Happy Minds Little Book Shop

27/05/2021

Good morning 😌 xx

08/04/2021

❤️⭐️⭐️Special Offer⭐️⭐️❤️

Know a reader who likes their facts to have the "wow"-factor? We think our brand-new 100 Things to Know 5 Book Set might just be the perfect special offer for them!

Offering an incredible £30 saving on 5 brilliant books from Usborne's award-winning 100 Things to Know series, this visually stunning set answers questions such as "Why do astronauts learn wilderness survival skills?" and "Were the first computer bugs actual insects?" with the help of vibrant, infographic-style illustrations.

Featuring no fewer than 100 bite-sized topics per book, readers just won't be able to keep their favourite facts to themselves! With Quicklinks to specially selected websites too, readers can explore even more about the topics that fascinate them.

Included are:
100 Things to Know About Science
100 Things to Know About Space
100 Things to Know About the Human Body
100 Things to Know About Numbers, Computing and Coding
100 Things to Know About Planet Earth

Don’t miss out - this will sell out!

03/04/2021

Magic Mindful Easter Weekend 🎨 💧

Painting 🧑‍🎨 can help to calm our brain 🧠 .

Calm the thoughts in a restless 😬 mind with some “Magic Painting”.

Each book includes 16 beautiful 😍 , full-page black and white illustrations, from butterflies 🦋 and birds 🐦 to a grand castle 🏰 and a jungle of tigers 🐯 , which are transformed into a rainbow 🌈 of colours when children carefully paint water 💦 onto the pictures.

There's a flap to place behind the painting to stop paint seeping through to the next page and ensure perfect 🤩 results.

Also great for grown-ups!!

Take some time to hold a moment of quiet and focus on the repetitive movement of the brush on the paper.

Why not send your finished painting sheet to a neighbour to wish them well 🥰

These are £5.99 each or 2 for £10

Also anyone that places an order with me this month will be entered into my prize draw to win any one book of their choice from the Usborne catalogue 💕💖🌈

Happy Easter 🐣 everyone ###

02/04/2021

30/03/2021

I love this visual representation of behaviour...

Long-term positive outcomes don’t come from short-term fixes 🌈💚

07/03/2021

Nurture yourself today. 💚🌈

It is important to allow yourself to feel all of the mixture of emotions we might be feeling as a parent today about the return to school....

Uncertainty
Relief
Guilt
Anxiety
Nerves
Excitement
Sadness
Concern

So be kind to yourself today, allow yourself to feel each of these and don't struggle with that emotion. Turn the struggle switch off; its ok to feel all of it and move through that emotion by being kind to yourself. 💚🌈

21/02/2021

For children, thoughts and feelings can feel particularly ‘loud’ at bedtime if they’ve had no moments to allow the mind to wander in the day...try and model pockets of quiet time.

Let them see you have a quiet 5 minutes with a cuppa.

Let them see you just sit and listen to a song.

Let them see you sitting on the back step looking out on the world.

If there are any thoughts that pop up, ideas you get that you want to remember, let them see you write them down and pop it into a thoughts jar - be what you want them to be until they can be it for themselves.

How much quiet time do you get doing nothing?

04/02/2021

TIME TO TALK DAY 🗣

Conversation starters to help us open up meaningful conversation that fuels connection, helping us move away from our ‘go to’ questions 👍🏼🌈💚❤️

26/01/2021

Children drink from OUR pool ❤️

Well, there’s a lot going on right now and that looks different for all of us - being kind to ourselves has never mattered more.

Aside from accepting difficult emotions as they arise and reassuring yourself that they’re normal and will pass, what else can you do for yourself today?

Take one thing from the bouquet, actively seek it out.

🌸 Rest 🌸

This could be:

🌸 5 minutes with a cuppa & your feet up.
🌸 A walk round the block.
🌸 Popping the children in front of a screen/listening to an audiobook for 20 minutes whilst you read a chapter of your book.
🌸 Doing some mindful colouring whilst sitting with the children when they are doing their work
🌸 Plan a freezer tea so you don’t need to cook.
🌸 Have a screen break.
🌸 Take some slow deep breaths out the window/door.
🌸 If your children settle at night make the most of it, treat yourself to an early night with a book or film.
🌸 Run your hands and wrists under cool water, and pop on some lovely smelling hand cream.
🌸 Find that newsletter/blog post/message you wanted to read.
🌸 Call a friend.
🌸 Write a card out to someone you’re thinking of and post it.

