What are some practical ways I can balance love and discipline?

Hello, I have been trying to balance the love and discipline tug of war with my kids all this while too :) In our case, I make it a point to tell my kids what behaviour is unacceptable, and tell them when I am disappointed. My kids are young, 2 and 8, but talking to them about what they are doing wrong and why it is not right has actually helped. Our kids are quite smart than we give them credit for, so I feel you could try this out too. For instance, when my younger one hit the older one and tried to hug me, I told her that I love her, but because she hit her sister, I would not hug her. She did realise the mistake.