The sign of a man is responsibility. As a man you are responsible for the animals God created FOR YOU on this earth. We are told to be smart and caring. That is a man's responsibility. You are doing excellent work.

God bless you for blessing us, Mathias, Tova and Ivar. You’re doing the right thing. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. You bring peace. Thank you! ❤

Critical thinking is becoming a lost purpose. Your question on harvesting your own food as in butchering animals is a valuable one and the answers are most interesting. People don't want to be challenged in their thought processes any more.

@Matthais So the insulation material will not "absorb" the moisture . Is this the word you were looking for in english?

Doug and I have been enjoying your videos for years, now, since before you gave birth to Ivar. We learn so much from watching you. We admire you for how you work hard and provide for yourselves. We can see that you love your animals as you care for them, and we know it's not easy to harvest them. It does take mature human beings to be able to complete that task to provide food for your family. We greatly admire you. We know you don't take pleasure in that, but you are very humane. Not many people, today, are willing to even try to live off the land like you three are doing. Thank you for inspiring two old people with your example ❤

people who dont know how to entertain other ideas or even engage in questions thoughtfully are we had 3 years of mandates and lockdowns. this is what i call lazy intellectualism abd they just want their opinions made for them from society or government. very sad to see

love your assessment about how unsustainable the slaughterhouse occupation is for both the butcher and the animals! as someone who does eat meat 2-3x a week we try to buy as local as possible and my husband is learning to slaughter from some friends. in Islam, it is said that a person who engages in the slaughtering of animals on a daily basis (makes it an occupation) their heart becomes hardened over time. we need to learn to provide for our families without an industry!!

I will never understand. People cannot handle other peoples opinions. We’re all entitled to our opinions and it is just opinions. As long as people are not hurting other people it shouldn’t matter. God‘s blessings 🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏 to you. And your family stay safe and warm and keep that lovely Smile on!!

Do you think maybe alot of people don't like the words butcher or slaughter? They don't think about where the meat they eat comes from but yet buys meat from a grocery store. Your process and ideas are so respectful and humane for animals.

I understand that you are sad.

Looks like a pomas rock. In the USA it’s used to clean water or mineral deposits/stains.

When you edit out gaps/compress it it spoils it and I stop watching )-:

I was wondering when you anticipate having your house ever finished. I admire what your doing it just seems like it takes a long time and with no noticeable difference.

Nice hello from the USA

A wonderful adventure with Tova and Ivar! Yay! Magnificent Northern lights. You guys are so lucky that the snow is there, as we did not get any yet, which is strange for Montreal. As for "The Question": even if I'm personally a vegetarian, I really agree with you that many people are not able to entertain questions and react with ego rather than acting as grown ups and exchange maturely on any topic. So sad to see. I feel your question is crucial and interesting. I love that you create a space for us all to reflect on crucial issues and develop global higher consciousness. Thank you for a great video as always dear beautiful souls 🙂🙏💙💫

I respect your life style. And I think being able to butcher your own animal is an important life skill, I would say from a personal feeling that your question about what makes a man came across as quite arrogant, like saying that because this thing is important to you, that it should be important to everyone. There are many things that could be considered as what makes someone a grown up. One thing is being able to accept other perspectives without prejudice or over confidence.

Awsome ❤😊

In my opinion, becoming a grownup (adult) is in developing the ability to handle responsibility in all aspects of life: self support (and possibly support of others), responsibility for ones own actions and words (without making excuses or casting blame on others!)and continuing the learning process for a lifetime (which likely leads to constant evolving and personal growth).

I loved the expression on Ivar's face when the bag of insulation was being split open and the "gravel" was coming out. Such joyful anticipation! And there he was standing, with his little shovel, ready to help with the work!

I admire your family ethics, your way of life which is healthy & balanced. You and Tova are raising an incredible young man who will grow with so much wisdom & skills he is learning from his parents. Know that there are many who appreciate your videos & hard work. ❤🐔🐏😊

I can't help but think about how well our families would get along if we all lived in the same area.. me being from the US it can be very hard to find these types of relationships and meaningful friendships. I hope you both know that there is a whole community here on youtube that agree with you, and are wishing the best for your family!

