Ovulation

Hello all, I am going to be asking some personal questions about ovulation and conception. I have done some extensive research on the web about this subject and found that there are numerous guides and articles to give almost every information there is about this subject. But what I am after is the personal experiences which are few online. Well, I will start with my experience. My periods are regular every month but I don't have the normal 28 days many women seem to have.Some months it can be 31 days and other months 40 days. I have not been using ovulation sticks or kits that can help tell if one is ovulating or not. I may have to invest in one of them but pray I don't have to. Ovulation kits are not cheap and can cost a lot so I am asking are there any other signs a woman can use to know when she ovulates? I have heard about temping which is taking one's basal body temperature (first thing in the morning).I may sound silly but which body part is this temperature taken from? I need answers because I need to be educated in this aspect and like many women, I would like to have children some day and ovulation is one of the vital things important in conception.