🌼 Compassion 🌼

This could be:

🌼 List 5 things that you like about yourself, 5 things that matter to you, and 5 things you are grateful for.
🌼 “I am enough”, repeat this affirmation 3 times whilst looking in the mirror l, say it louder and with more conviction each time.
🌼 Journal. Jot down or sketch out how you feel.
🌼 Mind map a problem.
🌼 Stop judging yourself and others, be present in the moment instead.
🌼 Capture negative thought patterns as you notice them.
🌼 Explore what your core values are and write down ways that you can action it in your life.
🌼 Reach out for help and support - you deserve it.
🌼 Acceptance. Look forwards, not backwards. Talk through/get help for what you need, and then accept things you can not change.

🌺 Self-celebration 🌺

This could be:

🌺 Write a gratitude letter—to yourself.
🌺 Start a new habit or routine that brings you joy.
🌺 Bring some joy into your workspace with items that make you smile.
🌺 Write a list of the things you were worried about last week then reflect on how awesome you are to have got through it.
🌺 Write a to do list of things you’ve already done and then cross them all off!
🌺 Smile at your reflection.
🌺 Got something tough to get through? Plan something for when you’ve done it. It could be a bubble bath or treating yourself to a magazine.
🌺 Scrap book a time in your life you feel proud of.

🌻 Laughter 🌻

This could be:

🌻 Set the intent of laughing more today, find the funny.
🌻 Watch that one clip/sketch that always made you laugh.
🌻 Watch some YouTube videos of animals doing crazy things.
🌻 Write a funny poem for the kids.
🌻 Each try and write your own jokes.
🌻 Have a game of consequences with the family.
🌻 Put on your favourite song and dance like nobody is watching.
🌻 Watch old family videos that make you laugh.
🌻 Fake laugh, commit to it until it becomes funny - do it in front of others for maximum impact and to spread the cheer.
🌻 Organise a Zoom call or do this with your family - each share your funniest memory of each other.

🌷Forgiveness 🌷

This could be:

🌷 Forgive yourself for yesterday’s mistakes, if you need to say sorry for anything, do it and move on, you’re human and everyone makes mistakes.
🌷If someone has upset you and it’s making you angry, ask yourself if it was a mistake or something you might have done in the past without realising. Talk to them or don’t but either way forgive them. They can leave your life but don’t carry the anger.
🌷 Acknowledge your feelings.
🌷 Remind yourself that we are all going through a challenging time at the moment.
🌷 Journal whatever is laying heavy on you, work out what can be learnt from it.
🌷 Make meaningful changes.
🌷 Meditate.
🌷 Treat yourself to some flowers to action your apology/ forgiveness to yourself.

Modelling this to our children creates the permission they need to do this for themselves. They learn from what they see more than what we say....unfortunately 🤦🏼‍♀️😆

Pick what you need and remember how valued you are, you are so loved 🌈💚❤️

26/01/2021

Congratulations Poppy on completing the acts of kindness challenge. You now have this lovely book to grow into. I’ll pass it onto Mummy Leanndra Aitken xx

22/01/2021

The power of empathy ☀️

21/01/2021

I wonder if anyone would like the opportunity to get some free books?

I have some free time next week (in the evenings) and would love the opportunity to facilitate a get together with your friends (either on facebook or zoom)

I can share some beautiful books with you and for hosting you'll be able to choose one of these free gifts plus a minimum £12 to spend on free books.

It's a fun, interactive way to spend some time with others during lockdown and to stock up on boredom busting and well-being books.

Let me know if you’d like to find out more 🥰

21/01/2021

Model speaking kindly to yourselves, our children learn from what they see us doing! 🤗

A lot of children get into the habit of speaking unkindly to themselves, sadly from a fairly early age...these are just some ways in which we could raise our children's self esteem. 💚🌈

💜 Create and play games together where self esteem is encouraged, for instance 'every time you catch the ball, name something you like about yourself'

💙 Talk to someone else in your house or on the phone about how proud you are of your child, within their earshot. This holds a lot more weight for a child than if we were to say it directly to them.