The ability to have a civil conversation is part of what makes us a civilized society. That said I for one am living in a country where civility and decorum are not very important to a lot of people. . . Im hoping it is a trend that can someday be turned around. ❤

Such an interesting question Mathias that can be viewed different ways. I took the question about butchering and being a man as the ability to do what it takes to provide for their family..,,sorta being able to make yourself do the hard dirty stuff. I feel in today’s easier society one has to be purposeful in teaching this to our sons. As parents to 5 boys teaching them to work was important. We live on acreage so there was plenty of opportunity but we also had the finances to hire others which would certainly have been easier at times. So many important practical skills to pass on to our children that are necessary for making strong, independent, resilient adults. These type questions provoke serious contemplation which encourages us to reflect and move forward in our lives in a purposeful way. Thank you😊

I think it’s fabulous that you are making the home yourselves. What is really fantastic is that though you are putting in every single part of it personally you’re also being able to video it so when your grandchildren are sitting in that area and maybe even your great grandchildren, they get to look back on all of the work that you did to make it such a wonderful home. I think it would really, help them to appreciate it more.

What your doing looks like smoking. Grilling is over a fire, smoking is cooked by hot smoke with the fire off to the side where the flavored smoke is channeled to meat!!!

We hunt and harvest 50% of our meat (elk, venison, moose). The other 50% we get from our local Hutterite colony. We also fish salmon and get a years supply. Love your channel. 😊💕🇨🇦

I love meat ! However I could never butcher an animal , I do admire how you live off the land and do it all God Bless your family ! Hugs from Northern California wine country !

Asking the question of what is a man in todays society is a very difficult question for many to answer, within moderity we have as human beings lost our links with the earth and the range of the human spirit that our ancestors saw as normal, we have also lost our vision of how things might be unless we are connected to the internet.

About your question it would be interesting to know the ages of people answering pro and con. I imagine the older folks who remember times in the past would be more understanding of what it is to raise livestock to feed your family whereas now people have been indroctrinated into not thinking past the grocery store shelves. You must do what you think is right for you and to heck with anyone else. I would love to sit at your table and have a conversation any time. I am 75 so have been through the decades of change and seen it all and I'm not very happy with this modern world and some of the completely ridiculous ideas that some have.

This is the way to have a good family today: become ungovernable to be the government of yourself, because the governments we have now in Europe are enemies of their own people. And you are doing it very good: out of the grid, making a family with children, making your own food and even building your own houses and looking for like-minded people to have a nice community.

As a woman, I felt offended by your comment; what I heard was "if you cannot butcher and animal you are not a man" next time just think about your audience which is worldwide and which reach many different cultures. Thank you for trying to clarify.

If I had known what I know now when I was young, I would definitely raise all of my animals and vegetables. There is no other way to get and eat clean food! Many families in the US are doing exactly this. Some of the channels I watch even have work shops to teach others how to butcher chickens, turkeys, pigs etc. U-tube is heavy handed now in what these people are able to show in their videos. If they feel you have crossed that line they will demonitize that video. You are living the lifestyle I wish I had chosen many years ago!

Food production is political. In Uk (US and other developed countries) farmers are not allowed to slaughter their own animals locally. They are transported long distances to big slaughter houses supposedly for food safety reasons. But this practice is not in the best interests of the animals or the local populations. The meat can be sold to countries where it is processed and then eventually be sold to consumers who have no idea where it has come from. Especially true of highly processed meat. I read an interesting but also depressing book 'the future will not be microwaved' about resistance to control of food production. If you have land you are empowered, you can feed yourself. Without land you are at the mercy of government approved suppliers. It would be wonderful if we could go back to smaller locally produced food production for consumption by local people. This is the opposite to current government plans, Wales is an example. They are trying to take control of Family farms, put an end to generations of farming tradition and culture.

