Must be a nice life in the White House

Geneva High School kids were trudging off to their second day of final exams last Tuesday, tests that had been delayed because of two "severe weather" days the week before and then the three-day weekend.

Eggs, I thought to myself. Eggs have lots of protein and would be good brain food for my high school daughter. Tuesday was also Inauguration Day. And as I scrubbed out the egg pan later - really, even with cooking spray, scrambled eggs are kind of a mess to clean up - it occurred to me that Michelle Obama won't be washing egg pans, or any other kind of pan or dish, for at least four years.

Lucky her. I'd emptied the carton so I started a grocery list - and realized the Obamas also no longer have to worry about whether the refrigerator holds enough eggs, carrots or cream cheese. Inauguration Day was also our milk delivery. My husband usually brings in the bottles in and takes them downstairs to the basement refrigerator.

The president sure won't be handling such chores, nor will either of them have to count bottles on Monday night to see if they need to amend the order. All taken care of for them. Just think of all the ordinary chores we all do every day that no longer are the Obama family's responsibility.

Meals, for example. I read recently that one of the things Laura Bush said she'd miss most was the White House chef. Can't you see why? We eat dinner together just about every night, so the meals issue is one to which I can relate. We eat lots of salads, but let's face it, they're a pain to make.

At the White House, someone else is washing the lettuce! What a timesaver. Tedious chore, off the family's plate. When the Obama kids have friends over, I bet they'll be able to clatter down to the White House kitchen and make brownies or throw pizza rolls or French fries in the oven.

But the kids probably won't have to clean up, and they certainly won't have to worry if there are enough eggs to make the brownie batter. Taking the garbage and recycling to the curb? Someone else's job. (I bet all the presidential garbage, at least the paper variety, is shredded, wouldn't you think?) When the girls get their dog, will they be the ones who have to walk it? Or will staffers take care of this task when the weather is bad?

The White House undoubtedly has its own Geek Squad, ready to tackle any technological problem that vexes the family computers. (I'm not talking the government ones here.) So, when a computer acts up, as mine suddenly did last week, one of the Geekers probably could have figured out a lot faster than I did that the problem was a dying mouse, not a software conflict.

And Michelle probably won't have to drive to Best Buy to pick up a new one. And when she finds out she doesn't like the new one, she can probably order up a different one, without caring that it's more expensive. I, on the other hand, had to troll the Internet looking for a good buy on the different one, and will still have to return the one I don't like to Best Buy later on. Michelle is saved from all kinds of other chores: Returning Christmas presents. Making beds (though she says Sasha and Malia will still have to make theirs). Dusting and cleaning. Laundry. Not just the washing and drying, either, but the time-consuming folding and putting away.

If the Obama girls were in college, and one forgot to go back after break with enough contact lens pairs, a staffer could wrap up the errant contacts and mail them off, no muss, no fuss. Michelle probably wouldn't have to lift a finger, though I bet she'd write a personal note to send along.

"The American President" (1995) is one of my favorite movies. A running subplot concerns President Andrew Shepherd's struggle to figure out how to give flowers to his lady friend (played by a stunning Annette Bening). Where are his credit cards, he inquires at one point of Janie, his personal secretary, or aide, or whatever. Packed up with the rest of his personal things in Wisconsin, she tells him.

I've always wondered about that. Why can't the president use his own credit cards? Is there a worry his account will be hacked or what? How's he supposed to buy things? But it points out both some of the perks and some of the pitfalls of being the country's top family. Yes, someone else buys the flowers. But someone else buys the flowers. And scrubs the egg pan.