Confused overSimple PHP mySQL date question

Hi, I have checked the recent list archives and looked up various PHP functions. I know what I want should be simple but, apparently not simple enought for me. I have a mysql database that has a date field and a time field. I want users to be able to enter a date and a time in text boxes on an html form and have them end up in the database. I am having no trouble connecting to the database and running queries against the database but I cannot get the dates and times into the database. Of course I also want to search for the database for an entered date on another form. I am not having trouble with SQL statements or mysql_connect() or anything like that just taking a date as a string from a text box and getting into a DATE field in a mysql database. What obvuios thing did I miss? Note I am not using the system date or time stamp, these are entered dates. Regards, Scott