Well - I love my wife and kids. Been married for 20+ years. The simple thing is making sure everyone, on both sides, knows when you are going out. If I have an event, I put it on the calender (computer based) so we all know what is coming up. Same with her, and same with events we all need to go to (birthdays, dinners, etc). Very simple and communication is key.
As I go to a lot of events for photography, and various dinners for business, you need to know.
As for the kids, two of them, and they are awesome. And I love being a dad. To each his own.