Sasha and Malia Obama may be the first daughters with an entire staff at their disposal, but that doesn’t mean they can escape daily chores.

First Lady Michelle Obama tells People magazine that she wants to make sure her kids remain levelheaded while living in the White House, where they can have anything their precious hearts desire.

"People want to make your life easy, and when you have small kids — I’ve explained this to the staff — they don’t need their lives to be easy. They’re kids," she tells the magazine. In addition to making their own beds and cleaning their rooms, the girls will have to clean up after their new pet, a Portuguese water dog. The White House staff, we’re sure, are pleased about that revelation.

Michelle Obama also discusses how great it feels to finally have her family settled and back to a routine after such a long campaign, living out of suitcases. 

"We haven’t had that kind of time together for [years], so that explains a lot why we all feel so good in this space," she says.

The People magazine issue hits newsstands tomorrow.