“Minnesota Miranda is a PR friendly blog featuring book and product reviews, giveaways, news, parenting tips and advice, shopping, recipes, fashion, travel, deals and so much more.”
Miranda:aka: Zookeeper
Of course we will begin with me! I am a Stay at home Mom but I like the title Household Manager better. I have four kids ranging in ages 3 – 13 and two amazing dogs. I guess you could consider me a Mommy Blogger, Book & Product review Blogger and all around Funny Blogger. I’m rather new to this whole scene so expect changes and upgrades over time. I just recently went back to college,and I am double majoring in Business Administration and Marketing. As you can tell my plate is pretty full, but life would be boring otherwise. I am a big advocate for volunteering and I try to instill that in our children. I love music, all genres with only one requirement, Loud, turn the volume up! A large portion of my blog is my love of books, reading and of course writing book reviews.
Sherman:
Sherman is my husband of over 7 years. His real name is Chris but most people know his as Sherman. I met him at work. He made some sarcastic comment to another employee about calling me in for allowing minors to work, it got back to me and I thought it was hilarious. Several days later during lunch break the break room was pretty bare and I was sitting by myself listening to the banter and taking it all in when a conversation struck up between Sherman and another co-worker, I found it very amusing , funny and interesting, I knew I needed to get to know him better. Here is this crazy timeline I started work in November, we started dating in late April, we got married in October! My husband is very business minded and is an entrepreneur to the core! He too is in college working on his Master’s in Business. He is a pretty quiet guy, not into the party and bar scene anymore, prefers to be home with the family. He LOVES cigars, wine, beer & scotch. He’s not big into sports, but loves documentaries.
MeMe: 
Our oldest! She is my preemie miracle baby born at 28 weeks gestation weighing in at a tiny 2lbs. 5oz. MeMe is amazing! She has a great personality, tons of energy, a gigantic heart and a smile that lights up the room. She is a bit shy at first but warms up quickly. She’s not nearly as social as I am but she is learning quickly. MeMe is not very athletic, but she is a genius when it comes to money, marketing and business! This girl knows her stuff! Though she has convinced herself she will be a model and work her way into the fashion industry to become a clothing designer, I have a feeling she will eventually some day head up the board of her Dads companies. Sherman and MeMe work great together and I am sure they will be running business together in no time! MeMe is also very quick witted and pops off with some sarcastic comments sometimes but you can’t help but laugh. She is a die hard Republican and she makes sure everyone knows it, she is an absolute riot when it comes election time! MeMe struggles with dyslexia and learning disabilities hindering her reading and writing abilities, something she is constantly working on in order to improve her learning style and prepare her for her future endeavors.
Leslie Paul: 
Though 2 years younger than his sister, they are often mistaken for twins. Butch & MeMe look exactly alike, they are the same weight given a pound or two, nearly the same height given an inch or two. Personality wise they are polar opposites. Butch is very shy around adults but if you get a chance to see him in a crowd of his friends, he is outgoing, loud and sometimes a bit on the bully side mainly due to showing off. Butch is very intelligent when it comes to academics. Super, Super smart. However, he can be so spacy and off in his own world sometimes. He has a lot of “blond” moments and comes off a little “ditzy” if there were a male version of that. He sometimes lacks a bit of common sense but makes up for it eventually. Butch loves sports but struggles with them as he is not much for confrontation. He is amazing at basketball and has great aim. This year will be his first year as he was too young for the schools program last year. He loves baseball and has a great arm but admittedly not a batter (this year he got glasses, maybe the source of his horrible batting average?) He excels in track and field and loves running! This past summer he placed 2nd at the district track meet in the 400 and fourth in the 800. His long legs and lean body style helps him run like the wind. This year he joined band and was assigned the trumpet. He enjoys playing but lacks focus when remembering to practice. His favorite things to do when not running or working on school work is skateboarding, video games, reading and hanging out with his friends. His outlook on a career thus far is uncertain but with his extraordinary touch and connection with animals I predict he might be a Veterinarian or an animal trainer of some sort.
