I go through that almost every day. Hearing "don't forget" or some other similar phrase sets me right off and makes me cringe. Try hearing "shut the door, don't let the dog out" as you are opening the door to leave. I just make an assinine comment back. No, I like it open. I want the birds to make a nest on top of the fridge". Works for me because holding things in and pretending to play nice drives me more crazy.

My mother also goes through this with her own mother and she ignores it and brushes it off as her mother being "old". So then we "butt heads" because we handle things differently and of course she thinks her way is better.