Welcome Pat. I too have 3 kids-glasses and braces, been there.
I recently (less than 2 weeks ago) bought a new bike-Trek 1000. I am VERY new to biking and brand new to road bikes. I decided to get clips put on about 2 days after buying the bike. I figured I might as well learn everything at once. My clips are dual sided, with a removable platform on one side. The platform just make the pedal more of a "platform" pedal for when I am not feeling brave. I refer to them as my training pedals. Soon the platforms come off.
As for length of rides. Everyone is so different. Do what works for you. I am a SAHM, so I do not have a commute. I try to get a ride in the morning and then one after dinner, since neither of them are very long-yet.
Jennifer
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit."
-Aristotle