Hi Janelle,
to IIS!
I can understand the reasons for mentioning the telescopes you do, and for the reservation you may have with a dob. AND that you have three kids (good onya mum!) and live at a remote location. But, for these very reasons I would suggest you actually
consider a dob. I'll try to persuade you...
Yes, essentially a solid tube dob is a "bulky" item. But, an 8" instrument is surprisingly easy to handle. They are not heavy, and the scope comes away from the mount easily so you don't need to handle the entire thing in one go. Depending on how old your kids are, you may have confidence enough for them to deal with the thing, if not singularly then in pairs.
There are no tricky technical elements to a dob. It is a simple 'gun turret' set up - up and down, around side to side. Just plonk it down and use it. An equatorial mount requires some more attention to be effective. Even a go-to requires attention to get working properly and effectively. These are not fool proof systems. The complexity of an eq mount I am prepared to say is the single biggest killer of enthusiasm with new players in astro as a first scope. The only "tricky" part of a 'push-pull' telescope is just aligning up the finder scope to the main tube, and you're off.
The sky is not an impossibly difficult place to navigate in. If you are already in a remote area, then you actually have a head start over everyone else who isn't. Believe it or not, you can already see hundreds of deep sky objects naked eye! Nebulae, star clusters, even some galaxies. It can be just as simple a matter as aiming the scope at one of those "fuzzy" stars, and you will be in for a surprise. And star charts can be a simple or as complex as you want them to be. And today, with smart phones, there are now apps that allow you to sit the phone on the scope and use it as a push-to scope, using the phone to guide you to a target. Push-to is the same as go-to, but you are moving the scope using a computer screen of some type to guide you.
A dobbie is a very forgiving first instrument. Very simple to use, and as you say, has a lot of aperture for not a whole lot of money. Should the astro bug not take in your house hold, the money outlay won't hurt as much.
You mention you would like to "WOW" the kids. The light gathering capability of the scopes you mention, and their resolving power, are just under a really "WOW" inducing aperture. An 8" instrument has that capacity. An 8" dob has the capacity and ease of use to make it even more appealing. An 8" dobbie takes 1 min to set up and be playing. The simplest go-to system takes a lot longer. When the urge to take out a scope hinges on how tired you are, you won't be heading for the go-to.
Now, if the astro bug does bite, that same 8" dob can be easily changed to suit an equatorial mount. Nothing is lost, and there is an easy evolution in the way the interest in astronomy develops.
Finally, the single biggest asset you already have is your own kids! Within minutes they not only get the hang on how to move a push-pull dob, but they will then be knocking off deep sky objects like a veteran of the hobby, even without charts.
Please consider a simple dob as your best first choice option. After more than 30 years in this hobby, I have seen a thing or two.
Mental.