As someone else suggested, read all my posts on The Doghouse, to get an idea of the first 10 months with a golden retriever! No one can predict the kind of pup they'll get.
Despite researching good breeders and waiting 48 yrs for my first dog, Rollo was the only one of the 3 bred litters (19 pups in all!) who has a v sensitive tummy. So, for months, I had to deal with nights of hosing down the garden at 3am, in torrential rain, no sleep, night after night, yet still looking after DCs and running a business in the daytime (still managing the diarrhoea!). I've never again felt the same about my kitchen since the entire floor (and it's a large one) got covered more than once with liquid diarrhoea over everything and up the walls too....
I must have spent roughly £6,000 + so far on Rollo, with vet bills, special foods, dog training, 'respite care' with the dog trainer, toys, equipment (this may be an underestimate!).
However, your circumstances are different to mine. I'm not a SAHM. I'm single. I work f/t - albeit from home - and I have twins. Having a dog would be much more manageable either if I had no job or if I had no DCs. Having a dog, plus f/t self-employment, plus no OH or other family around, is barely manageable.
Rollo, however, is brilliant in temperament - laid back and v friendly with people and dogs and young children. He was house trained (EXCEPT for when he got diarrhoea several times) from the 2nd day of his arrival home at 7 weeks old. I was only up in the nights (OTHER than when he was ill) for about he first 2 to 3 weeks and then he was fine to sleep in his crate.
I recently had a small window of time when it was 'working' - just - for my family. I rearranged all my work so i could give him a v good 2 off lead runs each day. Unfortunately, he's now one year old and has started to ignore all recall commands and hunt pheasants and rabbits over miles of fields.
So I'm now reduced to on-lead walks (which don't work off nearly as much energy) and hoop throwing games for as long as I can keep his attention.
My garden lawn is destroyed - from wee, poo and massive holes he's dug. My kitchen is ruined, as he's chewed chunks out of the bottom of the door, eaten off all the lower handles on the kitchen units. For a time, I couldn't leave anything at all on kitchen counters as he just snatched everything off.
He still scavenges for anything and so has to wear a muzzle always when we're out and about.
For me, it's been like having a very very challenging child in late life, who has taken away much of the attention I'd give to my DCs and who is like a cross between a baby, a toddler and a teenager. At the moment, i still feel as if it was a mistake to get a dog at this time in my life and should have waited till my DCs were leaving home. My main stress comes from having to ignore my DCs needs in order to fulfil Rollo's needs and from losing any 'down' time at all for me, ever!
However, in a home with more than one adult (you need to be able to leave the DCs when they're ill because you still need to do the dog walks - complete nightmare for me with no one else here!) and where you do only the house work and child care but no other work - in or out of the home, I think I can see how workable it might be. My only recourse has been to pay massive amounts for dog care - but can't keep on doing this.
He's lovely - but if I had my time again, I'd not be taking on a pup at this stage of my family's life.