What mom doesn’t need a bit of red carpet pampering?  After slopping around in spew-stained Lulus, it’s nice to relax…into the frenetic environment of TIFF which is like too many toddlers in an oversized ball pit. I think my head’s still hurting. It started at The Suite, where I got to peruse fashions, both gorgeous and bizarre, from some favourite Canadian designers including Lucian Matis.  Make-up artists were on stand-by to give the latest tips and tricks and changes me from paunchy and bleary-eyed to bright eyed and panashed. Then it was on to back-to-back industry parties, filled with goodies bags and ever-filled cocktail glasses. And to keep our fashion gluttony in check, CANFAR reps were there to remind us how relevant and vital AIDS research is.  And no, going to see Jean-Marc Vallee’s Dallas Buyers Club isn’t enough… We left early to grab a late supper with my favourite costume designer and ended up eating with Bill Condon, director of festival opener The Fifth Estate. Ok, not with him. Beside him. At the next table. But in the same restaurant. We even ordered the same appies. And I *may* have broken out a few bars of  And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going from Dreamgirls (which he also directed.) Sadly, Benedict was not there… And then it was back to packing lunches and school runs. But I *may* have had an extra strut in my step.  And isn't that what pampering is all about?