Diary of a Custodial Parent 5.27.12

It is the start of my daughter's summer vacation. This is the first time my daughter will have extended visits with her dad during the summer on a weekly basis. I will have her a week then he will have her a week, and we will repeat until school starts. We have experienced this on a small scale with a week during Christmas Break and this year I think during Spring Break. However, the repeating every other week is going to be new for us (me). I am missing her already and it has just been 52 hours since I dropped her off to her last day of school (preK3). Let's not mention that I got to see her today after requesting it from her dad because I was going out of town for the memorial day weekend. She was at a relative's home (I assume just while her dad was at work). She thought that I was coming to pick her up when she saw me (she said, I am going to get my flip flops). I had to break it to her that I was just visiting. We later had to go to the bathroom because she kept wining that she wanted to go with me. I told her that she had to be a big girl if she wanted mommy to come and see her during Daddy week (that is what I have been calling this time to prepare her for the summer). She knows that she will have daddy week and mommy week. Unfortunately, she doesn't really understand what a week is. I read somewhere to provide kids a calendar so that they know when they will be with one parent or the other. I will have to work on that and explain the calendar to her. I am praying for wisdom and guidance on how to handle this week. Maybe I should just say handle today.