I've seen that, too, although it seems like the chimes indicate an event of some sort--sometimes a kid turns 14, for example. Yes, it's probably just coincidence, but it does seem to happen with some frequency.

I keep running into the problem where a collectible appears, but a kid can't pick it up. There is nothing more frustrating than waiting on that very last item needed to complete the last collection for a month, and then it can't be picked up. I've seen the item appear, it's not like it's right at the end and it's ready to disappear, but no matter how I drop a kid on it, it can't be picked up. I've only found this since I had several games running.

Anyone else seen this?