I get it. I agree in an ideal world the village concept is the answer but unfortunately unobtainable. There isn’t enough land or resources anymore to even think it could happen. As a philosophical question you are in my opinion viewing the world from your world and that’s fair. From my perspective being independent and providing for family is the grown up role model in my world. Same thing I think.

Hej Mathias, i totally agree with you that butchering is a skill the modern society have lost. I was raised at the countryside in germany and my father teached me how to butcher chickens and rabbits when i was 11 years old and i still breed my own chickens and also butcher them. Homegrown meat is way better than that industrial harvested one. I think you dont want to opset people, you only show your way of live and selfsufficency and thats it. Keep going and stay healthy.

Alltså, hönorna 😍

Being of an older generation my father always hunted for our meat-we butchered elk for our freezer. As a child we had quail and pheasant which was my task to clean and gut them. We have gotten so far away from all this but now we are teaching our grandchildren these things-thank you for your videos ❤

In various cultures the prophets of old spoke of a coming "golden age" or a "time of restoration". The questions you're asking, "what makes a man" or "what makes an adult" will ultimately lead to a view of life that is different from what has been and is being forced on humanity. We do need "restoration" of our understanding of every aspect of life and how we relate to everyone and everything. What your family is doing is an example of the beginning of this restoration.

❤ I admire you Mathias and Tova is lucky to have you as her partner and father of her baby. ❤ You guys are so thoughtful and caring for your animals and nature! I love your videos so much!!

The floor will let (water) vapor come into the house. A vapor barrier is probably a good idea. Plastic is the quick way, but it will decompose in decades. Waterproof concrete and tiles would seem a good choice. Tiles are hard to live with. Heated floors are very nice and arguably power efficient. On a related note, what is the plan for solar electric?

Mathias - if it wasn’t for the harvesting of animals mankind wouldn’t exist. What isn’t healthy is people’s obsession with other peoples business. Farm animals on the whole (unless it’s highly commercialized) on the whole are treated with love and dignity.

As always the video is beautifully done. I learn so much from watching and listening to your lives encapsulated in your videos. The question of slaughtering animals to show you understand the quality of the animals life and the effect it has on ours lives. I have never slaughtered an animal, but my parents did when we lived and raised our own chickens. But I did dress the chickens (cleaned them) so that they could be put away for the winter. It is not possible given we live in a city to process our meats ourselves. And yes slaughterhouse or even community butchering requires correct disposal and handling of meat. I just think we need to appreciate and buy our meat if we can from a farmer who does manage their farm and their animals in a manner that produces an organic and wonderful meat.

Thank you for your thoughts and questions. :)

I share your vision. I also appreciate your videos so much.

Our family had the pleasure to visit Sweden last month and had such a lovely time. We loved the people and experience. (I’m even trying to learn a little Swedish!)

Such calming and inspiring and educational videos. I like that you work carefully and thoroughly without high regard for time and deadlines. I use the same approach sometimes. But, I will say that it is also a good feeling to set a daily or weekly goal concerning the house build process as it can shift you into another gear you didn't know you had. It gives me a sense of satisfaction when I can look back and say: "Wow, I did it so well and much faster than usual!'. There are always intervals where things should be ramped up to maintain interest in the project. Be open to include those times in your build. By the same token, have a finish date in mind and try to meet it using alternate fast and slower processes. Just my thoughts! I really like your channel a lot.

After watching the latest video can I comment on being a grown up? Surely being a grown up is to accept and respect our differences.

thank you both again for this video. and....... to provoke ... in favour of a better life, a better community.

I very much agree, if you want to eat meat then you shld know how to raise them responsibly and know how to butcher and process the meat. Bless you and your wonderful family. Enjoy your harvesting. ❤❤❤❤❤❤

I eat meat. But if I had to kill it, I would happily live off dairy products, bread, eggs,vegetables and legumes 😂😂😂 I couldn't kill what I feed... much less if I named it.❤❤❤ You are brave Mathias.