Chrissy: The cleaning idea is a good one. You might want to assume that you may never be allowed to go back into the house once you leave. I didn't make that assumption in my 1st marriage, and I still find myself thinking, "geeze, why didn't I grab my Beatles' White Album, or my favorite hammer, or my xyz." You might even put some stuff in boxes and mail it to a relative to hold for you, just in case. And don't assume that your kids can go into the house and get the stuff for you...it is wrong to ask them to do this.
Gawd...this sucks. I'm tearing up remembering how painful that time was in my life, and worrying about you and the added crap of potential violence.