🧡 Make it a habit that you both wake up or fall asleep to at least one positive comment about yourself....even better if this is into the mirror out loud.

💖 We use this “I Can” sheet in our home

❤ Creativity is amazing for boosting self esteem, get drawing together or painting. Usborne have a fantastic range of activities available.

Enjoy, have fun, don't forget to model talking kindly to yourself. It's important for them to hear it. 💚🌈

19/01/2021

🌈What would you say to £150 worth of books for just £48? 🌈

With Usborne Books at Home you get that and much more! Build your own little pop-up bookshop, make lots of new friends and build a library of gorgeous books for your children...

Ask me for more information and I’ll be in touch!

19/01/2021

I’m very excited about this. Last year some Usborne titles were in the collection 😍

ONE WEEK TODAY!!!

19/01/2021

Let’s spread a little kindness this January.

Encourage your children to take part in these acts of kindness for others during the week.

Comment below if you get involved and I will place your name in a draw to win a copy of the wonderful “Looking after your mental health” book.

Draw will take place at 8pm on Sunday evening xx

18/01/2021

🍄 The Usborne Woodland Book 🍄

Woodland is our calm place in this house. It’s where my children breathe and regulate and lose their anxieties and frustrations and enjoy many mindful moments without them even realizing.

This book is a beautiful companion, with ideas of things to do, identification pages and tips and all sorts of things to explore and discover.

Get yours from me today for £9.99

17/01/2021

This is one of my favourite parts of working with Usborne! Just off out to deliver beautiful books to families 📚 ☀️

17/01/2021

Where will your Happiness Chemicals come from today?

16/01/2021

What an incredible way to connect with others 💕

Do your children love sending and receiving letters? Then perhaps they'd love to join our letter writing project to kids of 2030!

As P.G.Bell, the author of The Train to Impossible Places series says, "There’s a little bit of magic in letter writing. It lets us share a part of ourselves – our thoughts, our feelings, our voice. That’s why the train in my books is a travelling post office."

To join this exciting project, and get started with a free letter template, visit: https://bit.ly/2XG2FmS

16/01/2021

My Happy 😊 Place with my girls. Snuggling together after a day of playing on the beach. Still covered in sand! 🏖

No English Summer beach holiday for us today but we will be snuggled, warm and cosy together reading our books 📚(after our morning of splashing in puddles with the wellies on) 🌧

What’s incredible is that through working with Usborne all of these books were free for our family 🎉❤️

This little piece of reward and comfort could be yours too and I would love to have the opportunity to help you on your way in joining the Usborne family. Message me if you would like to learn more.

I would support you every step of the way 😘💕

09/01/2021

Choose to breathe, take a moment. Stop.

If this is your weekend or day off give yourself permission to focus on you and those you love. Through my work as a nurse you are telling us you’re feeling scared, guilty, tired, tearful, overwhelmed, without control and so much more, our children feel that too.

Top tip for the weekend is to put the school stuff aside and create CHOICE!

Giving choices teaches children how to make decisions, builds their self esteem, develops problem solving skills, independence and makes them feel more powerful and in control of their lives. Sounds pretty awesome to me!!😍👏

Ideas....

👌Family film night
👍Favourite jigsaw or board game
👌Dig the cook books out and choosing to share and create something
👍Choosing what to wear today; pjs, fancy dress, party dress it doesn't matter!
👌Choosing to create a safe space; a den, cosy cushions in their bedroom...torches, fairy lights!
👍 Living room picnics
👌Choosing the favourite local walk/scoot/bike ride
👍Kitchen disco; create a playlist, dance routine!
👌Choose play over parenting for an hour

Choose to go back to basics and enable connection and opportunities to share worries, jokes, reminisce, hopes and ideas 💞🌈

Happy Minds Little Bookshop has lots of activity books, jigsaw puzzles, baking books, writing journals, relaxation activities and much much more to help build those positive connections ❤️

Order through my webpage or message me for support in finding the right choice for you

05/01/2021

Be kind to yourselves today, a lot of us will have not sleep last night, our heads whirring with "What if's".

