How to deal with my visiting mother?

Wow… I’m up the walls.

My mother is over for a week. She drives me nuts. Nothing, literally nothing is good. All is negative and she needs continuous attention. She is always the victim of something and will always feel rejected. And I hate what it does to me and the rest of the family.

This morning I yelled at one of my kids, who did nothing seriously wrong.

Example…

“The cats are at the backdoor, They look hungry.”
“I know… they are the strays.”
Shall I let them in?”
“I’d rather you don’t… I am busy preparing food for the children and these are the strays we don’t want in the house.”

Opening the door.
“Oh mum… please…”
“Well I just want to help.”

Background:
My wife and I need to work today. The kids are on mid term. The nanny has been sent off for the day, because mum wants to be with the kids by herself.

my mum:
“What shall I do with the kids today?”
I:
“They would like to go to one of their friends on the compound and go to the pool.”
One of the kids:
“But Ashique has no bicycle, so we want to go to the pool, closer to his house, which is also nicer.”
my mum:
“But I don’ want to walk so far…”
I:
“It is only 300 meters further than the other pool.”
my mum:
“but that is still too far.”
I:
“OK… then use the driver…”
my mum:
“I don’t like him waiting for me outside, I find that degrading.”
I:
“But mum, we pay him and waiting is inevitably part of a driver’s job. However, I suggest that you let him go his way, then, and give him a call when you need him.”
my mum:
“I don’t want to wait. Let Ahmed come here.” (she meant Ashique.)

Ashique cannot… he is nine years old. If we had the nanny, my kids could have just taken their bicycles to ride over to Ashique by themselves, pick him up and return. My mother finds that ‘irresponsible’. (My wife and I are OK with it… it is a secure compound.)

I truly regret arranging her visa.

Please just give me some mantra that I can tell myself to help me through the next couple of days.
Preferably without killing my mother, hitting my children or ending up in divorce.