Hi Tracy!
I think it all depends on what your "must do's" will be when you get to Disney...
My experience has been that the parks get busier as the day goes on. If there are items you must do, try to do it earlier than later. Of course, in some situations you won't have a choice, like watching nighttime fireworks and/or parade spectaculars (i.e. Fantasmic).
On our last trip, what our family did was take in later breakfasts, and skipped out on all the early morning Magic Extra Hours. We also either ate breakfast at the resort, or caught one at a Park close to the resort, to reduce the extra travel time.
But our kids are 6 and 2, so we could only hold them "hostage" at the resort but so long before they were begging to go to the parks :-)
If your kids are even older, they may prefer relaxing at the pool before taking in the sometimes "mad rush" of the parks.
My recommendation would be this:
Schedule light itineraries each day. Outside of the "must do's," make the rest of the list optional. Take in a quick service restaurant or two vs. sit down table service back-to back-to back (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner). These are generally the big "We must be here at this time!" moments that cause the most stress. Also split the day up: Start at a park in the morning, come back to the resort in the afternoon, then returning to the same or different park for that evening. It breaks up the monotony, allows you to catch a breath "away" from the parks, and takes away the pressure of "grinding it out" a full day at the park.
Good luck! Hope your vacation is relaxing and stress-free!