their kids to go into acting until they were 18). Sosie, who totally sounds like her mom (a tough cookie too) negotiated a 3 instead of 4 day work schedule so she wouldn't miss too much school and playtime with friends and after the shoot was over, she decided acting was not her thing.

All in all, it was a fabulous evening (even though I looked like a porker next to Kyra ("Hello, Jenny Craig, it's me Beth again.") I have to say, it was great to connect in person with all the writers, entrepreneurs, authors, corporate moms and friends who came out for the event and together, we're all spreading the word to watch tonight's premiere of The Closer. So if you are settling onto the sofa, grab a piece of chocolate, put the kids to bed, swipe the remote from your hubby and watch "The Closer" every Monday at 9 pm (ET).

For more behind the scenes coverage from "The Closer" screening party, visit some of our favorite blogs:
Mom in the City Part I and Part 2
Classy Mommy
I'm Not Too Obsessed
Mama Bird Diaries
Chef Druck
Selfish Mom
So Little Time
Musings of a Housewife
Momma Said
Rantings of a Creole Princess
My Kids Registry

And so, after plunking down a deposit for a swanky hotel in LBI, we packed up the kids, got our neighbor to feed the cat and hit the road bright and early Saturday morning. And without fail, as we inched closer to Jersey and the traffic slowed to a crawl, we wound up doing what we do best in the Garden State. We got lost. Yes, we got lost - even with our faithful Garmin guiding the way, we still couldn't find the house where our friends were staying. After shooting a few emails and then sending an emergency, "call us now" text message, we finally were directed to their beach house and within minutes, we were hitting the sand and surf.

While the kids ran to the waves, my husband followed them like a hawk and I settled into my chair lathering my arms, legs and face in sunscreen. Of course, I missed several spots, like my back, the side of my leg, my nose and the tops of my feet and am now paying the price of splotchy sunscreen application, but it wouldn't be summer if I didn't get scorched.

Back to the beach - the surf was incredibly rough and every time I watched the kids, my heart went into my stomach as crazy thoughts of them being pulled out to the ocean raced through my mind. They finally came out to look for shells, mermaid nails and dead jelly fish (lovely) and after a while, we all decided to pack it in, have lunch and then head to our hotel to check in.

For some bizarre reason, I automatically thought the hotel had a pool but unfortunately, I was mistaken. And so, we hit the beach again and while I reapplied the sunscreen yet again, I missed my back entirely. I guess I'm a masochist or just not too swift. Anyway, as the kids and my hubby hit the water again, I called my good friend whose 40th birthday I missed a few weeks back and we caught up on lost time.

As the tide came closer to our towels and my Vera Bradley bag (thank goodness DH snatched it up before the sea water hit my brand new knapsack), we decided to leave so we could hit the showers. But when we got to our room, the kids raced to the shower and were stunned to find that hardly any water was coming out of the spiggot. The water pressure was so bad they had to wash their feet in the sink. And then when I tried to take a turn, the water nearly shut off completely. We of course complained about the shower problems and luckily, they decided to lower our room rate due to the aggravation they caused us because we couldn't take a relaxing shower...how dare they?

We then met our friends for dinner at the hotel restaurant (which was quite delish) and then hit Fantasy Island - a cheesy amusement park with just enough rides to keep the kids entertained for at least an hour.

Today, we hit the beach again, ate lunch, packed up and headed home. And of course, as we left New Jersey behind, we still got stuck in all our favorite places (by the GW bridge) and made it home in a little over 3 hours.

So what's on the agenda next week? Who knows...I may want to stay home and take a break from the beach...then again, maybe I'm on my way to setting a world's record - how many beach resorts can you see in one year. Either way, it's not a shabby way to spend our summer vacation.