How do we teach our kiddos to ask for less?

This is cool site for kids... comics-rrr | greenplanet4kids.com I really need to impress upon my almost-six-year-old to get rid of her crap and NOT ask for any more. Maybe I can start here? This year's Christmas season has prompted many conversations about just how good she has it... and she's still not getting it because she keeps asking for MORE.  I've told her I'm going to help her go through her toys for donation purposes, and she seems pretty open to that.  She's pretty keen on selling things, too, to earn money so she can purchase other things.  So here's my question to you parents... how do we get our kids to ask for less?  How do we encourage them to be happy with all the wonderful things God has already given them?  How do we teach them to be good stewards?

I think in 2011 I'm going to give her "experiences" rather than "stuff". This will be yet another ongoing thing for me to chronicle here. I know. I know. I haven't been too good about chronicling all that other stuff I told you about. Hahaha! I'll get there!

Delays Delays Delays

So, I haven't done much cutting of the crap.  At least not this week.  I stalled out at 10k words for my NaNoWriMo aspirations, and that was because I COULD NOT cut out distractions; the month of November passed without me reaching my 50k word goal.  Sad.  However, in the past month I did a huge purge from all the crap I had in my cubicle.  What was the reason, you ask?  Our offices changed locations, and I had to get rid of stuff.  HAD to.  They wouldn't move everything, and I didn't feel like lugging a huge box of personal crap from the old office to the new one. 

So... what went with me to the new office?  All of my Project Management stuff.  The books.  The manuals.  All the personal self help books are in a box now and will come out AFTER the holidays when I need them... and they'll come out at home.  All of those little chotchky (sp?) things have been seriously weeded out.  I now keep only a few things my daughter gave me, because, well, those have special meaning.  So my desk has less clutter than the one before, and I like that.

However, this past week has been a mess for me, and my desk reflects that.  So that brings me to some spiritual questions... like how much does my inner state reflect on the outside?  My desk is certainly evidence of the clutter I have in my head right now.  Is is possible for me to keep my desk clutter-free if my head is decidedly NOT?  and vice versa?  These questions have inspired me to clean my desk.  The result?  I actually FEEL BETTER when my desk is clean.  Now that explains a lot about my state of mind when I get home and see the mess my two little Tasmanian Devils have created.  Their dad loves them and plays with them most of the day.  That's what they need.  My house's appearance suffers, I think.  LOL  Still, I think I now know why I get grumpy when I get home... what to do to make that better, though?  I can't afford a maid.  Something has to give!