I haven't visited the boards in a few days because my mom called in the middle of Tuesday night and said my dad was being put in ICU because of internal bleeding in his GI tract. It's been a roller coaster because of transferring him to different hospitals but things are really good now. He's out of ICU and should go home tomorrow. I'm so glad that I live near my parents and was able to be there with my mom. And of course we're so glad that the problem was caught and was able to heal without surgery.
I had posted here originally because I was looking for perspective. Your responses certainly helped with that, and then my dad's incident sent me on over to the other side.
We're still going to appeal to the district (April 10 is the day; I have another 15 minutes!), though we're not confident that it will do any good. But bottom line: I want to make sure that I ENJOY my kids. We certainly never know what's around the corner with life. Besides, they grow up way too fast. So we'll see what happens and be prepared to make changes as necessary; I'm going to chill out a bit on the worrying, though.
Thanks again for your help. You have given great advice, brought smiles to my face, and made me laugh, as well. Amy