Concentrate on the small steps, breathe. 💚🌈

01/01/2021

30/12/2020

Money for Beginners SOLD
Recommended for age 9+
£7 (RRP £9.99)

Answers burning questions such as “where does money come from, how do you get it, and what can you do with money once you have it”

30/12/2020

Fairy Ponies
Young Reading Series 3
£4 (RRP £6.99)

30/12/2020

Mini Hand Shadows book SOLD
£2 (RRP £3.99)
A gorgeous little book full of ideas for creatures you can bring to life with just your hands, a lamp and a little imagination!

30/12/2020

Illustrated Stories for Children
£10 (RRP £16.99)
A beautiful padded hard-back book with ribbon marker.
Perfect for age 6+

30/12/2020

“Rosie Loves Jack”- £5 (RRP £7.99) SOLD
Young Adult Fiction

30/12/2020

SOLD
Maths Puzzle Pad- £5 (RRP £6.99)
Ages 6+

29/12/2020

Hi, I’m Laura Jayne and welcome to my Happy Minds page.

All my life I have been a little bookworm. Within the last year I have turned my passion for books into an incredible little business which has now become “Happy Minds Little Bookshop”

I work with Usborne books-which I believe to be the best books in the world for children of all ages.

Alongside this I am a Mum to two girls and a registered nurse specialising in children’s mental health and well-being.

One of my aims is to link Usborne books with my nursing and help people use books to have positive connections with others and for little minds to flourish.

06/12/2020

🎄Christmas Decorations 🎄

🤶🏻Do your children love preparing for Christmas through crafts?
🎅🏻Do you want to re-energise your decorating with some beautiful, hand-made features?

This book is just full of Christmas loveliness 🥰

It has fifty sheets of colourful patterned paper, and a book with simple step-by-step instructions for making twelve different Christmas ornaments. 😇

Its recommended for 7 years+ but younger children could definitely be involved with adult support. 👍

03/12/2020

Usborne minis just £3.99 each!!

Rainy days ☔️, travel 🧳, school holidays 🏫, or simply needing to pop something in your handbag 👜 for “a day out”? Then grab a handful of Usborne minis and boredom will be banished in an instant. 🎉

☀️ These bright and colourful pocket-sized activity books - including sticker shapes, drawing, puzzles and rub-down transfers- are the perfect answer for children who need to keep busy when the family is on the go. 🌈

Slip them in a pocket, tuck them into bags and suitcases, or use them as a special gift in party bags and Christmas stockings 🎄 🎅

Ideal for children aged 6 and over, these pint-sized but big-on-entertainment books feature everything from animals 🦒, pirates 🏴‍☠️ , pets 🐶 and outer space 🪐 to marine creatures 🐙, gardens 🌷 and the jungle! 🦒

24/11/2020

Amazing Reading Set 🌞

£199.50 RRP
£39.99 SPECIAL OFFER

Inspire a lifelong love of reading in children with this fantastic library of 50 books. This great value set of fully illustrated story books is sure to suit all levels of reading ability. All fifty titles feature in the Usborne Reading Programme, a range that has been especially developed to help encourage young readers at home.
Included are:
14 x First Reading Level Three titles
16 x First Reading Level Four titles
20 x Young Reading Series One titles

Perfect for Years 1 and 2 within Primary school

23/11/2020

It’s Children’s Grief Awareness week and bereavement organisations around the country are joining forces to encourage people to “Say the Words”.

But what does this mean?

As a nurse I have cared for many bereaved children and there are three important points I’d like to make:

1. Don’t use phrases like ‘passed away’, ‘lost’ or ‘gone to sleep’ with children. It doesn’t make sense to them and confuses the matter. If someone is ‘lost’, they can be found. If someone has ‘gone to sleep’, they can wake up.

2. Be honest. Honesty can be painful, but it’s far more painful learning that you’ve been lied to, or denied the truth, in the future. Children understand far more than adults sometimes give them credit for. If you’re old enough to love, you’re old enough to grieve.

3. Keep talking about the person who has died. People often avoid the subject as they feel awkward or believe that they’re going to make it worse. The worst thing has already happened, but allowing someone to be forgotten only compounds the grief.

So please, “Say the Words” not just this week but always. Bereaved children and their families will be forever grateful. 💜

14/11/2020

Getting messy and creating “wow” moments is a favourite activity for my girls. A science themed day of mixing potions, making lip balms and activating stomp rockets is the current agenda 🧬 🧪 🧫