Bruiser Zane 
I never had a nickname for him but as I sit here he came up with yet another scrape and bruise from falling off the arm of the couch and I figured what better than Bruiser! In his short lifespan he has already had 2 ct scans due to falling, he has had a zillion scrapes, bruises and owies! I have banned him from ever owning anything with an engine! No dirt bikes, 4 wheelers, snowmobiles, boats, jet skis, scooters, motorcycles, trucks or cars, if I missed anything let me know so I can add it to my list! Bruiser is 6 and was born on leap day! Yep, go figure I would have a baby on February 29th! This little guy is a handful! He is wild and dangerous. He is a little too smart for his own good but he is great entertainment! He always has a knock knock joke for you and with a tilt of his head and a smile you will be instant putty in his hands! He is my social butterfly, he will strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere, everyone is his best friend within minutes! Oddly enough his outgoing personality seems to shine only when he is with Sherman or I as this year during school he was so quiet and shy the teachers were in disbelief of this social butterfly. He is into tools, big trucks, anything with a siren. He loves cartoons, swimming, playing outside and stealing my pop! Bruiser has the best imagination out of all four of the kids and never struggles with something to do. Judging by his love to play school at home, I would predict he becomes a teacher or principal someday in the future.
Brody: (Taz)
Believe it or not that really is his nickname, not his real name! He is my little one, three years old. He gave us some worries during my pregnancy with an irregular heartbeat causing major doctor visits and out of town trips to see specialists, the irregularity cleared up before birth, but the Dr. still wanted us to deliver in a nearby hospital in a bigger city just in case, THANK GOD! When Brody was born via c-section with fluid in his lungs which threw his whole system off and he ended up in the NICU for 6 days when we finally got to come home! He is growing like a weed and looks to be my only strawberry blond of the bunch! He has an adorable smile with squinted eyes! This little guy is insane! Literally! One day he was this quiet little baby that barely made a peep and then something snapped. Now he is this wild child that runs, screams, jumps, and is a constant danger to his well being! He is the only child we have had where we needed to gate off the majority of the house leaving only 2 safe rooms for him to play in. Toys, tables, chairs and various play things had to be banished from the playroom as they became sources of danger for this spiderman like child. Brody also has a wicked temper going form adorable snuggle bug to crazy screaming baby in need of an exorcism! Brody is the reason I nap so much..all that stress, at least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! Brody started preschool this fall and loves it very much. He attends half days for two days a week and it has worked miracles on his speech. Brody enjoys playing with the typical “boy” toys, loves playing house with his sister and all their baby dolls and loves all things techy including Minecraft, video games, online games, computers, tablets and of course Lego’s.
Zoey:
No nickname needed here but if I were to give one it would be psycho for sure! Zoey is our 8 year old half mini doberman half black lab. She is a little ball of muscle with long, spindle like legs. Zoey is a runner at heart and must be chained up when she is outside. If there is a breech in security such as an open door, unscreened window, or break in chain or collar she is out of here like a flash! This dog can run! It is impossible to catch her when she is out running but rest assured she will be back when she’s done, eventually. She is fast and furious of the dog world! She has become very, very protective of the kids and house. If she is outside she will bite any stranger, beware! If you come into the house, she will bark her head off, smell you and jump in your lap, curl up and fall asleep! Once you’re in the house than you are ok to her. She HATES squirrels, kittys, bunnys and anything else moving for that matter! Unfortunately we have over 10 oak trees on our property and our yard is lined with lilacs and bushes, so our squirrel and bunny population is through the roof! She goes bananas and I think they torment her on purpose! She is great with the kids and loves Brody!
Balto:
Balto is new to the group. He is almost 3. He was born Thanksgiving day and as I was posting pictures that night to Facebook I saw his picture and instantly knew we had to have him! He was a Christmas present for Butch! Balto is a half black lab and they think half springer spaniel. He is tri-colored and so handsome! He is a perfect dog. He rarely barks, he is super friendly, he is at the kids side constantly and he is not a runner!
Honorable Mention; Veronica Badurek – Goalie Girl:
Veronica is a major part of our lives. She is my 17 year old sister. She appears in most pictures, unless she is taking them, she plays a major role in most stories and she is a great girl! She is one of the best goalies in the state of Minnesota and she is in 12th grade! She has a great personality and will go places in life! We need to bring her out of her shell as she is a shy girl and often refers to herself as hating people and wanting to be alone. She loves track and all things hockey! She aspires to be a Radiologist and has begun her search for college. She is searching for a reasonably priced college that offers a medical/radiology program and of course a women’s hockey team.
Our story takes place in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota better known as lakes country. a small town that relies heavily on our tourist money and busy times such as summer weekends, 4th of July, Music festivals such as We-Fest, and of course a very fun time in our town would be a weeks worth of fun summer events during Water Carnival that’s hosted by the Detroit Lakes Jaycees ending on Sunday with an enormous parade! Here are some great links to check out the area!
