Sorry to hear about your mom.
Did want to try and post my experiences with halides as well; did so much research on them a year ago I figure it might help you too.
I purchased the Metal Halides last year and they worked great. I was concerned about too much light one way or another (colorwise) so I ended up doing a lot of research and realized it's the K value that matters. For example I ended up going with 7200K bulbs (1000W halides) and they burn almost the same color as the natural sunlight. It's a tad blue starting up, but overall it's not a harsh color at all. It's certainly not fish-tank blue like some halides I've seen. Plants loved it - grew right through the winter like nothing had changed. Hope that helps.
I purchased from this company twice and was very pleased (they sell a complete kit in a variety of combinations, 1000W may be way more than you need):
Plant Grow Lights, Metal Halide Lights, Metal Halide Light Fixtures, Metal Halide Grow Lights, 1000 Watt Halide Plant Grow Lights, 1000 Watt Metal Halide Plant Grow Lights
And this was the specific light:
Buy 1000W SolarMax 7200K Metal Halide Lamps Here!
Like was mentioned above, unless you've got flowering tropicals, the high pressure sodium or the dual kits (two bulbs per hood) aren't really worth your time.