How do you spend quality time with your kids?

I loved taking mine to the pier and go crab fishing. It was like National Geographic some days. Sharks, baby seals, sun spots, and some things that required research. The problem with crab fishing red rock crabs is that your limit is 6 a day and that only makes about 1/2 cup of good meat. My youngest scarfed it down in a couple seconds, but the hunt is always the best part.

Doing it right now. Just the kids and me on a 1500 mile road trip to see their grandpa in Maryland. Finding lots of fun things to do along the way.

Having lost so much time with them from deployments, I am very aware that I only have so long to enjoy them while they are still little and fun.

My girls and I plan our menu each week always looking to try new things, go shop for the ingredients and then cook the meals together. Mom loves it and so do the girls. It's a great way to spend time together each week.

Quality time has been an on going thing between me and my son.
We go to the park together, we go swimming together, he has his own laptop, but when it goes down he is the only one who can use it. He is the only one who knows my password to both cell phone and laptop, when it comes to eating he prefers to eat off my plate. I am the one who taught him to talk, walk. I am the one who teaches him Marital arts. I am the one who can control him and talk to him as a person. He shares everything with me and no one else. I'm a bit old to have such a wonderful gift, and sometimes I get worn out, but even with that I get the energy from some where to do the things he wants because no one else will.

being a new father my little girl is still only 8 months old but right now I spent time with her on the floor lol. crawling around with her. Though I can not wait until she grows up a little more so I can do more things with her

I have a friend at church who works with wood so I'm taking the kids to his shop over the summer to build bookshelves for the living room. They will be heirloom pieces some day. We hope to build a lot of quality furniture together.

Lifting and golfing

I live taking them to Crown Crnter in Fowntown Kansas City to SeaLife Aquarium and Legoland in the weekends, swimming at the pool during the summer or to the movies.

My kids and I are really big into sports, so if the Michigan weather is treating us right, we will play basketball, soccer or football. We ride bikes together too. If we are reduced to indoor activities, then it's nerf fun wars or Lego building contest. We also like to play XBOX Kinect too. My wife often says that I'm her 4th kid because we are always finding something to get into.

CPT Chris Loomis What matters most, is not what you do, but that you make your family a priority.

After you hang up your boots... you will still have your family, hopefully. But, you have to work at that, and make it a priority. As a leader you must model a balanced family friendly lifestyle. Why would a young leader want to stay, if they work for a workaholic who never has time for anything but work? They probably would not. Life is short, and our families outlast the Army, if you do it right.

When I went into battalion and brigade command, my first objective was the model a balance lifestyle. I worked for several commanders, who did not, and that meant everyone worked long hours and suffered needlessly. You have to lead by example this area too. There will always be work tomorrow, and in these times of high OPTEMPO, you need to enjoy your home station time and cherish it. My other two command objectives after balance, were to make a difference everyday, and leave the unit better than I found it.

That said, with my kids it was biking, hiking, traveling playing whatever they wanted, scouts, and lots of time on Ice Hockey with my son... and Horses with my daughter... The time together was the key, not the activities.