The holiday season always seems to fly by at an increasingly rapid pace. From Halloween on, really, the days and occasions slip by faster and faster. And when Thanksgiving falls at the very end of the month, the sprint to Christmas feels a bit insane, doesn’t it? Who has time for giving thanks and turkey sandwiches when we’ve got SALES to hit and CARDS to send and GIFTS to buy and PARTIES to plan?!

Don’t get me wrong. Obviously I posted about the sales I was most excited about just yesterday! And last night I sent a party invitation. And yes, yes, I’m hoping to order my Christmas cards this week, too.

Despite all that – or maybe because of it – I’m thankful for Giving Tuesday.

Giving Tuesday is a movement that designates a national day of giving following Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Tomorrow, December 3, is the second annual Giving Tuesday – a day to take a breath and a break from buying and doing, and a day to give back.

GivingTuesday.com says, “It’s a simple idea. Just find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more. Then tell everyone you can about how you are giving. Be a part of a national celebration of our great tradition of generosity.”

The way I’m giving back this week, this Giving Tuesday, is through (in)Mercy, an (in)courage campaign to support Mercy House Kenya.

This fall, the (in)courage community has worked together to raise nearly $29,000 through four phases of fundraising. The women of (in)courage have provided the Kenyan mamas and babies of Mercy House with a new (to them) van, a new classroom for skills training, a generator and a computer lab.

Now? Starting today? We’re going to raise $53,000 to help Mercy House build a second home. The current building houses 12 mothers and 12 babies in a six-bedroom home that also serves as a school, an office, a storage space and more. It’s a crowded, busy place – and a second home will do more for the current residents and help even more women and children.

THAT is what I’m working for today and how I’m giving back this week. {Join me?}

If you’re curious to see for yourself the work being done at Mercy House, you can read Kristen’s recent posts. (Kristen Welch of We Are THAT Family is the founder of Mercy House and has been in Kenya the past week.)

To support (in)Mercy, click here. To support Giving Tuesday and share the word about this movement, use the hashtag #GivingTuesday when you talk about how you’re giving back this month on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.

How are you giving back this month?

Disclosure: This post is part of a compensated campaign with The Motherhood, but as always, all opinions are my own.