CHICAGO — Barack Obama's 10-year-old daughter Malia is looking forward to decorating her new room, and already there's talk of sleepovers at the White House.

Michelle Obama has turned her attention to schools, asking Washington staff members and friends about what might be the best fit for Malia and 7-year-old Sasha.

And Grandma, a lifelong Chicago resident, is preparing to pick up and move to Washington to help shuttle the girls to soccer games and recitals.

Since Election Day, much of the attention has been on the government transition, but there is family transition unfolding, too, as the president-elect, his wife and daughters prepare for life at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

They will be putting their lives in boxes and adjusting like any other family set for a big move, except they will be doing it under the watchful eye of the media and the Secret Service.

Before the election, 71-year-old Marian Robinson, Michelle's mother, told The Associated Press that she would be a big part of keeping her granddaughters grounded.

"I will do whatever Michelle needs simply because I know how important it is for her to see that the children ... still have discipline and still have things that children do at their disposal," Robinson said. She plans to move to Washington, though the timing and where she will live remain unclear.

The Obamas worked hard during the campaign to make sure life stayed as normal as possible for their girls. They plan to keep their Chicago home, a $1.65 million mansion in a well-to-do South Side neighborhood near the University of Chicago.

"This has been their anchor," said longtime friend Cindy Moelis.

Barricades were erected long ago along two streets running past his home, but the restricted zone got bigger after his election. Residents must show ID to get onto his street. Neighbors inside the zone have to wait about an hour to receive deliveries from Medici on 57th, a local restaurant and Obama haunt.

Agents carrying guns also escort the family wherever they go. But the family had time to get used to the heightened security during the campaign.

To prepare the girls for the big move to the nation's capital, the Obamas had talked to them about what would happen if their father won the presidency. The girls had plenty of questions, including whether they would get to decorate their own rooms in the White House (the answer is yes).