Seems to me like something is wrong with that alternator or battery. Maybe the defroster is sucking too much power from it and then alternator tries to produce that power which ends up in bigger drag on the engine. Do you experience any problems when you turn all your lights on, radio, and stuff like that? Does that cause your engine to die? Have you checked your battery?
Hey mate, I have Volkswagen Jetta ’87 and I keep the record of maintainance in a log which I created in Excel. It’s quite easy and you just print it out and keep it in glove box. After you do something on your car just write it down.