( CNN ) Marie Holmes was watching cartoons with her kids when she won the Powerball jackpot . But at the time , the 26-year-old single mom in North Carolina had no idea she was about to be $ 127 million richer . It was n't until the next day , when she saw a friend post online about the lottery numbers , that she realized she had the winning ticket . Even then , she did n't believe it until she double-checked the numbers with her mother . Then , she screamed . `` I scared my kids because I was jumping up and down in the house , '' she said , beaming on Monday after North Carolina lottery officials handed over a giant check with her name on it as confetti rained down from the ceiling . Their startled reaction was just the first of many ways Holmes said her children -- ages 7 , 4 , 3 and nine months -- are going to see their lives change because of the prize , she said . `` This is going to make a huge difference for them , '' she said . `` They 're going to be able to go to school , not have to worry about paying for it . They 're going to be able to live a comfortable life and not worry about struggling . '' Holmes is from the coastal town of Shallotte , North Carolina . The winning ticket , Holmes said , was in a $ 15 batch her mom picked up for her at a convenience store on the way to church . The other two winning tickets of this month 's Powerball jackpot were purchased in Texas and Puerto Rico , and the three winners split a jackpot listed by lottery officials at $ 564 million . Split three ways , that comes to $ 188 million each , if the winners took the payout over time . A lump-sum payment is smaller , but still , $ 127 million is no small change . Even after taxes . Holmes ' win is the largest in North Carolina 's history , officials said . Holmes told CNN affiliate WECT last week that she thought she was going to have a heart attack when she found out she 'd won . `` I do n't know if I want to cry , smile , what , I 'm just grateful for this moment . I 'm thankful that I can bless my kids with something that I did n't have , '' she said . But she was more measured on Monday . `` I 'm not sure how I feel right now , '' she said . `` I do n't believe it yet . '' Holmes has supported her children in the past with jobs at Walmart , Food Lion supermarket , KFC , McDonald 's and Subway , lottery officials said . She 's been living with seven of her family members in one home . Now she 's hoping to get each of them their own place to live . Since the day earlier this month when she realized she 'd won , Holmes said her life has already changed . She was sandwiched between a lawyer and financial adviser as she accepted her winnings Monday . Security , she said , now has to accompany her whenever she goes outside -- something she 's still adjusting to . She told reporters Monday she wants to keep her kids out of the spotlight to make sure they 're safe . She said she 's still consulting with advisers about how to spend the money , which she 's accepted in the $ 127 million lump-sum payment ( totaling $ 87.9 million after taxes ) .. For now , she said she plans to donate to churches and cerebral palsy charities . She 's also hoping to travel , possibly leaving the United States for the first time to visit Paris . And she wants to go back to school . The prize , she said , means everything to her as a mother . `` Anything my kids ask for , I can actually get it for them , and I do n't have to tell them , 'no , ' '' she said . Asked by a reporter if she would still tell them no anyway for good reasons , Holmes smiled and did n't hesitate . `` Yes , '' she said .
`` I was jumping up and down in the house , '' Powerball winner Marie Holmes says . The 26-year-old single mom accepted a $ 127-million lump sum payment . Now she says her four kids are `` going to be able to live a comfortable life and not worry about struggling ''