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Jeannie,
Definitely it is too long for a puppy to be in the crate. the puppy wants to be with you (and you should want the puppy to be with you) as much as possible! But, the key is that she should never be out of sight. This may help: get a long leash ( 6 ft) and clip it to your belt and to her collar. Then, she can wander a bit but still has to stay close to you. If you see her sniffing at the ground or trying to walk away from you, take her outside. Take her, not send her. With her tied to you, you'll notice a lot more quickly her patterns.
I have a 16 week old boxer puppy. she is still learning. This week she is finally asking to go out. It takes a LOT of work for some puppies (my other dog was born trained somehow... he just knew to go out at 6 weeks and never had accidents...lucky me!) BUt other puppies take time and patience and lots of cleaner.
Try Nature's Miracle- an enzymatic cleaner. That gets rid of the pee smell even for pup's sensitive nose, so the dog doesn't get a habit of peeing inside in the same place.
Good luck and good for you for recognizing that you need help with this. I forget how old your older kids are, but they could help you with the training. I do feel very sorry for your other dogs, but we have all made mistakes somewhere along the line.
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