Hey Nathan,
The easiest way I've found to find friends is to type their handle in the address bar of the site.
For example, if I was searching for you, I'd type /@nathankaye (after steemit.com), so in total it would look like this: steemit.com/@nathankaye
Not the most convenient, but it works! Hope this helps :)
(P.S., Any tips on juggling that kind of family life? I'm getting to the point in my life where I'm starting to prioritize family life, but I definitely want to keep up my music!)