The interview is full of details about Michelle's daily routine that underscore why we will never have a day half as productive as hers. In addition to getting up at 5:30am every day and keeping two BlackBerrys, Michelle says:

We don't have TiVo. For me, I think TiVo would be dangerous. The notion of, like, sitting and watching shows for hours, I could see getting caught up in that.

She says that instead of catching up on American Idol,

I read more magazines. The New Yorker is one of my big, sort of relaxing reads.

Michelle says she's aware that with all the loving fist bumps and romantic Inaugural dances, what People calls a "mythology" has grown up around her marriage. While Michelle explains that yes, she and Barack really do like and respect each other, she adds:

I don't want anybody to think that it's easy. It works because we really work at it ... We have a strong marriage, but it's not perfect.

But there's no evidence of any marital strife in her account of their family dinner ritual:

We do something called "roses and thorns," and we each share our rose and our thorn," Michelle Obama says. She pauses. "Malia has pointed out to Barack that, as she said, "Dad you seem to have a pretty thorny job." We looked at each other and laughed and said, "It's okay, you can say that."

Later Michelle remarks:

I have to say, I've had a lot of rosy days ... I think I have the good end of the deal.

One thing keeping her in high spirits is the comic stylings of Sasha and Malia:

Our girls are just complete comic relief," she says. "We're dealing with the age range where they're pretty funny in their observations and sort of lack of being impressed with any of this.

The girls have decided they're too old for mom and dad to read to them at bedtime, and Michelle says, "They're now independent readers." But they still enjoy running around the White House!

"I've tried to encourage them to feel like this whole place is their home," Mrs. Obama says. "We actually had this conversion - just let us know where you're going."

The girls have also been pestering her about the one topic on the minds of all Americans: the puppy.

Mrs. Obama says she favors Portuguese Water Dogs, the breed Sen. Ted Kennedy lobbied for. And the target date is April, after that spring break trip. "So Sasha says, "April 1st." I said, "April." She says, "April 1st. It's, like, April!"

But Michelle doesn't like the names the girls have suggested for the puppy:

"Frank was one of them. Moose was another," she says with a laugh and a roll of her eyes. "I'm like, no. Come on. Lets work with the names a little bit.

Finally, Michelle explains that she chose to pose for the cover of Vogue because she knows she's an inspiration for African Americans, especially young women like her daughters.

While I don't consider myself a fashionista," she says, "I thought it was good for my daughters and little girls just like them , who haven't seen themselves represented in these magazines, hopefully to talk more broadly about what beauty is, what intelligence is, what counts."

[Image via People]

Entering the White House at the age of 12, Chelsea Victoria Clinton (Secret Service codename: Energy), was a bright, strong-minded little girl who just happened to be the daughter of the President. This, apparently, gave jerks across the country the notion that she was fair game for cruel jokes. Comedians, late-night hosts, and yes, even certain Senators from Arizona who just lost the election, took shots at Chelsea's awkward adolescent appearance, as if she were the only person on earth who didn't look like Christy Turlington at the age of 12. In keeping with his classy record, Rush Limbaugh referred to her as the "White House Dog."

Chelsea braved the criticism and began to take a more public role, accompanying her mother, Hillary, on various diplomatic trips during her time as a student at the private Sidwell Friends School, where she excelled in her studies. The fishbowl scrutiny only got worse for Chelsea when the Lewinsky scandal broke and details of her father's sordid affair were splashed upon the front pages of every paper in the world, and yet still, she maintained a sense of grace and composure and continued to concentrate on her education, going on to obtain a Bachelor's degree in history from Stanford and later a Master's degree in International Relations from Oxford University.

This is not to say that Chelsea did not suffer and struggle in private; but what we can say is this: Chelsea Clinton, through all of the painful mockery, all of the embarrassment, all of the scrutiny, grew up to be an accomplished woman with an impressive record. Yes, she had the best opportunities around, but she took them and took them as far as she could, working hard to escape the shadow of her parents and the shadow of the White House to become her own person.

One hopes that the Obama girls won't have to go through what Chelsea went through; and that this time around, we won't allow it to. No child should be mocked, regardless of what his or her parents do for a living. Luckily, Sasha and Malia's parents are already taking steps to ensure that their time in the White House will be a happy one: a new puppy is on the way, and the President and First Lady-Elect have already started looking for schools. ""I'm a mother first," Michelle Obama says, "And I'm going to be at parent-teacher conferences, and ... I'm going to be at the things that they want me to attend. I'm not going to miss a ballet recital."

So good luck, First Daughters. You have an interesting four years ahead. There will be ups and there will be downs, and we as a country will most likely see them all. But remember, there's always someone you can call for advice on living in the White House. Her codename is Energy, and she's a pretty amazing lady.

Obama's Girls About To Go Into The Fishbowl [CNN]
16 Candles For Chelsea [Washington Post]