I think leaving it more open ended with the birthstone colors would be cool. It leaves a lot of room for creativity and for thinking how the best way to embody a certain color in a photograph would be. Maybe you want to take a picture of something for that month that has to do with that color and a holiday or something. For example, may is emerald. Many things start blooming in May so there will be a lot of new green foliage that can be photographed. Or maybe something completely different that is green. Basically, it can be more specific to events in that month, or just general and based on the color. less

The overall theme is simply to make it easier to come up with the monthly themes. Unfortunately, given the time constraints for making this calendar, it's really hard to make things that have something to do with each month. For example, when I think of January and February, I inevitably think about snow and ice. I can find that without too much trouble where I live, but it would be prohibitively expensive and difficult to do so for most of you. less

Moving forward (the kids are on my back about not having dinner for them yet)

Good! Those are some very good ideas. I think we can do good things with birthstones if that ultimately is what is chosen. Now, let’s look at the origins of the month names.

January: Janus is the Roman god of gates and doorways.
February: Februa is the Roman festival of purification, held on February fifteenth.
March: Mars is the Roman god of war.
April: Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
May: Maia (meaning "the great one") is the Italic goddess of spring
June: Juno he is the goddess of marriage and the well-being of women.
July: Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar (hence the Julian calendar) in 46 BC. In the process, he renamed this month after himself.
August: Augustus Caesar clarified and completed the calendar reform of Julius Caesar. In the process, he also renamed this month after himself.
September: The seventh month
October : The eighth month
November: The nineth month
December: The tenth month

If you are trying to figure out how September through December are named after the numbers 7 through 10 when on our calendar they are months 9-12, remember that the calendar as we know it today is not like it once was. There have been a number of calendar reorganizations in the past, and September through December were indeed once months 7-10.

Much like the meanings behind the birthstones, there could be some interesting takes on these origins. July through December would be more difficult, though. I’m interested in hearing your thoughts. less

Moving forward (the kids are on my back about not having dinner for them yet)

Good! Those are some very good ideas. I think we can do good things with birthstones if that ultimately is what is chosen. Now, let’s look at the origins of the month names.

January: Janus is the Roman god of gates and doorways.
February: Februa is the Roman festival of purification, held on February fifteenth.
March: Mars is the Roman god of war.
April: Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
May: Maia (meaning "the great one") is the Italic goddess of spring
June: Juno he is the goddess of marriage and the well-being of women.
July: Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar (hence the Julian calendar) in 46 BC. In the process, he renamed this month after himself.
August: Augustus Caesar clarified and completed the calendar reform of Julius Caesar. In the process, he also renamed this month after himself.
September: The seventh month
October : The eighth month
November: The nineth month
December: The tenth month

If you are trying to figure out how September through December are named after the numbers 7 through 10 when on our calendar they are months 9-12, remember that the calendar as we know it today is not like it once was. There have been a number of calendar reorganizations in the past, and September through December were indeed once months 7-10.

Much like the meanings behind the birthstones, there could be some interesting takes on these origins. July through December would be more difficult, though. I’m interested in hearing your thoughts. less

Moving forward (the kids are on my back about not having dinner for them yet)

Good! Those are some very good ideas. I think we can do good things with birthstones if that ultimately is what is chosen. Now, let’s look at the origins of the month names.

January: Janus is the Roman god of gates and doorways.
February: Februa is the Roman festival of purification, held on February fifteenth.
March: Mars is the Roman god of war.
April: Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
May: Maia (meaning "the great one") is the Italic goddess of spring
June: Juno he is the goddess of marriage and the well-being of women.
July: Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar (hence the Julian calendar) in 46 BC. In the process, he renamed this month after himself.
August: Augustus Caesar clarified and completed the calendar reform of Julius Caesar. In the process, he also renamed this month after himself.
September: The seventh month
October : The eighth month
November: The nineth month
December: The tenth month

If you are trying to figure out how September through December are named after the numbers 7 through 10 when on our calendar they are months 9-12, remember that the calendar as we know it today is not like it once was. There have been a number of calendar reorganizations in the past, and September through December were indeed once months 7-10.

Much like the meanings behind the birthstones, there could be some interesting takes on these origins. July through December would be more difficult, though. I’m interested in hearing your thoughts. less

OK, after going through the possibilities for birthstones and month name origins, what do you prefer for the subject of the calendar. This “vote” is non-binding, but I can’t help but think your opinion will go a long way towards the ultimate selection. less

OK, after going through the possibilities for birthstones and month name origins, what do you prefer for the subject of the calendar. This “vote” is non-binding, but I can’t help but think your opinion will go a long way towards the ultimate selection. less