A few answers, hope these help...::
'Digging a hole to China' you cannot force, they will do it all on their own. As well as the flower pots out front. They will get out the watering can from the open shed and water them all on their own.
The holes in the yard are from gophers. Either you've had one in the yard that your child was 'playing in the lawn' with, or your child has 'dug a hole to China' If you drag an adult to the hole, they will fix it. Also, if you hadn't noticed the hole yet, your adults will take it upon themselves to fix these as well.
Also, in regards to the 'Sleeping Dragon' Trophie, your child will choose to do kung fu all on their own, but it will generally happen outside the back door, not far from the kitchen.
The TV Remote is a clever little thing. One moment it's there the next it's not. You earn a Trophie for finding this 10 times. It's always around the house somewhere, look for a small black rectangular shape on the floor somewhere. On stairs, in the laundry room, in the beds, I even found it out on the deck once.
The kitchen workspace is to the right of the sink just beside the stairs. It will take a few tries to inititate this but praising good behaviour will help a lot here.
The children will only come back from college when you go to the 'Family' menu and click on the 'Start Next Generation' button (it's blue). Then you will have the option of chosing which child to take over the household. You can only chose one. This doesn't need to be done until you have no adults left in the house. Remember, you make the most money (even to pass on to future generations) when your at your oldest, making upgrades and sustainable life much easier.

Many of the actions cannot be forced. You simply need to wait patiently. hope that this helps all of you.