Please teach me about strength/weight training :)

So, I'm new to MFP (1 week old today!). I actually stumbled upon it when looking at a parenting site, but glad I did as it's what I've been looking for and I'm learning a lot already. I think I've got the understanding around BMR and TDEE covered, bought a HRM, and have improved my diet - was quite healthy before, but have now found out what the good, calorie dense foods are to help me maintain the right amount of calories per day. The next big thing to tackle is physical fitness.

I am sedentary at the moment - I'm on maternity leave but still continue with my unpaid work (almost entirely done on the computer) and my studies (sitting with books). Even when I return to work it is mainly a desk job. Obviously I have a baby to look after, but he hasn't mastered rapid movement so no running around yet. I want to get moving more but everything has to be pretty much home-based. I decided to order Zumba Core after reading about it on here as we have a Wii. However I would like to get into strength/weight training.

Here's the thing. I don't even know if strength training and weight training are the same thing [terminology fail] :ohwell: Let alone how to do them...

I was first pointed in the direction of training recently because of my hypothyroidism, as it should improve my BRM as well as help me to become fitter and lose inches. But I have been reading around the boards, going to links, Googling stuff, and I am really motivated by what I've seen on here when people have done lifting. I've read about New Rules of Lifting for Women and various workouts that people follow (Insanity/P90X/30DS...). I tried to figure it all out independently but I still need some help!

What I need to know is - can I do some sort of training at home, and preferably inexpensively? New Rules and 30DS are both quite cheap so should I look into these? And what kind of equipment do I need? Also I read a lot about recovery and protein, so at what point should I consider this?

We actually have a chin up bar in our house and I think there might be a weight or two lurking around. Even if I can only go so far with an at-home routine, I think some is better than none and if I get to that point then maybe by then I'll have more options for expanding my routine.

As a final spanner in the works, I can't place weight on one of my wrists for a little while. However my physio said that there will be no problem for me to train in a little bit. So I'm seeing if there's anything that can be done without exerting my wrists whilst preparing for when I'm back to 100% so I can start straight away with everything/anything else then. I am quite happy to be patient and learn about proper form and such. Some [several] years back I used to do circuit training - just bodyweight - so I have some basic understanding when it comes to push up/sit up/squat-type exercises.

Thanks in advance!