Full disclaimer: I've only had chickens as an adult since last spring (but I grew up with them and a pony, rabbits, goats, and dogs).
I sort of agree with getaclue. It sounds like you don't really want chickens but that you just want the eggs. Well, there are much cheaper and a whole lot easier ways to get fresh eggs. It's great that you are asking online for advice, but is there anyway you could see how someone keeps their chickens in person? Maybe you know someone who owns them so you can see their setup and routine in person. It might help you decide if it's something you can handle and really want to do. Also, you'll be able to imagine things that you want to do similarly or differently.
I understand that you had a crappy introduction to chickens in the past. It doesn't have to be that way this time around. I hated the chickens when I was a kid--they did just seem mean and dirty, but I really enjoy the ladies I have now. I also get that you don't think you'll have a whole lot of time. It is funny, but I actually make time for my birds. I guess it's how I sort of enjoy the results of working in the yard now but hated having to do it as a kid.
I do want to commend you on that even though you want fast and easy, you don't want to compromise on quality of care. You can have a streamlined care and cleaning system that lets you spend minimal time on your birds, but you either need to invest time up front in the labor of constructing housing or spend some $ for someone else to do it for you. There are plenty of construction designs that will help minimize the time you need to spend cleaning. Easy access doors and nest boxes and the use of droppings boards make for easy cleaning routines. Something as simple as just being able to get your wheelbarrow up to the door of the coop can cut out a lot of time and bother.
If you are bent on getting chickens, want some eggs, but want to minimize the time you spend caring for the hens, I suggest getting less birds. Build (or buy) a coop and pen that can accommodate 6-8 birds but only get 4. Your ladies will have spacious living quarters that won't get as dirty as quickly so you won't have to clean as often. Don't worry about not having enough eggs. Like you, I've got a family of 4. We have 6 layers and I can honestly say we have too many eggs. Right now I've got 3 dozen in my fridge, 6 in a basket on the counter, and I haven't even collected the rest of today's lay. Rate of lay depends on breed, so you can sort of control how many eggs you get by selecting breeds that are known for high, medium or low production but all breeds lay the most during their first year and then gradually taper off.
Once you've had the 4 for a while, if it turns out you are okay with the amount of work involved and you want more eggs (or its been 2 years and your current hens' production slows down but you can't bring yourself to cull what has now quite likely become your children's pets) then get a couple more birds. Because you started with a larger than needed coop, you'll have the room. Just remember that you need to think about what you'll do with birds that are no longer laying. If you plan to keep them as on into their golden years, you could be giving them free room & board for a number of years. If you want to keep steady egg numbers, you'll need to keep getting new birds every so often. If you are adding more birds without culling the old ones you'll need to account for an increase in space requirements, an increase in food budget, and an increase in time spent caring for more birds. It may not be worth keeping non-layers around so you need a plan for them. There's going to be a time when I'm barely getting any eggs because all my ladies are all the same age and will quit laying at about the same time. Unfortunately, I don't have room to add new ones so I'm going to have to make the decision to just keep them and go back to buying eggs or cull them.
Oh, one thing about having kids and birds. It really stinks when they go out in the yard and stumble across the carcass of their favorite chicken stripped clean by a hawk. If you want to avoid having that "circle of life" talk with the kids, take the time to build a secure, predator proof coop and pen. If you plan on free-ranging them they will likely come back to the coop each evening on their own but expect daytime losses. I will say though, one of the best things about keeping chickens is that my son gets to learn empathy and responsibility by helping to care for them.
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