Sounds to me like your probably trying to learn too much. In order to build web applications yourself you will need to have a good understanding of client side languages such as html & css first. Javascript will also come in handy on the client side.
From there, to learn to actually program, you are much better off getting a good book and reading it from start to finish (probably two or three times). Most books are written in such a way that they take you on a learning journey, with each chapter building on the previous.
Jumping from site to site, tutorial to tutorial won't really get you anywhere but frustrated (or here asking stupid questions like allot of other lost souls), you need structure. I understand that the idea of reading through a 700 page book a few times cover to cover can seem daunting, but seriously, you need a good grasp of the basics before you can move on. Without them, you'll just keep hitting dead ends and asking questions on forums over and over and over and over and......
Your right, your not going to learn to be an expert programmer overnight. With this in mind, be patient. It's not difficult, you don't need to be any kind of genius. You just need some patience.