Marie Holmes, a 26-year-old unemployed mother of four, says she is ready to embrace a new life now that she has won the $564 million Powerball jackpot.

The North Carolina mother claims that she is one of the three lucky winners who hit the third-largest Powerball prize in the game's history last week. Now she plans to open up college savings accounts for her children and share her earnings with her church.

"First I'm going to pay my tithe, because I wouldn't have none of it if it wasn't for God," Holmes told WECT.

Holmes, of Shallotte, told WWAY-TV that she was absolutely shocked when she realized that her ticket matched the winning numbers.

"I was screaming in the house -- telling my kids, 'We made it', and they ran away talking about, 'I scared at them,'" she said. "I don't have to worry about depending on nobody, I can do it all by myself. I can go back to school and make an even better life for my kids."

Holmes, who added she does not play the lottery often, said she was looking for a new job after being forced to quit her jobs at Wal-Mart and McDonald's in order to care for her children, one of whom has cerebral palsy.

When asked if she's ready to become a multimillionaire, Holmes said, "I'm ready for it. I'm ready to embrace the change. I'm very grateful for what's about to happen for my family."

According to the North Carolina Education Lottery's Twitter page, lottery winners have the option to accept a $188 million annuity paid over 30 years or a $127 million lump sum, before federal and state taxes.

Although Holmes claims she purchased one of the three tickets that matched all the numbers for the Feb. 11 Powerball drawing, North Carolina Education Lottery officials have not confirmed her as the winner. The state lottery spokesman Van Denton said an attorney representing a person who claims to have one of the winning tickets contacted lottery officials to say, "No immediate claim of the prize is planned."

"We won't know who has the winning ticket until it is brought to lottery headquarters," said Alice Garland, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. "We hope anyone who has the great luck to win a prize like this will seek sound professional advice before making a claim. A win like this is truly life-changing, and we should expect the person who is going through this to take the time to make the best decisions they can. We look forward to meeting the winner."

Holmes said she plans to meet with lawyers and a financial adviser in Raleigh before turning in the ticket to collect her prize.