It was either in "New Rules of Lifting" or "New Rules of Lifting for Women" where I read that men typically grab a weight that's 25% too heavy & women tend to do quite the opposite and under estimate their strength by that much.

It sounds silly but I would recommend "deadlifting" things in your house to get an idea of where you're at. If you carry a heavy bag or children throughout the day you will probably be able to lift quite a bit!
Another really good book for those making a transition into weights is "the female body breakthrough".

Ps: Am I supposed to reference books a certain way in forums? I'm not sure....lol

What I'd do- because I'm pretty sure you can deadlift more than you think- is head to walmart and pick up their cheap 40lb weight set. It's plastic and not high quality but it was about twenty bucks. While you're there pick up a barbell. Then you can start with low weight while you get your form down but for low cost you can be set to increase weight which you'll want to do to keep strong.

Plus- with a barbell you have tons of new exercises open to you. If you feel like doing some simple dumbell work- the twenty dollar set comes with dumbells.

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I make my boys-one at a time-get on my shoulders and do squats-they love it!

Check out Craigslist for weights and all that.