One of the things I did to spend more time w/ the family was to fold dropping off the kids in to the commute by getting a cargo bike. Now this is a huge outlay and only really works with younger kids who are not staying home, but I thought I'd put it out there. The Yuba Mundo has easily been the best $1,600 I've ever spent; nothing else even compares. I drop the kids off at primary/pre-school and then ride in to work after that.

One can also add an e-bike component for anywhere from < $1,000 for aftermarket or ~$2,000 for the kit supplied by Yuba. That could help significantly on the climbs, though it would take away from part of the reason for your commute.