Our job is, first and foremost, to make sure our family is whole.

I mean, let's take the average spouse. You know, you show up in an employer's, you know, office, and it's shown that you've changed jobs every two years. Well, to many employers that could be viewed as a red flag. But the truth is, is that you've made those moves because you're serving your country, and each time you've found a career, and you've been able to provide for your family, and you've continued to volunteer, and on and on and on.

Some kids have never seen what a real tomato looks like off the vine. They don't know where a cucumber comes from. And that really affects the way they view food. So a garden helps them really get their hands dirty, literally, and understand the whole process of where their food comes from. And I wanted them to see just how challenging and rewarding it is to grow your own food, so that they would better understand what our farmers are doing every single day across this country and have an appreciation for ... that American tradition of growing our own food and feeding ourselves.

Don't let anyone speak for you, and don't rely on others to fight for you.

One of the things that attracted me to Barack [Obama] was his emotional honesty. Right off the bat he said what he felt. There are no games with him - he is who he appears to be.

When I was younger, I could eat whatever I wanted, as long as I exercised; or if I didn't exercise and just watched what I ate, I'd maintain. Now I have to do both.

One reason we planted the White House vegetable garden was to set an example about what food can mean, but to also begin a broader conversation about how we're feeding our kids, what they know about the food that they eat, how they're taking care of themselves.