Going into it, it seems like you should be able to work from home and take care of a baby, but put to practice it is very hard.

And I know it is not good practice to not account for property management in the expenses, but at the outset (early years of ownership for our first few properties) should I discount expenses based upon performing our own property management to add the 10% property management to our cashflow?

Practice with properties you aren't even interested in.

I agree with John- analyzing deals is a great way to practice and get knowledgable.

I'm curious if someone with experience with dealing with contractors successfully could provide some tips and best practices for dealing with them.Quotes:  To date we have been getting quotes on labor and timeline for our renovation projects and paying for materials directly.    

In February, I completed the 75-hour Real Estate Sales Person course in order to learn the RE rules and regulations in New Jersey. 

@Moritz Fischer wholesaling doesn't exsist in Germany due to laws and tax-regulations.

I also have been reading/studying/jumping around What Every Real Estate Investor Needs To Know About Cash Flow.I hope to put a plan in place in the next few months, and then practice running deals until I am in financial position to act on a deal. 

Fortunately, I had to go pick up my boys, who were now starting middle school basketball, from practice.

Practically zero.